Provided is a high school activity in which students observe the filter feeding of barnacles and the effects of a variety of changing parameters upon their feeding process. Includes list of materials needed and procedures necessary to accomplish the activity. (JN)

Discusses the nature of animal communication, including possible relationships between the physical structure of vocalizations and their functions in communicating. Provides tables of mammalian and avian sounds (by species/family) used in hostile and friendly appeasing contexts. (JN)

The carabid beetle (Notiophilus) preys readily on an easily-cultured collembolan in simple experimental conditions. Some features of this predator-prey system are outlined to emphasize its use in biology instruction. Experiments with another potential collembolan are described in the context of developing the method for more advanced studies.…

Ideas intended for use in a high school biology laboratory are given. Swordtail fish are described as subjects for observation in animal behavior studies. (SA)

Conducting observational investigations of behaviors and processes is an important method for generating scientific knowledge. This article describes a methodology for assisting students in the processes of observational inquiry and theory articulation and its instantiation in a set of digital video tools. We describe a high school biology…

Outlines a unit on mice providing an introduction to mammals and simple classification. Describes student activities, concerning mice, using an inquiry approach and the resource materials a teacher might use in utilizing this unit. This is one of some 40 ASEP units designed to help teachers organize and plan science courses. (BR)

The great diversity of mating systems found within the insects is described. This description provides an insight into the extraordinary explanatory power of Darwinian selection theory. (JN)

Briefly discusses the view that behavior may be thought of as a phenotypic adaptation that can be quantitatively studied, and then considered in more detail ways in which predatory animals, especially mammals, satisfy their need for food. Topics covered include predatory behavior, hunting modes, prey selection, hunting success, and others. (JN)

Discusses experiments involving classical conditioning of planarians. Suitable for advanced high school students or college-level independent study, flatworms are trained to curl up under a bright light. Then the planarians to are subjected to controlled reproduction experiments to determine whether the learned behavior is inherited by their…

Ideas related to including ethology in high school biology programs are given. The methods of ethology and tips on how to communicate observations are briefly explained. (SA)

Background information, procedures, and suggestions for bird feeder studies easily conducted in high school or middle school settings are provided. Data collection and analysis are discussed. Examples of charts produced by these activities are given. (CW)

Coelophysis was an ostrich-like, meat-eating dinosaur that inhabitated southwestern New York State approximately 200 million years ago. At that time the region was semi-tropical and hosted a bizarre array of amphibians, reptiles, and plants while experiencing unrest in the form of basin settling, earthquakes, faults, and intrusions and outpourings…

Selection and care of octupuses as aquaria pets are discussed. Photographs of several species are included. (CP)

Discusses several points that teachers should consider when planning to keep animals in the classroom. Selecting and obtaining the animals, safety and legal considerations, food and feeding, water, housing, day-to-day care, and what to do with animals when a project or school year is over are among the areas examined. (JN)

Discusses findings that suggest that mating preferences of female mottled sculpins (small North American fish) are influenced by at least four major factors, and that the relative importance of these factors changes through time. The type of choice that a female makes thus depends on time of breeding. (JN)