Current Research Projects

Wade Hazel
Timing of diapause in swallowtail butterflies
We are rearing caterpillars in mesh bags placed on larval food plants.  When the caterpillars mature to pupae they are returned to the lab, where their diapause status is determined. We are collecting adult butterflies to obtain eggs.  We have placed temperature loggers in mesh bags in the field.
Project Duration:  Late spring, summer, and early fall, 2009-2011
Location:   W1-3 and Rim Trails
Flag Color:  Yellow
Night Research: none

Dana Dudle
Mapping an invasion: distribution and density of Phragmites australis in the Quarry Bottom
We are mapping GPS locations of Phragmites patches and recording plant densities in the margins of the patches. We will compare our data with similar data from 2008 and 2006 to estimate the rate of spread of this invasive species. We may also be able to predict in whic directions future expansion will occur.
Project Duration:  September 1-21, 2009
Location:   Quarry Bottom
Flag Color: Orange
Student Names: Students enrolled in BIO 345, Conservation Biology
Night Research: none

Bryan Hanson, Dana Dudle
Seed production in horticultural and wild type varieties of Portulaca oleracea (common purslane)
We are growing several varieties of purslane in pots to determine their capacity for autogamous seed production,with the intent of collecting seeds for establishment of isogenic lines for subsequent studies.
Project Duration: fall semester, 2009
Location: westernmost greenhouse at Manning Environmental Field Station
Flag Color: none
Student Names: none
Night Research: none

Students: Morgan Grant, Brian Allman, Kyle Foster
Course Title: Bio 342L Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Goldenrod density versus height
We are measuring the density of golden rod patches and how this affects the height of individual plants.
Project Duration: Sept. 10, 2009 through Oct. 1, 2009
Location: R2 and C5 trails
Flag Color: Pink
Night Research : No

Students: Briana White, Joanne Edwards, Evan Henricks

Course Title: Bio 342L Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Of Cedars and Sycamores
This project will try to explain an apparent trend of sycamore plants growing underneath larger cedar trees. We will measure the direction of cedar trees with respect to sycamore trees, the distance between the two plants, and a random soil sample within a 6 inch radius of the test subject.
Project Duration: 9/10/09 - 10/10/09
Location: Between trails Q1 and R6.
Flag Color: Blue and white diagonal stripes
Night Research: No

Students: Mike Benson, Reed Seward, Danny White, Amy Kamer
Course Title: Bio 342L Ecology
 Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Stinging Nettle Density
We are measuring the density of stinging nettle along Big Walnut Creek. We are measuring the distance and elevation from the creek and the water content of the soil. We aren't pulling plants, we are only taking soil samples and this is to see if water concentration and elevation affect the density of stinging nettle.
Project Duration: fall semester 2009
Location: K1 trail
Flag Color: red
Night Research: No

Students: Braca Benizry, Nikki Craker, Stefan Freed, Kelli Reed
Course Title: Bio 342L Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Rosehip Energy Allocation
We will locate rosehip bushes in the Nature Park. Each bush will be tagged and numbered systematically with flagging. Five individual branches will be clipped off each bush and collected in bags marked with the bush's assigned number. We will count the number of leaves on each branch that have been affected by herbivory. The number of thorns per branch will also be counted. Berries, leaves and stems will be removed from branches and placed into marked paper bags, oven-dried and weighed . We will use these data to estimate the energy allocation for berries, leaves, and stems for a typical branch on each bush. We will also calculate averages for the number of thorns and the number of affected leaves per branch.
Project Duration: Fall Semester 2009
Location: Rim Trail R3, R2
Flag Color: White with orange polka dots
Night Research: No

Students: Cody Roldan, Pooja Rathore, Jessica Pond, Zandri Strauss

Course Title: Bio 342L Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Goldenrods as Biogeographic Islands for Insect Diversity
We are seeing the effects of goldenrod locations, size, and density on insect diversity and quantity.
Project Duration: 9/10/09 - 10/10/09
Location: C trail
Flag Color: Blue
Night Research: No

Students: Taylor Cantril

Course Title: BIO 490
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Native and non-native plant species in tallgrass prairie plots
I'll be documenting the population and distribution of native and non-native plant species in Fields 5 and 6. The results of the project will provide a measure of the success of native plant seeding three years ago. The results will also provide a basis for future research, especially if burning is attempted in Spring 2010.
Project Duration: fall semester 2009
Location: Fields 5 and 6
Flag Color: Orange flags and blue tape
Night Research: No

Vanessa Fox
Stomatal densities on leaves in the sun vs. shade
We will compare stomatal densities on tree leaves in the Arboretum - sugar maple, sassafras, cherry, and ash - in areas exposed to the sun and in shaded areas. We will prepare microscope slides from the leaves and count stomatal densities.
Project Duration: Sept 29 and Oct 1, 2009
Location: Arboretum
Flag Color: None
Student Names: Students enrolled in BIO 135
Night Research: No

Dina Leech
Zooplankton diversity and water quality in the Nature Park ponds
Two students and I will be using a small inflatable raft to sample the ponds in the Nature Park. Most of our attention will be on the main quarry pond and the woodland pond on the Rim Trail. We will use a YSI sonde to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity at depth. We will use a Secchi Disk to determine water transparency, and we will use a 63 um mesh plankton net to collect zooplankton. These plankton samples will be brought back to the lab for observation under dissecting scopes. Zooplankton species composition and water quality will be compared among the ponds.
Project Duration: October 6 through the end of fall semester, 2009
Location: Quarry Pond, Woodland Pond near W5
Flag Color: None
Student Names: Cody Roldan, Morgan Grant
Night Research: Yes
Description of Research being done at night: Night sampling is not for certain. However, we may want to sample the ponds at night to look for potential diel vertical migration behaviors in the zooplankton. Often, larger zooplankton species are absent from the surface waters during the day in avoidance of fish predators. Protected under the cover of darkness, these large zooplankton swim to the surface at night to feed on algae. Before doing any night sampling, we will ask permission and inform the park of dates.

