e - . a oe ee o : a : 7 Back to the Bay oF a 2 a a — a 2 a a : L a = = ue — Fe10s > Back to the Bay Liam and Solana looked forward to their family re- union every year. They were finally going to Mary- land's Chesapeake Bay, where two generations 290, several members of their family had been oyster- men and crabbers. After hearing many stories from their great uncle about this “cradle of the sea, "they were anxious to experience the area for themselves, although they knew this section of the Bay no longer supports commercial shel fishing, While waiting inline to purchase tickets for a boat tour of the bay, Liam and Solana heard a se- ries of screeches. They scanned the docks for the source of the mayhem. A large gull that had settled (on a covered boat hurriedly fiew away midway through the screeches. After several more seconds, the noise stopped. “What was that?” Solana asked. “It sounds like birds are being attacked, but | don't see anything.” Liam just shrugged and pointed out a mallard still floating a few feet from the dock and a tern stil sit ting on the nearby pilings despite the noise. "Can't they hear? They'd have to be deaf to ignore that,” Solana said ‘The wornan working at the nearby snack stand looked up and offered an explanation. “Well, it's a tape the marina owner is using to scare the gulls away. Seems like there's more every year. The folks who rent slips here were upset by the damage the gulls caused. Gull droppings cause holes in the boat covers if they aren't cleaned quickly. We've tried everything to keep the gulls away. "The marina owner found an ad for this tape on the Internet. He says there are si different gull dis- tress calls, which are all supposed to sound just lke the real thing. The tape plays every couple of hours during the day. It worked great last summer, but lately some of the gulls seem to ignore it." "Do you think the gulls just get used to it?” Solana asked. ‘Wel, the owner of the next marina over keeps a few dead gulls out on the dock. He cairns it keeps the tapes working, but |..." Look at that,” Liam interrupted, “Someone used duct tape to block the speaker at this end of the dock.” Suinting her eyes to get a better look at the speaker, the woman nodded. “I bet the guy in the 22-foot Sea Ray did it," she offered. “He claims that it's the new landfill causing the gull problem in the first place, and we should get rid of that rather than disturb his peace.” ‘Well, at least the tape still seems to be work- ing on him,” observed Liam, laughing. Figure 8.1 Gull populations often become a nuisance +o people in areas such as marinas. => ©aa UNIT BASE: Back tothe Bay 107 6 CASE ANALYSIS 1. Recognize potential issues and major topics in the case. What is this case about? Underline and list terms or phrases that seem to be important to understanding this case. Then list 3~4 biology-related topics or issues in the case, | | | | | | i | 2, What specific questions do you have about these topics? By yourself, or better yet, in @ group, make a list of the things you already know about this case in the “What Do I Know?” column, List questions you would like to learn more about in the “What Do I Need to Know?” column. What Do | Know? What Do I Need to Know? 3, Put a check mark by 1-3 questions or issues from the "What Do I Need to Know?” list that you think are most important to explore. 4, What kinds of references or resources would help you answer or explore these ques tions? Identify two different resources and explain what information each resource is likely to give that will help you answer the question(s). Choose specific resources.108 > _ BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: A Workbook of Investigative Cases Core Investigations |. Critical Reading Read Chapter 51: Behavioral Ecology, which discusses several kinds ‘of animal behavior. Listed below are descriptions of various responses displayed by birds in the case, Answer the questions that follow teach response. Provide examples ftom Chapter 51 to support your answers. As you complete this exercise, nate that, behaviorally speaking, distress calls are similar to the alarm calls you read about in the text. 1. Only one species of gull leaves the area when the tape plays, a. Explain the gulls’ response. . Do you think this tesponse is primarily leamed or primarily genetic? Explain. c. Could the call be categorized as a signal? Explain. 2. A year later, the same species of gull remains when the tape plays. a. What might account for the change in the gulls’ response? b. