The Great Brainstorm of Briggs Hall

 

ABI 198 - Section A 

(04/11/25)

Summary of Today's Events

Having completed our fun day at Quail Ridge on Monday, we came into class today with possible research questions based on our observations in the field. Once broken up into small groups, students discussed questions they formed regarding the species they observed. Groups then outlined these ideas on the board and eventually shared them with the class after a brief literature search.  As a class, we discussed each group's topic to gain further insight and explore general relevance. Once this was completed, the class decided to head to the Putah Creek Oak Savannah for our next field day on Monday.

Meeting Minutes

10:00 AM: 

Students met at Briggs Hall, room 122.

10:05 AM: 

The class was then split in half, forming two groups that discussed the species they identified at Quail Ridge and possible research topics associated with their identified species. 

10:25 AM:

After the discussion was completed, both groups then moved to the boards where they listed the main species discussed. Students then listed possible questions they could explore further via a brief literature search conducted in class.

10:44 AM:

After outlining all their ideas on the whiteboards (see photos below), students returned to their seats and began individual literature searches on the topics they found most interesting. 

11:10 AM:

Students were provided with a brief 10-minute break to get some snacks and water!

11:20 AM:

After returning from break, members from each team shared their topics with the class (see rough outline of topics below). An open discussion then occurred, where students could explore the significance and ask additional questions regarding each topic. 

11:50 AM:

Once the discussion was over, the class decided on the next field spot. 

Topics Brainstormed and Presented

Sharp-tailed Snake (shared by Sam & Chloe)

- Noted a lack of research conducted on Sharp-tailed snakes, making this species a perfect topic for novel research

- Possible routes of exploration include species prevalence in relation to human habitation and the roles of a changing climate (relevance linked to climate change and its impact on ecosystem dynamics) in altering the elevation of species' habitats 

Pipevine Swallowtail (shared by Marshall)

- Previous research has found that by dissecting male butterflies and observing a specific structure, they could determine when they last mated (method could be used as a stepping stone for our own research question) 

Butterflies (shared by Sam & Chloe)

- Could conduct experiments to test if butterflies primarily rely on olfactory or visual cues when deciding on flower preference (can be done using a mix of artificial and real flowers) 

Ticks (shared by Courtney & Cameron)

- Wanted to explore the concept of mark recapture when applied to ticks

- The method could possibly be used to better understand tick distribution and movement (relevance linked to ticks spreading diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Lyme Disease) 

Jerusalem Cricket (shared by Shiv) 

- Identified that Jerusalem crickets lack a large amount of research and proposed conducting our own research to fill vital knowledge gaps

- One interesting aspect about the species includes its nocturnal behavior

Western Fence Lizard (shared by Athena)

- Described how we could determine what factors comprise an ideal basking environment for this species (relevance linked to impacts of climate change)

- Also highlighted the unique pushup behavior associated with male courtship of females 

- Proposed exploring the roles of food abundance with territorial behavior from an energy cost/benefit lens 

Pacific Tree Frog (shared by Tina) 

- Wanted to investigate the species richness and distribution of frogs at Quail Ridge, relating it back to wetland habitats and human impacts on water availability (could further study microhabitats of these frogs, looking at temperature, humidity, and more)

- Mentioned that this species of frog exhibits a color change from green to brown, which could be a topic of study

Pictures From the Day

"Deep in Discussion"

"Group A Ideas"

"Group B Ideas"

Things To Do Before Next Class

1. Complete selection/research of 3 species from Monday's Field site, and be prepared to share at least one of your selected species with the class before we start our field work (see example posted to Slack)  
2. Read today's blog 
3. Finish reading chapters 5 & 6 of "How to Do Ecology" if not completed yet
4. Update your weekly reflections/contributions 
5. Post any ideas you had in class today to the ABI 198A Idea Repository

Itinerary for Monday (04/14/25)

10:00 AM     Meet at parking lot 26 

10:10 AM     Leave for field site (Putah Creek Oak Savannah)

10:25 AM     Arrive at field site & group share of selected specimen   

10:50 AM     Begin locating, identifying, and counting the abundance of our selected                                    specimen at the field site      

12:20 PM     Meet back up and begin to discuss our findings 

12:45 PM     Explore any new ideas for species of interest and flesh out proposal ideas

1:35 PM       Head back to campus

1:50 PM       Say our goodbyes