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The purpose of this web page is to provide information for ongoing outreach projects with researchers, science teachers in middle and high schools as well as the general public.

Human Population Counter:

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Too often life science is distilled into disparate facts addressing major biological concepts, but lacking purpose for learning and applying knowledge to real world contexts. The driving principle of this project is to build learning modules employing real world scenarios to foster authentic scientific investigation in biological sciences.

Content addressed in modules aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, Inc., 2013) for middle and secondary life science, Engineering Design, and Science and Engineering Practices, and promotes critical thinking skills in biological science.

1. Population Dynamics and Initial Population Size (MS word or PDF)

Every population of organisms is founded by some initial population. This portion of the module will examine how characteristics of the initial population can impact how quickly the population can grow. In sexually reproducing organisms, at least one male and one female must be present in the founding population for the population to ever grow. This module focuses on a particular question; how can altering the ratio of sexes in the initial population change the rate at which the population can grow?

2. Population Dynamics and Food Availability (MS word or PDF)

Now, we turn to factors that limit not how quickly a population can grow but to how large it can grow. Every living thing has needs. Food, water, and shelter are examples. If food is limited, individuals in a population have to compete for the same food source. In this portion of the module, we will design and execute an experiment to examine how food availability influences how large a population can grow.

3. Population Dynamics and Space Availability (MS word or PDF)

Much like food, space is necessary for an organism to function. If space is limited, individuals in a population have to compete for it. In this portion of the module, we will design and execute an experiment to examine how space availability influences the dynamics of a fruit fly population.

Resources: Papers and web links

Neat web link for middle and high school students and teachers about Fruit flies http://www.flyfacility.ls.manchester.ac.uk/forthepublic/

1. Potter, S., Krall, R.M., Mayo, S. Johnson, D., Zeidler-Watters, K., and Cooper, R.L. (2016). Population dynamics based on resource availability and founding effects: Live and computational models. The American Biology Teacher 78(5): 396-403, ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211 [PDF].
2. Reproductive potential predicts longevity of female Mediterranvan fruitflies (PDF)
3. Inbreeding effects on standard metabolic rate investigated at cold, benign and hot temperatures in Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
4. Lifespan and reproduction in Drosophila: New insights from nutritional geometry (PDF)
5. A master thesis: The Influence of Dietary Factors on Reproduction in the Fruit Fly, Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
6. Dietary live yeast alters metabolic profiles, protein biosynthesis and thermal stress tolerance of Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
7. Fruit fly links related to growth and reproduction on line (MS word and PDF)
8. Drosophila growth abstracts from SICB 2014 (web site) (MS word and PDF)
9. The duration of life of Drosophila m. in various environments (PDF)
10. Population density effects on longevity revisited (PDF)
11. Experimental Studies on the Duration of Life. IV. Data on the Influence of Density of Population on Duration of Life in Drosophila (PDF)
12. Influence of two methods of dietary restriction on life history features and aging of the cricket Acheta domesticus (PDF)
13. Involvement of Redox State in the Aging of Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
14. Genetics of aging in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
15. Development of the Fruit Fly (PDF) from Mary S. Tyler, Developmental Biology, A Guide for Experimental Study, Second Edition, 2000., Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers, Sunderland, MA., ISBN 0-87893-843-5
16. Survival in Oregon-R and shibire mutant of Drosophila melanogaster in response to Temperature (PDF)
17. Experimental Studies on the Duration of Life. XIII. The Influence of Different Feeding during the Larval and Imaginal Stages on the Duration of Life of the Imago of Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
18. On the developmental theory of ageing. II. The effect of developmental temperature on longevity in relation to adult body size in D. melanogaster (PDF)
19. References on Testing Drosophila life-history theory in the field (PDF)
20. Living Science Handout (PDF)
21. Competition Among Immatures Affects Their Adult Fertility: Population Dynamics (PDF)
22. Evolution of Drosphila (PDF)
23. PPT file on population dynamics (PPT)
24. Longevity in Drosophila melanogaster and its Ebony Mutant in the Absence of Food (PDF)
25. High population density and egg cannibalism reduces the efficiency of mass-rearing in euscepes postfasciatus (coleoptera: curculionidae) (PDF)
26. Biodemography of Aging and Age-Specific Mortality in Drosophila melanogaster (PDF)
27. Age-Specific Survivorship and Reproduction in Phlox drummondii (PDF)
28. Experimental Studies on the Duration of Life. I. Introductory Discussion of the Duration of Life in Drosophila (PDF)
29. The Effects of Evolution are Local: Evidence from Experimental Evolution in Drosophila (PDF)
30. Experimental Studies on the Duration of Life. II. Hereditary Differences in Duration of Life in Line-Bred Strains of Drosophila (PDF)
31. On the influence of intermittent starvation on the longevity of the imaginal stage of Drosophiia melanogaster (PDF)
32. On the influence of density of population upon the rate of reproduction in Drosophila (PDF)
33. Growth and variation of the larvae of Drosophila m. Alptov 1929 (PDF)

For use by teachers in module development

Data Input Videos
....- Data Input & Analysis (Mac) or Youtube for standard resolution http://youtu.be/1Aii3xgc-3E
....- Data Input & Analysis (Windows) or Youtube for standard resolution http://youtu.be/Q3zjMwS6vQU

Graphs for Comparison
....- Composite Graphs.pdf

Sample Data
....- Analyzed Data
.............- - Graphs for Each Module.pdf
....-Raw Data
.............-- Sample Data.pdf

NetLogo Files

One needs to download the free netlogo software for these modules to function

https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/download.shtml

....- Module 1 .... Module 2 .... Module 3

Spreadsheet Templates
....- Eclosion Template (Small Vials).xlsx
....- Food Template (Automatic Graph).xlsx
....- Food Template (Requires Graph Setup).xlsx
....- Pupation Template (Large Vials).xlsx
....- Pupation Template (Small Vials).xlsx

Student Handouts
1. Population Dynamics and Initial Population Size (MSword) or (PDF)
2. Population Dynamics and Food Availability (MSword) or (PDF)
3. Population Dynamics and Space Availability (MSword) or (PDF)
4. Sex-Determining Guide (MSword) or (PDF)

Useful Pictures
....- Annotated Photos.pdf

Useful Videos
....-2014-02-27 19.55.31.mov or Youtube for standard resolution Go To http://youtu.be/kTQisHmlf9A
....-2014-03-24 11.00.56.mov or Youtube for standard resolution Go To http://youtu.be/qVHOD93gpHc
....-2014-03-24 11.03.54.mov or Youtube for standard resolution Go To http://youtu.be/kHvsCo2e89s
....-2014-03-24 11.05.02.mov or Youtube for standard resolution Go To http://youtu.be/IJtmCk-rv70

Participants designing this content are :

SAMUEL J. POTTER, Dept. of Biol.

REBECCA KRALL, Dept. of STEM, Univ. of KY

SUSAN MAYO, P-12 Math and Science Outreach Unit of PIMSER, Univ. of KY.

DIANE JOHNSON, P-12 Math and Science Outreach Unit of PIMSER, Univ. of KY.

KIM ZEIDLER-WATTERS, P-12 Math and Science Outreach Unit of PIMSER, Univ. of KY.

ROBIN L. COOPER, Dept. of Biol., & Center for Muscle Biology, Univ. of KY.

(Click on icons below for links to groups)

Review of Study