Energy through Organisms

Investigation Question 1: How does energy move through the organisms in my place?

Research statement: Energy moves through organisms starting from the sun to plants to primary and secondary consumers. Participant will document organisms that live in a place (location and scale tbd) that demonstrate the variety and complexity of energy transfer.

Citizen Science Project: iNaturalist

Field Study: Collect 50 observations of a variety of organisms from a place and upload them to iNaturalist. Create a project to curate the observations. Students will analyze the species list for trophic relationships. This data can also be used in a biodiversity survey.

Length of study: Approximately 5 days. Can be shorter. Recommended to collect observations at various times of day in multiple habitats.

Geo-spatial scale: The geo-spatial scale can range from a backyard to an entire park. The larger the range, the easier it will be to find 50 organisms. Consult with the course facilitator to finalize.

Training requirements: Review series of iNaturalist videos.

Equipment provided: None