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| THE OVERVIEW: |
| Images of transects applied to biological systems provide educators and students an opportunity to explore a wide diversity of systems and habitats. Traditionally, transects have been used in ecological studies to understand populations and community associations within selected habitats. The same concepts may be used to investigate any number of other biological systems ranging from individual organisms, or parts of organisms, to global ecosystems. |
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| The transect provides a tool to focus attention on specific, selected systems and the effects of abiotic and biotic parameters affecting those biological units in the system. Qualitative and quantitative analyses by students at many levels, utilizing the resources of the world wide web, will provide the ability to study not only the specific transect site, but to link those studies with related research and information. It is our expectation that this exercise will not only provide an opportunity for an actual educational experience but will form the initial stimulus for contributions on new sites by other individuals and groups on a world wide basis. This would transfer the collaborative classroom exercise to a research activity reflecting the collaborative nature of international science. |
Educators and students are encouraged to use, among others, the BioQUEST
philosophy of collaborative learning to develop additional exercises that support the use of transects as a tool for biological investigations and learning. Information may be obtained by contacting the authors listed at the end of this exercise.
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