DePauw Home - Site Index -

DePauw Research Projects - by Topic

Forest Composition and Growth

• Composition of riparian forest along Big Walnut Creek - Brittany Mohrman, Tory Pavlovich, Brett Bohlander, Conservation Biology class, spring 2006
• Ecological composition and health of the forests at the Nature Park and proposed management strategies - Kyra Reed and Vanessa Fox
• Patterns of sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) growth at four locations surrounding an abandoned limestone quarry - David Pope, Dana Dudle, and Vanessa Fox
• Patterns and processes of recovery in and around an Indiana limestone quarry - Vanessa Fox and Dana Dudle
• Estimating the presence and potential impact of emerald ash borers on ash trees in the Nature Park - Megan Walton, Neil Broshears, Alex Eades, and Amanda Hendricks
• Where has all the leaf litter gone? - Charlotte Buehler, Chad Byers, Summer Drake, and Vanessa Fox
• Competition among trees in the Quarry Bottom - Chris Halvonik, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Effects of flooding on growth rates of box elder trees - Kurt White, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Leaf litter, earthworms, and soil pH in forests at the Nature Park - Summer Drake, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Patterns of moss growth on sycamores and box elders - Ellen Mail, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Shrub growth and fruit production along the Woodland Trail - Megan McNally, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Effects of wind on growth patterns of trees in the Quarry Bottom and Rim Trail - Derek Redman, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Effects of sunlight on direction of tree growth along the edge of the quarry wall - Brandon Wood, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Shapes of juniper trees in open and forested areas - Steven Cudney, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Effects of cicadas on trees - Brice Bledsoe, Ecology class, BIO 342
• Growth rates of sycamore trees in the Quarry Bottom and along the Rim Trail - Richel Geisse, Ecology class, BIO 342

White-tailed Deer

• Deer herbivory at the Nature Park:  a cause for concern? - Vanessa Fox and students in Ecology class, BIO 342 and Biostatistics class, BIO 275

Cyanobacteria

• The role of cyanobacteria in the primary succession of an abandoned limestone quarry - Nicole Stone and Dana Dudle

Apocynum cannabinum, Hemp Dogbane

• Expression of anthocyanins in Apocynum cannabinum stems under light stress, Erica J. Ross, Ryan Edelen, Matthew Howes and Dana A. Dudle
• Evaluation of three indices of redness in Apocynum cannabinum - Erica J. Ross, Ryan Edelen, Matthew Howes and Dana A. Dudle
• The effect of photosynthetically active radiation on redness of Apocynum cannabinum over a three day period - Erica J. Ross, Ryan Edelen, Matthew Howes and Dana A. Dudle
• Mommy, why is my stem turning red? Maternal genetic contribution to anthocyanin production in response to light - Erica Ross, Allison Barnes, Dana Dudle
• The effects of environmental stress on the production of anthocyanins in Apocynum cannabinum - David Furman and Dana Dudle
• Variation in leaf traits of Apocynum cannabinum in the Quarry Bottom - Beth Drewes, Betsy Feighner, and Dana Dudle
• Anthocyanin content of Apocynum cannabinum in variable light environments - Lauren Guggina and Dana Dudle
• Examining the potential for local adaptation of Apocynum cannabinum populations at an abandoned limestone quarry - Bryan Helm, Dana Dudle, and Vanessa Fox

Bird Communities

• Composition of the songbird community at the DePauw Nature Park and Arboretum - Libby Allard and Vanessa Fox
• Bird banding at the Nature Park - Andy Zuwerink
• Caching behavior of birds in relation to weather patterns - Lauren Reich, Ecology class, BIO 342

Arthropods

• Invertebrate and leaf litter dynamics in the DePauw University Nature Park - Karl Koehler and Vanessa Fox
• Diversity of surface active invertebrate communities at the DePauw Nature Park and Arboretum - Aaron Randolph, Dana Dudle, and Vanessa Fox
• Soil and arthropod communities in woodlands and prairies - Sarah Batto, Ecology class, BIO 342
  
• Crickets in a meadow: does mowing improve habitat? - Jackie Betsch, Jake Donlon, Bryan Helm, and Mark Loomis, Ecology, BIO 342
• Evolution of life history strategies in swallowtail butterflies: the timing of diapause - Ashley Amodeo, Lauren Hoffmann, Bryan Helm, Ashley Maire, and Wade Hazel
• Effects of ants on the reproductive success of the wild radish - Jing Yang and Dana Dudle
  

Educational Outreach

• Natural history of the Quarry Trail - Genevieve Espinoza, Megan Michael, and Shayla Williamson, Conservation Biology class, BIO 345
• "Survivor!"an educational outreach program for Greencastle Middle School students - Kala Pattar, Kathy Frees, Suzanne Donoval, Conservation Biology class, BIO 345
• Outdoor Explorers, an educational outreach programs for Greencastle Middle School students - Laura Stevens, Conservation Biology class, BIO 345

Prairies

• Planting the prairie garden at the Manning Environmental Field Station - Dana Dudle and students in Plant Biology class, BIO 130

Small Mammals

• Small mammal trapping - Vanessa Fox and students in Organismal Biology, BIO 135
• White-footed mice living "on the edge" in the Nature Park - Dan Zindrick and Ryan Heffernan, Ecology, BIO 342
• Metabolic rates of animals in different environments - Henning Schneider and students in Animal Physiology class, BIO 335

Invasive Plants

• Phragmites and cattails in the Quarry Bottom - Susan Cordes, Brandon Dawson, Jerilyn Kremer, and Ryan Miller, Conservation Biology class, BIO 345
• Effects of simulated herbivory on garlic mustard - Kyle Burns, Tyler McPheters, Ashley Paschal, and Brian Scott, Conservation Biology class, BIO 345

Other Plants

• Reproductive success of tall boneset in the Quarry Bottom of the Nature Park - Brett Bohlander, Debbie Jewell, Dan Zindrick, and Ryan Heffernan, Ecology, BIO 342

Aquatic Ecology

• Crayfish prevalence and water quality in Big Walnut Creek - Jason Hutchison and Scott Kreuzman, Ecology, BIO 342
• Aquatic photosynthesis and respiration rates in the Quarry Pond and Woodland Pond - Katie Wirt, Ecology class, BIO 342

Geosciences

• Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to navigate and and interpret topographic maps
• Learning about sedimentary rocks.
• Determining units present, composition, and origin of sediments and strata in the quarry walls
• Using limestone strata and chert nodules to visualize three-dimensional orientation of rocks in space
• Determining detailed composition of units through microscope use
• Investigating water chemistry in the quarry pond, ephemeral ponds, and Big Walnut Creek
• Investigating discharge rates in Big Walnut Creek and seepage in the Quarry Bottom
• Determinating the source of the groundwater and its possible contaminants in the Quarry Bottom