WATERFOWL BIOGEOGRAPHY LAB

In this lab, the class visits lakes in Fayette County, KY in early March and identifies any waterbirds using the lake. The goal is to assess how lake size influences species diversity and abundance. Students should think about lakes as islands, and refer to literature on island biogeography to give the results context. What similarities and differences do lakes have from islands? Why might some lakes fit an area-diversity curve well and others not so well? Now that we have data from several years, do larger lakes have more or less turnover in species?

RESULTS

   Spring 1999

   Spring 2000

   Spring 2004

   Spring 2005

   Spring 2007

   Spring 2012