Patricia Westerford Chapter – The Overstory – Richard Powers Q&Q Response

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Patricia Westerford Chapter – The Overstory – Richard Powers

Q&Q Response

For your next Q&Q response as part of the Plant Ecology, Conservation, and Restoration module, I’d like you to read a chapter from Richard Powers’ recent novel (that won the Pulitzer Prize) entitled, The Overstory. The novel is a fascinating story about humans, plants, plant intelligence, history, ecosystems, human hubris and folly, and future of the planet. The novel follows 9 characters, who are introduced individually in their own chapters, and then their individual stories are synthesized together into one meta-story (i.e. “the overstory”), similar to the ways that individual trees are connected together (both underground and aboveground) in a forest.

The chapter I have excerpted here is about one of those characters, Patricia Westerford, and there are lots of intriguing ideas and connections to our class in this chapter. Powers is clearly well-versed in science and botany, so although it is fiction (and very well written fiction, IMO), a lot of the references he makes are rooted in scientific facts. So I hope you enjoy reading some fiction for a change!

For this Q&Q response, make sure you leave yourself enough time to read it, as it is a bit longer than the other Q&Q readings. Also, for your paper, do the normal things by pulling out a couple key quotations or passages; and pose (and attempt to answer) some questions about what those passages might mean and why they might be important or what they might connect to in our class…. For this one, though, I want you try to relate the description and detailed characterization of this character, Patricia Westerford, to what appears to be part of Powers’ broader thesis. I know you aren’t reading the whole novel, so you can’t fully articulate what the full thesis of the novel might be, but I want you to specifically think and write about:

1) Why is he creating a character like Patricia?

2) What are some of her key qualities and attributes?

3) Why is it important to understand and potentially relate to a person like Patricia?

4) What does this character potentially say about humans’ relationships to plants and the natural world more broadly?

Please attempt to answer those questions in your response.

A good, quality thoughtful response will be 3 – 6 pages (including quotations, so that really isn’t that long, overall). I hope you have fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

 
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Investigation Design

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Investigation Design Instructions and Rubric Your Task: Design an investigation to collect appropriate evidence to answer the guiding question:Why does (or doesn’t)

the frequency of a physical trait change in a rabbit population in differentenvironments? You can approach this question

in many different ways. There are multiple rabbit traits to focus on (fur color, tail length, teeth length) and many different

types of environments you could test (e.g. environments with and without predators, environments with or without food

limitation, environments with predators at the equator or arctic,and many more!). It is your job to determine what would be

appropriate and sufficient evidence to collect to support your answer to the guiding questionabove.

During Labs #10 and #11 you will have time to brainstorm with a classmate about different elements of the investigation

design, but each student will write up the investigation design assignment individually. By the due date on the course

calendar, you will individually submit an assignment in your own words via the Turnitin link under “Investigation Design” on

the main menu. Features of your design may be similar to a classmate’s if you brainstormed together, but the entire

assignment must be written individually and in your own words. Do not write your assignment in the same room asa

classmate and do not share your written assignment witha classmate. Write your procedure where indicated in Lab 12of the

lab manual or bring a copy of your investigation design to lab so that you can conduct your investigation during Lab #12! This assignment is 10% of your grade.Your investigation design must include sufficient detail that your TA could conduct

the same investigation after reading your assignment. You will be graded based on the rubric below. Your investigation design assignment will consist of the four sections outlined below and each section should address the following questions:

1. Introduction

a) Did you brainstorm with a classmate? If yes, who did you brainstorm with? b) What is the provided guiding question you are trying to answer with this investigation(it’s the same for everyone)?

c) Why is this an important orinteresting question to investigate? (Think about how this investigation connects to the

predictions about traits you made on the field tripin Lab #10.) 2. Experimental Design

a) How will you determine if the frequency of a trait in the population changes over time in different environments? b) What trait will you investigate? (e.g. fur color, tail length, or teeth length?)Why are you interested in this trait?

c) What different environments will you include in your design? (e.g. environments with and without predators,

environments with or without food limitation, environments with predators at the equator or arctic, etc.)Why did you decide to design you investigation this way?

d) There are other variables you can manipulate in the simulation that might influenc the biotic interactions (e.g. Which

allele is inherited as the dominant allele? Where do the rabbits live? When isa selection pressure first introduced?).

