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Biology 141 |
K.E. Clifton Lewis & Clark College |
Continue thinking about biodiversity
The "Tree of Life" can be percieved in several ways:
a more abstract, phylogenetic tree
a more detailed phylogenetic tree that gives a humbling perspective on where diversity lies taxonomically
Biodiversity is highest in tropical areas (low latitudes)
We've already talked about productivity and specialization
What about history and habitat structure?
What does sex have to do with all this?
Consider the costs and benefits of sex.
Increased variability in offspring vs. a two fold genetic cost
What happens in the food/sex/death game with the production of more variable offspring?
Finally a bit on how scientists communicate in written form: The anatomy of a scientific paper
There are two primary traditions for sharing information: written and oral
The parts of a paper (see your lab manual for another treatment of these ideas)
Title: informative, specific, but concise
Abstract: the whole paper in one brief paragraph
Introduction
questions it must answer
its “shape”: starts broad, narrows its focus
ends with a precise statement of question and approach
Methods
information needed to replicate the study
background on sites or organism, maps, analysis
Results
tables and figures convey information concisely, have specific formats
accompanying text guides readers through the figures/tables
some results are presented simply as sentences in text
dissecting the parts of a figure
Discussion
answers the question: what do I think it all means?
Pulls all the results together to draw a conclusion
How do my results compare to those of others?
Explains the results in terms of the biology of the organisms
What new questions do these findings raise? How to investigate them?
Did anything go wrong?
Concluding paragraph: overall conclusion and its significance
Acknowledgments
thanking those who made the study possible: financially, mentoring, helping with research, allowing access to sites, writing of report
Literature Cited
complete citation for any paper, book, website referred to in paper, using proper format
Some rules of thumb/good advice
never pad a scientific paper: scientists prize conciseness
clear organization is a must
passive voice? No, active voice is clearer and more effective form of communication
Target Audience? Usually, other scientists interested in this issue. For your studies, audience = other beginning Biol students who haven’t taken Bio 141
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