Centre for Science - BIOL 345 lab resources
The first three of the four Home Labs are done with materials that students supply. Such materials include a thermometer, metre stick, graph paper, seeds and plant growing materials. We expect that the average extra cost of student-provided materials will be less than $30. The fourth Home Lab is a pencil and paper exercise.
This is an outline of what is involved in the Home Labs for this course.
| Home lab | Title | Learning objectives | Estimated time to complete |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temperatures and Microclimates | Measure and graph a temperature profile. | 2-6 hours |
| 2 | Intra- and Interspecific Competition | Conduct an experiment on the effects of competition (for space, nutrients and light) within and between two plant species. Summarize the results with a graph. | 12-16 hours over 4-5 weeks |
| 3 | Predator-Prey Modeling i.e., Holling disc equation and the density dependent functional response of a "predator" (a human's finger or pencil) and "prey" (squares of sandpaper). | In general, determine that an equation can mimic or predict reality. Specifically, to simulate (= model) a simple, density dependent predator-prey interaction, i.e. how a prey's abundance can affect a predator's ability to capture the prey, in other words, the predator's functional response to prey density. | 4-6 hours (involves 2 people, a "predator" and an observer) |
| 4 | Sampling with Quadrats 1. Minimum area of a quadrat 2. Minimum number of quadrats 3. Performance curve 4. Density 5. Frequency 6. Dominance or cover 7. Importance value | Learn the basics of quadrat sampling including how size of quadrats affects sampling and how different population attributes can be determined. | 3 hours |
The following Internet sites may be useful for researching the essays in this course or delving more deeply into selected topics related to the content of this course.
- Ecology WWW page - This list of websites (in alphabetical order) is of interest to ecologists
Canadian sites
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
- Alberta Conservation Association
- Tropical Conservancy - A Canadian site to promote conservation in tropical places.
Other sites
This web page describes what is done in the compulsory, 4-day Field Ecology Workshop of BIOL 345. This part of the course is ideally taken when students are about three-quarters through the Textbook. However, it can be done any time after submission of assignment (TMA) #1 (covering chapters 1-8 of the Textbook) and up to 14 months after a student's registration in the course.
Transportation, accommodation and food
Students must make their own arrangements for transportation, accommodation and meals for the Field Ecology Workshop. The four-day sessions will be held at Athabasca University's headquarters in Athabasca, Alberta.
Overall objectives
As a result of students' experiences during the Field Ecology Workshop, they should be able to:
- Obtain first-hand experience with the diversity and complexity of the living world.
- Use some basic equipment and techniques of terrestrial and freshwater ecology.
- Determine some of the limitations of (theoretical) definitions of basic ecological terms when they are applied in the real world.
- Become aware of the kinds of machine and human errors and biases involved in measuring devices and techniques.
- Understand the importance of proper collection, preservation and identification of organisms for ecological studies.
- Learn some aspects of researching scientific literature, including limitations of current research methods and scientific knowledge.
Helpful links and resources:
Updated August 12, 2025 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)