How will these variables be controlled or manipulated in your investigationtrials? Why did you make those decisions?

e) How many trials (or replicates) will you conduct? Why is the number of trials important?

f) For how many generations will you need to run the simulation during each trail?How did you determine this# of

generations was appropriate? Why do you think # of generationsis a biologically important variable in this

investigation? 3. Data Collection

a) Will you collect data on a singleresponse variable or multiple response variables (e.g. Total rabbits in population, number of rabbits with white fur, number of rabbits with brown fur, etc)?. Why did you decide to design your

investigation this way?

b) How will you keep track ofand organize the data you collect? Look through your lab manual to review the types of data charts you have used in this class. Draft a data table on the “Data Collection” page of Lab 12 in your manual.

4. Data Analysis

a) How do you predict the frequency of the trait will change in the rabbit population in the different environments you are testing? Why do you think this?

b) Is your prediction grounded in biological concept that we have learned this semester? How so?

c) What type of calculations will you need to maketo summarize your data across multiple trials? Why are these necessary?

d) What type of graph could you createto help make sense of your data? Describe what the graph would look like,

including how you would label the axis, if applicable.

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Grading Rubric

 

 

Criteria Levels of Achievement Proficient Satisfactory Needs Improvement Unsatisfactory

Biology Content 20 Points 18 Points 15 Points 10 Points Use concepts All biological content 1 biology content 2-­­3 biology content 4 or more biology content correctly in Intro and was correct error errors errors Analysis sections

Biology reasoning 30 Points 27 Points 22 Points 15 Points Supported design All reasoning was 1 reasoning error 2-­­3 reasoning errors 4 or more reasoning errors with appropriate appropriate reasoning

Depth of response 20 points 18 points 15 points 10 points Fully explained all Vaguely explained Needed to elaborate Complete lack of depth; thinking thinking on 1 item more on several Answers are limited to bare responses minimum.

Completeness 20 Points 18 Points 15 Points 10 Points Complete all Completed all parts Answered all Completed all 4 Skipped several sub-­­parts or questions in the of all questions parts of all sections but skipped entire sections outline above sections, but 1 or 2 sub-­­parts missed 1 sub-­­ question within a part

Quality 10 Points 8 Points 6 Points 4 Points Creativity, No – or very minor, 1-­­2 noticeable Several noticeable Errors indicated lack of cohesiveness, word almost unnoticeable errors or average errors proofreading; errors made it choice, spelling, – errors; creative design difficult to understand grammar, correct use design of scientific terms

 

 

 

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Interpreting Graphs – Population Growth

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Lab Activity: Interpreting Graphs – Population Growth

 

Use the graph below to answer questions 1–3.

Read each question, and write your answer in the space provided.

1. What type of population growth pattern is shown in the graph above?

 

 

2. Describe the growth of the hypothetical population shown in the graph, beginning with just a few breeding pairs.

 

 

 

3. What is the probable eventual fate of the hypothetical population represented in the graph?

 

 

 

Use the graph below to answer questions 4–7.

 

Read each question, and write your answer in the space provided.

4. Between what years does this graph predict that the human population growth rate will start slowing?

 

 

5. According to this graph, what will the world human population be in 2050?

 

 

6. From 1750 to 2000, which type of population growth model (logistic or exponential) does this graph more closely represent and WHY (provide one piece of data to support)?

 

 

7. If you could continue the graph to the year 3050, predict the type of population growth model this graph would represent. Explain your answer.

 

 

Human Population Growth Name: /50pt Lab

Objectives: You will create a graph of human population growth, analyze factors and conditions that affect it, and use it to predict future growth. Pre-Investigation Questions: Refer to the graph below: Use letters to answer the questions.

1. Refer to the illustration above. Which time period shows exponential growth of the population?

 

2. Refer to the illustration above. During which time period are the birth rate and death rate equal?

 

3. Which time period refers to when a population is in decline?

 

 

 

Statistics on Human Population
Year A.D. Number of People (in billions)  
0 .25  
1650 .50  
1750 .70  
1850 1.0  
1925 2.0  
1956 2.5  
1966 3.3  
1970 3.6  
1974 3.9  
1976 4.0  
1980 4.4  
1991 5.5  
2000 6.0  
2004 6.4  
2010 6.9  
2015 7.2  

 

Instructions for creating your graph.

Place time on the long horizontal (X) axis. Values should range from 0 A.D. to 2010. Place number of people on the vertical (Y) axis. Values should range from 0 to 8 billion. Make sure that your graph is a full page in size, you have the correct unit labels for the X and Y axes, and a title for your graph.

Analysis

4. It took 1649 years for the world population to double, going from .25 billion people to .50 billion people.

a. How long did it take for the population to double once again?

