Professional Documents
Culture Documents
the curriculum
Stephen Rybczynski,
Zheng Li, and
R. James Hickey
Overview
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The size and texture of emergence holes in the fruit or seed allow scientists to differentiate between seeds from which bruchids
and chalcids emerge. Bruchid
emergence holes are approximately
1 mm, and chalcid holes are considerably smaller at between 0.5 and
0.75 mm. The edge of the emergence hole also differs: Chalcids
make a rougher cut, and their holes
have a jagged edge; bruchids make
a cleaner cut, and their holes have a
relatively smooth edge.
This redbudbruchidchalcid
(RBC) system is an accessible model that allows students to investigate factors affecting populations
of organisms, describe the role of
trophic interactions in the cycling
of matter and energy, and understand the roles of photosynthesis Redbud fruit developing in midsummer.
and respiration in the carbon cycle.
The RBC system is widely available across the United States due to redbuds popularity as a
Engage
planted ornamental. Legumes, bruchid beetles, and chalcid
This lesson targeting high school biology classes follows a
wasps exist globally, and similar systems are likely available
guided-inquiry format. This article describes possible scafas well. Bean trees such as the western redbud (Cercis ocfolding questions and ideal student responses to help teachcidentalis), Persian silk tree, (Albizia julibrissin), and honey
ers guide the process of discovery in a complex system. Idelocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) may serve as possible alternaally, the teacher provides the background information, and
tives. Oak trees (Quercus) are also widely available, and
students come to these understandings on their own. There
their acorns often contain beetle grubs. Similarly, hibiscus
is still so much to learn about chalcid wasps that students
may even discover an undescribed species.
plants produce large numbers of seeds and have beetle asThe objectives of this lesson are for students to be able to
sociates.
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FI G U R E 1
Instructions
Assessment criteria
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Develop a conceptual
Does the students conceptual model include:
model of carbon flow
A true cycle, where an atom of carbon could end where it
through the RBC ecosystem,
started
including all pools and
fluxes.
Arrows that accurately reflect the direction of the flow of carbon
Accurate representations of the roles of photosynthesis and
respiration in carbon cycling
Appropriate trophic links among organisms in the RBC system
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FI G U R E 2
Column B
Column C
Column E
Column F
Number of
bruchid-infested
seeds
Number of
chalcid-infested
seeds
////
////
////
////
/
//
////
////
////
////
////
////
////
////
////
////
Column total:
39
////
////
Column total:
21
Column total:
14
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Column D
////
//
////
Column total:
12
Column total:
2
Column total:
4
F IG UR E 3
The below graph depicts the overall number of seeds per meter of
branch (total), viable seeds (good), seeds infested by both bruchid
beetles and chalcid wasps (infested), and those that failed to develop
(aborted). Students collected data from three red and three white
variety individuals with four or five branches sampled per individual.
Explore
Students spend another class period carrying out their study and collecting data.
Using their findings, they can show that
many seeds are destroyed by bruchids. We
have found that having groups of three or
four students collect data from the fruits
on a 0.5 m branch and express results in
number of fruits per branch is a good
compromise between maximizing sample
size and maintaining engagement. Each
group should dissect between 75 and 125
fruits.
The only materials students need are
scissors to cut open fruits, paper and pencil
to record data, and disposable petri plates
to contain seeds, which scatter readily when squeezed out of
the fruits. (Safety note: We remind students to take this activity seriously and go slowly when cutting open fruits.) There
are four types of seeds: good, aborted, bruchid infested, and
chalcid infested (photo, p. 58). Remind students to keep track
of all the data they can possibly collect (e.g., the different sizes
of holes in seeds).
After collecting the fruits, we store them in resealable
plastic sandwich bags. If left for several days on a classroom table out of direct sunlight, bruchid beetles or chalcid wasps generally appear in the bags. Allow time for
students to engage with this high-interest event. We have
left the fruits in baggies for six months and had a wave
of wasp emergences the following spring (see Rearing
Insects From Plant Material in the On the web section). If you dont have access to a redbud tree, this is
an ideal way to explore plant-animal interactions in local
ecosystems.
Dissecting the fruits takes about 30 minutes, depending
on the number of fruits. Remind students to pay attention
to the different sizes of emergence holes. The number of
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1.
2.
3.
4.
FIGUR E 4
Explain
58
Evaluate
Evaluation of student learning occurs throughout the lesson, and the teacher assesses several artifacts that align
with NGSS performance expectations related to Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (HS-LS2). In
the engage activity, teachers formatively assess students
on their plans for estimating the reproductive potential of
the redbud. Following the explore activity, students submit a graph or mathematical representation of the loss of
redbud fitness (number of seeds) to seed predation, abortion, lack of pollination, and unpredictable events (HSLS2-1). During the explain portion, students describe the
trophic interactions and patterns of matter and energy
transfer through the RBC system (HS-LS2-4). Finally,
the extend activity culminates in students formalizing a
conceptual model of carbon flow in the RBC system (HSLS2-5).
This lesson draws students into a system that becomes
progressively more complex and allows them get a real flavor for practicing science. Students thinking and observation skills correspondingly become more focused and able
to discern subtle relationships. When we first ask students
how many offspring a redbud can produce, they often simply reply, a lot. By the end of the lesson, their arguments
include dramatically more detail and evidence-based reasoning. Though it is amazing to watch students develop the confidence to defend claims based on evidence, it is exhilarating
to see them actually notice for the first time how a plant is
living its life.
Stephen Rybczynski (rybczyns@gvsu.edu) is an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan; Zheng Li (liz7@email.arizona.edu) is a graduate student
at the University of Arizona in Tucson; and R. James Hickey
(hickeyrj@muohio.edu) is a professor at Miami University in
Oxford, Ohio.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Teresa Zmudzka for generous help with the
collection and shipment of plant material and to Mark Luttenton
for gracious assistance with microscopic photography.
On the web
Addressing the Standards, lesson extensions, and Rearing Insects
From Plant Material: www.nsta.org/highschool/connections.aspx
References
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