Representative uses of NATL's academic area
by Natural Area Advisory Committee (20 March 2003)

Public and academic users share the northern half of NATL, whereas the southern half is for academic use only. This restriction allows a portion of NATL to be used for projects that require markers and equipment to be left in the field for extended periods or that require wildlife to be observed without frequent interruptions.

Projects in the academic area that do not require markers and equipment to be left in the field, do not need approval by the Natural Area Advisory Committee. Consequently most class and special projects that use NATL's academic are known only to the participants. Below is a sampling of relevant projects that used at least a portion of NATL's academic area. Projects that inventory NATL's biota are of special importance because they document the high diversity of NATL and make its species more accessible for further study.

Botany (CLAS) by Kaoru Kitajima and Jack Putz
Current
Ecophysiology of Ardisia crenata and methods for its eradication (Kaoru Kitajima, Asst. Prof.)

Plant Inventory of NATL (Dan Ward, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/NATLplants.html]

Completed
Cooperative Florula Project [initial inventories of NATL's plants] (Jack Putz, Prof. and other faculty and graduate students from the Botany Dept.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/plants.htm]

Supplement to Ward's plant inventory of plant species in NATL (Cliff Martin, Entomology graduate student supervised by Walter Judd, Prof.)[see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/CMartin.doc]

Survival of a Tradescantia species in north Florida hammocks (Brett McMillan, graduate student)


Civil and Coastal Engineering (College of Engineering)
Completed
In 1995-1996 The Student Geomatics Association surveyed a 100-meter grid system for NATL; three years later they made it a 50-meter grid system, and a year after that they produced a CAD map of NATL with 13 layers of information.


Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Affairs
Completed
Ichneumon wasps of NATL (Charles C. Porter, Prof. Biology, Fordham Univ.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Wasps.htm]

Sphecid wasps of NATL (Charles C. Porter, Prof. Biology, Fordham Univ.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Wasps2.htm]

Nematodes of NATL (R. P. Esser, DPI nematologist) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Nematode.htm]


Environmental Engineering Science (College of Engineering) by Mark Brown
Current
Each year classes in the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences use NATL's academic area in laboratory exercises as follows:

EES 3000L (Environmental Science & Humanity Laboratory) A lab course for undergraduates in the CNRE program that uses NATL for field sampling techniques for vegetation, algae, and macroinvertebrates.

EES 4932 Environmental Analysis - A lab course for seniors in Environmental Engineering Sciences. The course uses NATL for field sampling techniques in both terrestrial and wetland environments.

"It is most essential that we have the NATL within easy reach of our classrooms to make it possible to conduct these field laboratory exercises without having to travel to distant locations using up valuable class time." (Mark Brown, Assoc. Prof.)


Entomology and Nematology (CALS) by Don Dickson and Tom Walker
Current
Survey of entomopathogenic nematodes and first record of H. zealandica in North America (Byron Adams, Asst. Prof.; Khuong Nguyen, Senior Biological Scientist; Huhammed Shamseldean & Atwa Ahmed Atwa, Visiting Nematologists) (paper in preparation).

ENY 4241 (Biological Control) uses NATL each time it is offered as a place for students to obtain living lacewings (Chrysopidae) and ladybird beetles(Coccinellidae). They then obtain eggs from the collected adults, and rear the resultant larvae to the adult stage. They must obtain data on the rearings, and analyze and present the data. To rear these insects means that a constant supply of prey items (usually aphids) is required. (Howard Frank, Prof.)

ENY 4905/6905 (Invertebrate Field Biology) Comparison of deterioration of parasitism and pathogenicity traits associated with mass rearing and natural reproduction of biological control organisms. McNair Scholar research project (BJ Adeyemo; undergraduate student, H. L. Smith; graduate student, BJ Adams; Asst. Prof.)

NEM 6905 (Insect Parasitic Nematology) Survey of insect parasitic nematode diversity: host and distribution ecology. Class project. (Khuong Nguyen, Senior Biological Scientist, Byron Adams, Asst. Professor)

"I wish to express my concern on the proposed change for roadway construction through our Natural Area Teaching Laboratory near the Entomology and Nematology Building (Bld 970). I teach Medical and Veterinary Entomology to both graduate students as part of our preprofessional program. We use the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory for insect ecological studies with collection traps for research on mosquitoes, ticks, flies and fire ants. The graduate students and honors students also conduct senior projects as well a masters and dissertation research in the area. For the last 5 years we have had Forensic Entomology projects as a continuous evaluation located in the SE portion of the Natural Area Teaching area. The loss of this space will greatly reduce scientific potential for our students in Medical and Veterinary Entomology as well as lower the overall quality of our program."
Jerry F. Butler, Professor of Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Studies of termite foraging populations and territories (Nan-Yao Su, Professor at Fort Lauderdale REC)

Insect biodiversity inventory, especially beetles (David Almquist, undergraduate project supervised by John Foltz, Assoc. Prof.)

Orientation behavior of certain beetle species and guilds to artificial representations of food sources and microhabitats: the importance of visual cues as adjuncts to chemical ones. (David Almquist, undergraduate project supervised by John Foltz, Assoc. Prof.)

Natural enemies of the palm leaf skeletonizer, a collaborative project with Dr. Bill Howard at the Fort Lauderdale REC. (Eileen A. Buss, Asst. Prof, collects larvae in NATL, and Howard rears natural enemies from them).


