© File copyright Colin Purrington. You may use for making your poster, of course, but please do not plagiarize, adapt, or put on your own site. Also, do not upload this file, even if modified, to third-party file-sharing sites such as doctoc.com. If you have insatiable need to post a template onto your own site, search the internet for a different template to steal. File downloaded from terdesign. By: Keith Harmon Date: 10/29/2015 Scientific Research Poster Presentation Biodiversity of Northwestern Africa Research Question What fauna make up the biodiversity in North Africa (Senegal, Guinea Basau, Guinea, Sierra, Liberia, Mali, Cote d’lvoire, Ghana)? Technology and Materials Internet Zooniverse.org Microsoft Excel Computer Audio Methods 1.Create an account (free) at Zooniverse.org* 2.Login to Zooniverse.org* using username and password initially set-up and select a project which corresponds to the research question(s)(see research question) you wish to research* 3.View the nine (9) still-frame photos taken from the 15 second video clip trying to determine if any fauna (animals) are in the video clip 4.If an animal is believed to be on the video, select “I see something;” if it is determined that no animals are seen in the still-frames, select “Nothing here”** 5.After selecting “I see something” watch the 15 second clip provided, identifying any and all animal species in the video (a field guide is provided to help determine what species are seen) 6.For each species identified in the clip, make an annotation selecting “Add Annotation” 1.Identify the species 2.Select the # of that species present in the video and any and all activities an individual in the species is displaying 3.Select “done” when the annotation has been completed for that species 4.If more than one species is present in the clip select “Add Annotation” and repeat for each species in clip; once all species have been annotated, select “Finish” 7.Select “Next Subject” to continue gathering data Findings In over 300 video clips viewed, 19 different species were identified (see Table 1 above). Over 300 individual animals were observed through-out all the video clips watched. Of the 309 animals, 196 or 63 percent, were primates. Cattle, a domestic animal was next. Other animals which in which significant numbers were observed were warthogs, birds, giant forest hogs, and various species of duikers. Table 1- Pie chart of the proportions of various fauna species observed. Acknowledgements and Literature: All pictures were obtained through and by courtesy of Zooniverse.org from video clips I myself observed. NGSS Lead States Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Janson, C. H., & Goldsmith, M. L. (1995). Predicting group size in primates: foraging costs and predation risks. In Behavioral Ecology. Retrieved from Oxford Journals ( /beheco/ ) Somers, M. J., Rasa, A. E., & aethiopicus, B. L. (1995, March 10). Group structure and social behaviour of warthogs Phacochoerus aethiopic. Retrieved from 2_Acta-T40-nr _o.pdf Data Analysis: Species were primarily seen/caught on video as individuals. In videos where more than one individual was seen, the multiple numbers largely consisted or families or groups(47), while there were a few instances of individuals together. Behaviors exhibited were mainly traveling, feeding, and some resting(12) and social interaction(10), with rare occurrences of grooming, aggression, and mounting. Conclusions and Implcations: Wild fauna observed in this study were primarily lone individuals, with the exception of primates who live in families or groups other organisms in which a parent was with young. Therefore, it may appear that there are primates constitute the major of the organisms found in the wild while this may not be the case. Due to the challenges of camera placement and limitation on areas biodiversity is only represented by what may be termed as megafauna (what we can see with our eyes through the camera lens. Microscopic (what can’t be seen through camera lens) fauna and as well as floral fauna were not included in the study. Total biodiversity in Northwestern Africa will be significantly different. This study was successful in verifying that there exists a diverse group of fauna in Northwestern Africa. To obtain better positioning of cameras to observe a more proportional representation of “megafauna” greater research and understanding of each individual behaviors, food preferences, and shelter, to name a few, need to be looked into. NGSS Standards and Cross-cutting Concepts: HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales. HS-LS2-8. Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce. Cause and effect Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects. (HS-LS2-8),(HS-LS4-6) HS-LS2-1. Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. Predicting group size in primates: foraging costs and predation risks Behavioral Ecology (1995) 6 (3): doi: /beheco/