User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
- July 6th, 2020, 13:04
- Heat warning in effect, 34*
- Sunny, no clouds
- The organisms I’ve chosen to study are the garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis).
- The three areas I’ve selected area: the wood pile, the stone stairs, and the garden. Today the snakes are staying inside the cracks in the stone steps, this is a good place for them to be today since they’re out of the sun and the temperature is much cooler than the wood pile or garden. This distribution is different from the usual as the snakes are usually found in the wood pile or garden, most likely because there is an abundance of food (insects, small rodents, toads, etc) in these areas.
- I think the reason for the snakes staying inside the stone steps today is due to the heat warning. Snakes are classified into the thermoregulating type ectotherms. Meaning that they cannot regulate their body temperatures and therefore must rely on external sources of heat. If a snake’s body temperature gets too high (or low) they can die, to ensure that the snakes keep a suitable body temperature they find cooler places such as the cracks in the stone steps. My hypothesis is that when the ambient temperature reaches over 30*c the snakes will spend the day in the stone steps.
- My predictions are that the snakes will not be out in the open during hot days and will be together, to conserve body heat, during thunderstorms and colder days. The response variable is the garter snakes, and the explanatory variable is the ambient temperature.
Thanks for sharing! Your research topic is very interesting (I like your drawings). I wonder if there is a way you could be clearer with your hypothesis? What are you considering hot? Is the mark of what is hot and what itsn’t at exactly 30 degrees? Perhaps you could reword your hypothesis slightly to make the temperature a continuous factor. For example: I hypothesize that as the ambient temperature rises, there will be a higher number of snakes in the stone steps. Your predictions are very clear and I am excited to read about your findings. You’ve set up your project in a way that makes your variables easy to measure. I do wonder if your area of study is large enough and if you’ll have enough subjects available to assume independence. A map or drawing of your area of study would likely give readers a better idea of how large your study area is. Great job all around!