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Fertilizers are commonly applied to plants in both agricultural and ornamental settings and these fertilizers can affect insect herbivores. Beet armyworms, Spodoptera exigua, are phytophagous insects that are easy to rear in the lab. In this exercise, students design an experiment that manipulates plant quality via fertilizer application and then measure the effect of fertilization on caterpillar performance. In the first class, students design the experiment and apply the treatments. In subsequent weeks, students conduct a feeding trial where they collect and analyze data on caterpillar performance. Each student writes a lab report based on class data.
Associated files
Format
Resource Group TIEE
Resource Group Link https://ecoed.esa.org/index.php?P=SearchResults&F46=TIEE
Primary or BEN resource type
Secondary resource type
Discipline Specific Core Concepts
Life science discipline (subject)
Keywords Community ecology, herbivores, plant quality, population ecology, species interactions, herbivory, plant-animal interactions
Audience
Intended End User Role
Language
Educational Language
Pedagogical Use Category
Pedagogical Use Description This experiment is a guided-inquiry exercise, so it can be transferred to other
levels by providing more or less guidance to the students in terms of
experimental design and data analysis. This experiment could be conducted with
wide variety host plant species (cotton, soybeans, collards, lettuce). Other
phytophagous insects that are easily reared in the laboratory such as the tobacco
hornworms (Manduca sexta) and the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae),
could be used. Besides fertilizer, other treatments could be used such as
comparing different plant species, the presence or absence of a mutualism if
legumes and rhizobia are used, or soil moisture levels.
Aggregation Level
Structure
Full Name of Primary Author Caralyn B. Zehnder
Primary Author Controlled Name
Primary Author Affiliation Springfield Technical Community College, Office of Learning Engagement & Advancement
Primary Author email czehnder@stcc.edu
Added By Id
  • educationintern
Rights Caralyn Zehnder. 16 March 2016, posting date. Effects of plant quality on caterpillar performance Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, Vol. 11: Experiment #1 [online]. http://tiee.esa.org/vol/v11/experiments/zehnder/abstract.html
Publisher
Review type
Drought and Water Ecosystem Services Collection Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection Off
Big Data Collection Off
Editors Choice No
Resource Status
Date Of Record Submission 2017-11-27
I Agree to EcoEdDL's Copyright Policy & Terms of Use No
Date Of Record Release 2017-11-27 21:00:03
Last Modified By Id
  • educationintern
Date Last Modified 2018-07-18 09:51:59
Release Flag Published

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