esday • April 28, 1998
Jjj|k The Battalion
Ecology
:ng hands
By Leah Templeton
Staff writer
Jveryone has mandatory classes they dread having to take. Whether it
I be chemistry, biology, a math or English class, students would rather
[transfer to the University of Texas than take certain classes in their ma-
b it is rare that a class comes along that is both interesting and exciting
Indents. The class is Principles of Ecology and the lab that goes along
it is different than many other labs at the University. For those of us who
[through Biology in high school, here’s a quick recap on the subject.
Icology focuses on how plants and animals are distributed throughout
|ea,” Paul Jurena, a graduate student and teaching assistant for the De-'
pent of Rangeland Ecology, said.
^e ecology lab is designed to take students on field trips to ponds and
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lakes in College Station. These trips help students learn how to
correctly use certain tools and methods in gathering data for
lab experiments.
“The ecology lab gets students accustomed to the proce
dure we use to study physical and chemical properties and
sampling vegetation of plants and animals,” Jurena said. “In
the class we take the students out and show them ways of
sampling vegetation.”
Adam Whisentet, a junior wildlife and fisheries science ma
jor, said he enjoys the experience of getting out of the classroom
for a while and putting his ecology knowledge to use.
“We’ve been going out to the pond the last month or so
to study the plant and animal community,” Whisentet said.
“We put on a weighter to get into the water and get wet; it’s
pretty fun.”
Whisentet also said the class, which consists of about 15 stu
dents, divides into groups of three and each perform different
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Photos
By
Brad Graebar
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murfi v wk 1
NATURE
tasks. While one group may check measures and the pH of the wa
ter, the others use nets with lead weights attached that run along the
floor of the pond to collect specimens.
Jurena said the class takes samples in many different places, but
the main focus is on a pond in Lick Creek Park in College Station and
an aquatic system in a range area located near the airport in Bryan.
“The range area is a pond where students measure physical and
chemical characteristics of water from the surface of the pond to the
bottom,” Jurena said. “They also sample organisms on the bottom
of the lake and use nets to sample for fish life.”
After the data has been collected, Jurena said the students then write
up the results of their findings and explain the conclusions they found.
Principles of ecology is a sophomore-level class generally taken
by wildlife and fisheries science majors, but is open to all majors. Ju
rena said there are many avenues students can pursue with ecolo
gy, including forest service, national park services, fish and wildlife
services and graduate programs.
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