Students: Patrick Wagner, Janet Mellinger, Brianna Frigerio, Jessie Pa'ahana
Course Title: BIO 345
Supervising faculty member: Dana Dudle
Examination of local wetlands
We will look at various wetlands throughout the Nature Park, testing water quality and soil composition. These data will be compared to the the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual, 1987, to see if these "wetlands" do, in fact, qualify as functional wetlands.
Project Duration: fall semester 2009
Location: wetlands in the Nature Park
Flag Color: none
Night Research: no

Barbara Fields Timm
Cairns
Students in my FYS, "Reinterpreting Landscape" are developing independent artistic projects based on- or in- the Nature Park. Several students are interested in building rock cairn towers form gathered limestone. These may range in height from a foot to about 6 ft. The idea comes from the history of cairns as a path marker, spiritual or physical, and their aesthetic. Prominant artist, Andy Goldsworthy, creates beehive structures that will serve as a model for one of the structures.Info may be found at the artnet site: http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/jsaltz/saltz2-12-03.asp. These are being considered temporary pieces.
Project Duration: October 27 - November 24 2009
Location: Quarry Bottom near the pond
Flag Color: unknown?
Student Names: Daniel Welsh, Sam Yeary, maybe more
Night Research: No

Students: Lauren Reich, Leila Patterson, Allen Lee, Neil Wright
Course Title: BIO 345, Conservation Biology
Supervising faculty member: Dana Dudle
Trails: How do they function as a part of their environment?
We are looking at the ways that trails become a part of the park they are in. We will look at 3 trails and measure canopy cover, soil penetration, trail width, and tree species on transects leading away from the trails. There will be 8 transects on each trail (only one side) and we will collect data at 5 points at each transect. One will at the center of the trail, the next the buffer edge, then 5 meters away, 15 meters away, and finally 25 meters away.
Project Duration: mid-October through the end of fall semester 2009
Location: W4, K1, R6 and alongside these trails
Flag Colors: Pink, orange
Night Research: No

Students: Cody Roldan and Morgan Grant
Course Title: BIO 345, Conservation Biology
Supervising faculty member: Dana Dudle, Dina Leech
Potential Effects of Human Disturbance on the Quarry Pond
We are engaging in proactive management of the DePauw Nature Park by determining how possible recreational boat use could affect plankton and algae populations in the quarry pond. We will do this by simulating boating disturbance under controlled experiments in the laboratory. However, in order to set up the experiments we must collect pond water, sediment, and algae. The main motivation of the study is to determine if potential recreational boating use would have an effect on the overall health of the quarry pond.
Project Duration: fall semester 2009
Location: Quarry Pond
Flag Color: None
Night Research: No

 

Students: Stefan Freed, Michael Benson
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Microarthropod Habitat-based Diversity and Density
We will collect approximately five soil samples from each of five areas in the nature park. We will then utilize existing tools to extract all micro arthropod individuals from normalized volumes of the soils, after which we can count and characterize the micro arthropod communities to establish any relationship between the community composition and soil source microhabitat.
Project Duration: November 5 - December 10, 2009
Location: K1, K2, south of L1 (wet meadow), W4
Flag Color: Yellow
Night Research: None

Students: Kelli Reed, Reed Seward
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Investigation of Squirrel Nests
We will be identifying trees that we find squirrel nests in. We will also be looking at the types of trees surround the nests and observe surrounding animals or other nests that could be potential predators.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: L1-L3 trails
Flag Color:Orange and white striped tape around trunks of trees
Night Research: None

Students: Briana White, Jo Edwards
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Relationships between Cedar and Sycamore Trees
We will be counting the number of fruit for each cedar/sycamore pair, and also coring the appropriate trees to look at whether the appearance of a cedar tree by a sycamore will stunt its growth at all.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: Next to the Welcome Center
Flag Color: Pink
Night Research: None

Students: Jessica Pond, Pooja Rathore
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Effects of Grape Vines on Tree Growth
We will compare two trees of the same species, one with a grape vine growing on it and one without and compare their growth patterns. We will be taking a large sample of pairs of trees.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: Woodland Trails 4 and 5
Flag Color: Pink and blue/white stripes
Night Research: None

Students: Amy Kamer, Daniel White
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Environmental Effects on Growth and Reproduction of Beech Trees
We will measure the pH of soil, shade levels, water content of soil near beech trees, and diameter and seed production of beech trees.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: Any forests at the Nature Park where beech trees occur
Flag Color: Red
Night Research: None

Students: Braca Benizry, Nicole Craker
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Relationship between Architecture of Sycamore Trees and Neighboring Trees
We will investigate the growth patterns of sycamore trees in various areas of the Nature Park. In each area, we will photograph a sample of sycamore trees and quantify and record their neighboring trees. We will use our photographs to graphically determine the ratio of total height of each tree to the number of branches and the height of the first branch above the ground. We will compare the number of neighbors to the growth of each tree to look for relationships.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: Around the Field Station, trails near the canoe launch
Flag Color: None
Night Research: None

Students: Brian Allman, Morgan Grant
Course Title: BIO 342, Ecology
Supervising faculty member: Jim Benedix
Gall Placement and Success on Boneset Plants
We will collect a large number of boneset plants. We will measure the placement of the galls on the plants and the success of the galls.
Project Duration: November, December 2009
Location: Around the Field Station
Flag Color: None
Night Research: None