Biology Comes to Life (121)

By Johnica Morrow

Life 121 (formerly known as Bios 103) is one of two field courses being taught here at CPBS during our first summer session. The course investigates big-picture biology with an organismal focus. Students are expected to work on a plant collection, an insect collection, and a crayfish physiology project in addition to running lab experiments and taking field trips to observe a wide range of organisms in a variety of habitats.

In this first week of the session, students are already hard at work collecting a diversity of plants and insects while mastering the art and science of curation. Butterfly wings are being spread and plants are being pressed with great care. It is satisfying as a teaching assistant to see the faces of students when I tell them that their specimens look nice (and I’m certainly not lying to make them feel good…this group of students is really doing an excellent job of specimen preservation). These students are truly experiencing local biodiversity in the most hands-on way possible by taking the time to look for specimens, identify those specimens, and save those specimens for future researchers. 

Many students will chose to take their collections home, but those who leave their specimens behind will be making permanent contributions to our herbarium and entomological collections here at the station.

Earlier this week, the students conducted experiments to determine light quality preferences of flesh fly larvae. Eyes grew wide in the room lit only by small flashlights as the maggots squirmed their way along a moistened racetrack. The mass of data collected from these experiments will be turned into group lab reports, giving the students experience doing collaborative work that terminates in “publication”. Students seemed enthralled with understanding how and why these organisms respond to light in the way that they do.

Students explore light quality preferences in flesh fly larvae.

No class here at CPBS would be complete without field work. Life 212 is no exception. Students have already been led up to the Nutrient Network site on the hill to the southeast of the station with our Associate Director, Jon Garbisch, explaining local geology on the way up. Once students made it to the site itself, Director, Jean Knops, spoke with the students about the Nutrient Network and its importance. A few days later, students walked the high and low roads near the station and learned about various trees, wildflowers, insects, water management strategies, and even a bit about spiders.

Jon Garbisch explains the Ogallala formation to Life 121 students.

On Wednesday, students traveled to Bekius Ponds in search of odonates (damselflies and dragonflies). They found both larval and adult forms of these organisms in addition to honing their dip-netting skills. (Many also experienced the thrill of sinking into mud and trying to get back out!) From the murky water came predacious diving beetles, mayfly larvae, backswimmers, water boatmen, midge larvae, snails and their egg cases, and zippy little whirly-gigs. They were also able to find tadpoles as well as an adult Woodhouse’s toad (Bufo woodhousii) in addition to seeing lots of wolf spiders (Family Lycosidae) scurrying amongst the low vegetation carrying their egg sacs behind them.

 

Students explore Bekius Ponds.

It is early in the session, but students have already experienced aspects of biology in ways that traditional classrooms are simply incapable of delivering. The ability to truly immerse oneself in studying the organisms of western Nebraska and tying those involvements into a broader view of biology as a discipline makes taking Life 121 at CPBS an experience that is totally unique.