Busey Woods Extra Credit Field Trip

April 18

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

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The Busey Woods Field Trip is worth 2% overall course credit. Students are expected to arrive 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the activity to sign an attendance sheet. Busey Woods is accessible via walking, biking, or car. See map below. After completing the Field Trip, you will write a summary of your experience (at least three double-spaced, 12 point, typed pages with one inch margins around). This report must be given to Beth Morgan in lecture (or before).

Field Trip activities:

• After an introduction to the site, you will go for a hike which will highlight the ecology of the Busey Woods and the efforts that have been made to restore the woods after the land has been used for domestic activities and after disruption of the ecosystem that surrounded it. Make sure to wear hiking clothes (long pants) and walking shoes (no sandals) appropriate for the weather. Be prepared to take notes. A small backpack would be appropriate.
• Next, your leader will assign you an activity to do in the woods that will use the plant biology knowledge you have learned in class followed by a group wrap up.

Your report must include: Paper is due in lecture April 29 (or earlier).

• Summary of the history of the site.
• Diagram of a food web for Busey Woods with at least (more if you're motivated) three trophic levels and a decomposer level.
• Drawing of one plant you studied in the woods labeled with: scientific and common names; if flowers, flower parts; if woody, indicate a leaf and label the leaf characteristics. Classification of the plant from Kingdom to species.
• Sketch of one forest floor plant, one understory plant and one canopy plant, all labeled with common name.
• Discussion of the role of fire in maintaining the oak/hickory community and the effects of invasive species and fragmentation on the community.
• Describe what you gained by participating in the field trip and how it helped you understand the local environment.
• Include information from at least one outside reference (properly cited in your paper). This reference may provide more information about woodland ecology or on specific plants that you found interesting. Incorporate this information into your report.
• Proper grammar and spelling. Be sure to thoroughly edit and proofread your report - points will be deducted for poor writing.
• Posted in Turnitin.com

Credit: Extra credit is added at the end of the semester as percentage points on top of the course grade you have earned. You can earn up to 2% extra credit for this project (dependent upon your participation in the Field Trip and the quality of your written report). Only partial credit will be given if the report is incomplete. No credit will be given without the report or if a student leaves the workday early.

Map: