1. Scientific Method

2. Science Science is something you know and something you do.
Body of knowledge and getting answers about the natural world.
Pure science seeks to answer questions about how the natural world works.
Applied science uses the information from the pure sciences to solve problems
Ecology is the the study of how living things interact with each other and their nonliving environments.
What is science (pure and applied). Something you do and know
Add sorting table on next slide

3. Pure or Applied Applied ecology biology environmental science physics
medicine
engineering
chemistry

4. Scientific Method Observation Questions Hypothesis
Experiment and Data Collection
Summarizing Data
Communicating Results
Ecology and Scientific Method

5. How it Begins All science begins with observations. Lead to Questions
Use your senses: see, hear, smell, feel (not taste)
Use instruments: X-rays, thermometers, etc.
Lead to Questions
Why, how, what if. . . Asking interesting questions is the basis of all science.
A Hypothesis is a testable explanation for the question or observation.
A possible answer that we can investigate
All science begins with observations that lead to Questions and Hypothesis
Water in a balloon demo!

6. 1 Good Design Need two groups Only change one thing (variable)
Experimental group
Control group
Only change one thing (variable)
Everything else must be kept the same. Why? 1
Good design (only test on variable) (control and experimental groups)

7. Studying Warblers
Theory predicted that two species with identical ecological requirements would compete and push each other out.
Observation: 5 species of very similar warblers live together in a northeastern spruce forest.
Question:
Hypothesis:
Warblers example

8. Ways to Test a Hypothesis
Observation
Benefits: In the field (natural environment), can observe natural behavior
Limitations: Hard to control experiment, hard to collect quantitative data
Experiment
Benefits: Can set-up and control experiment, focus on one thing to collect data from.
Limitations: Not natural environment, can’t replicate all cases.
Modeling : using computer programs to predict
Benefits: predict future or what if events, don’t disturb environment.
Limitations: Must include as many factors as possible in model, hard to measure all components to include, lots of assumptions must be made.
Ways to test a hypothesis (3 fundamental)
Energy and NPP model examples

9. Setting up an Experiment
Hypothesis is tested under controlled conditions.
Two groups are studied
Only one variable changed
All other variables are controlled
Control group show what would happen with no treatment (normal)
Why only change one thing?
Experiments (variables tested under controlled conditions)
Set up balloon experiment

10. Why Control
Control groups show us that the variable we are changing is truly causing the result.
If we see the same result in both the control and experimental group what does that mean?
If we change more than one variable we can’t tell which one is causing the result.
Value of a control group

11. What to do with Data
Data is most useful when it has been organized and presented in easy to understand ways.
Three main ways to organize data
Tables
Graphs (line and bar for example)
Pie Charts
Easier to see trends when presented
Tables show numbers easily and compactly. Do not show relative relations well. Very good for non-numerical data.
Line graphs are great for showing change on one thing over time. Can get confusing if too many lines.
Bar graphs are great for showing several comparisons at once.
Pie charts are great for showing percentages.

12. Examples Observation: Question: Hypothesis: Experiment:
amphibian and environmental chem.

13. And then . . . Scientist want to share their results . . .
To advance other discoveries
To gain credit for their work
Publish results in scientific journals
Peer reviewed
Searchable
Science builds on science
Learn from past experiments
Change and update results as new information is available
Sharing results