Species InteractionsFor this assignment, you will be writing two parts of the scientific paper, the introduction and the discussion. Since we did not design an experiment we do not have methods or a S

Species InteractionsFor this assignment, you will be writing two parts of the scientific paper, the introduction and the discussion. Since we did not design an experiment we do not have methods or a

Species Interactions

For this assignment, you will be writing two parts of the scientific paper, the introduction and the discussion.  Since we did not design an experiment we do not have methods or a results section.

California Towhee(Native) vs House sparrow(Non-Native)

2 Pages

Writing the Introduction

Start general → then specific

• Begin with the big picture — Why do we need to understand the effects of introduced species on native species in general?  Why might these interactions be important to understand in order to effectively manage the habitat in the Arroyo Seco?
• Next, provide a brief introduction to each of your species based upon your previous research your group posted about on your group discussion. — What do we know about the ecology of each species? (Please note: you must cite all sources of background information!)
• State your hypotheses  — What interaction and impact do you think your introduced species has on the native species? (Be very specific — for example, if you hypothesize that the two species are competitors, what resources are they competing for? Would you predict that there is a negative or positive impact of this interaction on the native species? What about on the introduced species?)

Writing the Discussion

Start specific -> then general

• Is your hypothesis supported or refuted by the evidence? The evidence will come from two major sources:
  • Your background research from scientific articles or credible sources of information about your species. Relevant evidence from the literature might include:
    • Research studies or information sources that describe the behavior, life cycle or habitat requirements for each of the species — For example, what kinds of habitat are they found in? Do they both require the same resources?
    • Research studies or information sources that describe interactions between your introduced and native species, or your introduced species and other species similar to your native species
    • Research studies or information sources that describe the impacts of your introduced species on ecosystems, especially habitats similar to the Arroyo Seco
  • iNaturalist data
    • The current distribution of native and introduced species in the Arroyo – Where have these species been observed in the Arroyo? Does the number of observations in iNaturalist suggest that these species are common or rare? Be sure to include maps of the distributions for each of the species in your paper as figures.
    • Overlap in species occurrence – do the two species occur in the same places in the Arroyo Park?
    • Based on the current distribution of the introduced species, should the Arroyo Seco Foundation be concerned about the impact of the introduced species?
    • Based on the information you have found what would be the implications for erradication?  Would erradiaction be feasable?
• Describe the implications of your study. What future research can be done to determine the impact of your introduced species on your native species or on the Arroyo Seco ecosystem as a whole?  How can conservation biologists use your findings to better manage the introduced species?

Remember:

• Do NOT say “prove” – you cannot prove anything with one study.
• Do not copy/paste information (not even as quotes). Everything needs to be in your own words.
• Always cite your sources.