 

b. How long did it take for the population to double a second time?

 

c. A third time?

 

5. What growth model is human population growth for the 1st 1950 years?

 

6. What growth model is human population growth for the last 75 (or so) years?

 

7. Based on your graph, in what year will the population reach 8 billion?

 

The Earth’s Carrying Capacity: Human factors.

Prior to 1950, the death rate was high, which kept the numbers of humans from increasing rapidly. In the 19th Century, the agricultural revolution increased food production. The industrial revolution improved methods of transporting food and other good. In the 20th Century, advances in medicine, sanitation and nutrition have decreased the death rates further. These factors combined to produce the rapid growth of the human population in the 20th century.

As with any population, humans are also limited by factors such as space, amount of food and disease. The carrying capacity is the number of individuals that a stable environment can support. Authorities disagree on the maximum number of people that the earth can support, though the numbers generally range for 8 to 10 billion. As the population approaches its limit, starvation will increase. Some countries have a much higher growth rate than others. Growth rate is the number of people born minus the number of people that die. Compare the growth rates of the following countries

Most countries are trying to reduce their growth rate. Zero population growth means that as many people are being born as there are dying – to achieve zero population growth, each couple would need to have no more than two children (to replace the parents). Even if this number is achieved, the population will continue to grow because the parents will still live on for decades, as their children have children and their children have children…and so forth. The United States reached zero population growth in the 1980’s, and yet the overall population of the US still increases.

Analysis: Use the graph you created and the information above to answer the following questions.

8. What factors contributed to the world’s overall population growth in the last 150 years. List at least 4.

 

 

 

9. Why does a population not level off during the same year it reaches zero population growth?

 

 

 

10. What do you think the Earth’s carrying capacity for humans is?

 

11. If the carrying capacity of the earth was 9 billion people, when would this number be reached (according to your graph)?

 

12. What will happen when the human population exceeds the earth’s carrying capacity? Explain in a few sentences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

( LABELS: )Population Growth Pyramids.

Analysis: Comprehensive population growth models. Answer the questions completely.

13. What is it called when a population increases at a steady, rapid rate?

 

 

14. Refer to the graph containing Germany. Which age group had the least amount of males?

 

 

15. Refer to the graph containing Guatemala. Which age group has the most individuals?

 

 

16. Which country has a nearly equivalent distribution for each age group?

 

 

17. Label the graph that illustrates a population “DECLINING”.

18. What is your justification?

 

 

19. Label the graph that illustrates a population “EXPANDING SLOWLY”.

20. What is your justification?

 

 

21. Label the graph that illustrates a population “EXPANDING RAPIDLY”.

22. What is your justification?

 

 

23. Label the graph that illustrates a population “STABLE”.

24. What is your justification?

 

 

25. Based upon what you know about these countries, what do you find interesting about the rate of growth of a country and its economy, standard of living, health factors, and other social influences?

 
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Can Eating Insects Save The World?

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  • Watch the BBC documentary, “Can Eating Insects Save the World?” (59 min).
  • https://youtu.be/Acxbx-DUkL4
  • Copy the questions below and answer them in the text box. You can also copy and paste from the file provided.
  • THIS IS A WRITING ASSIGNMENT so take care in preparing your responses. There should be at least 5 paragraphs and 350-500 words in total.
  1. List and discuss the health benefits of eating insects.
  2. List and discuss the benefit(s) to the environment.
  3. List and discuss the impact(s) on the planet and the human population.
  4. Can you think of some disadvantages of eating insects? Do a bit of research to verify your claim either way. Briefly present your evidence in support of your answer.
  5. Are spiders insects? Explain.BIO 10

    Can Eating Insects Save the World?

    Due: Monday, Dec 10, 2018, 11:59pm

    (10 points)

     

    Instructions:

    · Watch the documentary (59 min): https://youtu.be/Acxbx-DUkL4

    · Answer the 6 questions below. Copy and paste the entire section, including questions onto Canvas for submission.

     

    Short answer questions:

    Keep your answers to a few sentences each. #4 can be a little longer.

     

    1) List and discuss the health benefits of eating insects.

     

     

    2) List and discuss the benefit(s) to the environment.

     

     

    3) List and discuss the impact(s) on the planet and the human population.

     

     

    4) Can you think of some disadvantages of eating insects? Do a bit of research to verify your claim either way. Briefly present your evidence in support of your answer.

     

     

    5) Are spiders insects? Explain.

 
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