Completed
Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea & Hesperioidea) of NATL (a 2-year study including 74 species, by Hugo L. Kons, Jr., graduate student) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/butterfly.html]

Moths (Lepidoptera: Psychidae, Yponomeutidae, Sesiidae, Cossidae, Zygaenoidea, Thyrididae, Drepanoidea, Geometroidea, Mimalonoidea, Bombycoidea, Sphingoidea, & Noctuoidea) of the University of Florida Natural Area Teaching Lab (a 5-year study including 489 species, by Hugo L. Kons, Jr., graduate student and PhD) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/NATLMoths.pdf]

Birds of NATL (by Greg McDermott, entomology graduate student) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Birds.htm]

Crickets of NATL (T. J. Walker, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/cricket.htm]

Katydids of NATL (T. J. Walker, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/katydid.htm]


Florida Museum of Natural History by Max Nickerson
Current
IDH 3931 (Interdisciplinary Junior Honors) Offered every year but with varying projects--for example, Natural Areas, Natural Springs, and Museum Adventures. These have all used NATL's academic area for field work. (Charlotte Porter, Curator)

Max Nickerson (Curator) uses NATL's academic area to teach field sampling techniques to teachers and teachers-to-be. He also leads a variety of groups to study amphibians in the area.


Forest Resources and Conservation (CALS) by Alan Long
Current
FNR 3131 (Dendrology and Forest Plants) uses the area two days each summer for course review (about 45 students) (Alan Long, Assoc. Prof.)

FOR 3622 (Fire in Natural Resource Management) uses the area at least one day each spring to prepare a prescribed burn plan for an urban area, and class members participate in the burn if opportunity offers. (Alan Long, Assoc. Prof.)


Physical Plant by Erick Smith
Current
Poppy mallow establishment in NATL [mitigation project paid for by the McGuire Hall project] (Erick Smith, UF's Urban Forester, negotiated the contract.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Larsen.pdf]


Plant Pathology (CALS) by Carol Stiles
Current
PLP 3653C (Introductory Mycology) and PLP 5656C (Mycology). Jim Kimbrough (Professor) collects fungi from all parts of NATL to use in these two classes.


Soil and Water Science (CALS) by Donald Graetz and Mark Clark
Completed
Detailed inventory of soil resources of the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory (Mary Collins; Prof., John Galbraith, Visiting Soil Scientist; and five graduate students) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/PSoilRpt.pdf]


Teaching and Learning (College of Educaltion) by Linda Jones
Completed
SCE 4310 (Elementary Science Methods) has used NATL on several occasions, primarily to conduct teaching demonstration lessons.

SCE 4342 (Environmental Education Methods) has used the NATL to conduct environmental education demonstration activities focuing on outdoor field activities in environmental education.

FSCE 6290 (Science Instruction in Informal Settings) has also used NATL for lessons focusing on using natural settings to teach science.


Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (CALS) by Susan Jacobson
Current
LAS 6938 (Methods in Tropical Conservation and Development) Field exercises in invertebrate sampling (Emilio M. Bruna, Asst. Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/Bruna.doc]

Eastern Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) and the movement of mixed-species flocks (Tom Contreras, post-doc; Marcela Machicote, PhD student; and Katie Sieving, Assoc. Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/doc/TitmouseProj.doc] [for a comment on the effect of nearby traffic on bird censuses, see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Contreras.doc]

Completed
WIS 6525 (Environmental Interpretation) Graduate class used NATL to explore how to design and develop interpretive materials for protected areas. (Susan Jacobson, Prof.)

Management Report for Ephemeral Ponds Project at the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory, 18 pages, completed Nov. 1998 (Alison Hamilton, graduate student, with Tamatha Barbeau, Zoology graduate student) Amphibians of NATL (Joe Schaefer, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/old/Amphib.htm]

Reptiles of NATL (Joe Schaefer, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/old/Reptile.htm]

Mammals of NATL (Joe Schaefer, Prof.) [see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/old/mammal.htm]


Zoology (CLAS) by Doug Levey (4 Mar 2003)
Current
"Both my graduate students (ZOO 6515 Ethology) and undergraduates make use of the NATL. Every spring I have students (2-5) working in the NATL on projects for my Animal Behavior course, ZOO 3513. Over the past few years the students have studied a variety of species including squirrels, various species of birds, spiders and insects. It is a particularly important location for these studies since the area is large enough so that natural behavior occurs (such as territoriality) and there is a sufficient population size so that students can get an adequate sample size. At the same time, the NATL is close enough so that students do not require transportation to conduct a meaningful research project without interference (as occurs on campus). The NATL is a valuable teaching asset for this campus that is not duplicated anywhere else." (Jane Brockmann, Prof.)

"I regularly use NATL for my Avian Biology labs. We visit it at least six times per semester with 10-15 students each time." (Doug Levey, Prof.)

Completed
An experimental test of the predator satiation hypothesis: At what level might it apply? (S. S. Romaņach, undergraduate honors project; Prof. D.J. Levey, advisor) [Published in Florida Scientist 63:1-9, 2002; see http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/Romanach.doc]

Does human scent bias seed removal studies? (R.S. Duncan, D.G. Wenny, M.D. Spritzer, and C.J. Whelan) [Published in Ecology 83: 2630-2636, Sep 2002; abstract at http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/Duncanetal.doc]

Cache defense and cache sharing among gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) (M.S. thesis, Mark Spritzer)

Alarm calls by gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in response to aerial and terrestrial predators (Freddy Caldera, graduate student)

"We took Dr. Walsh to the Natural Areas Teaching Lab to collect for butterflies this past Sunday. It was a great place to collect because we didn't need collecting permits (which we needed to go to any of the state parks). In additional, Dr. Marc Minno of the St. John's Water Management District suggested collecting in this area because it is known to have uncommon species of spring azures, harvesters, and goatweed leafwing butterflies." (Jacqueline Willson, graduate student)


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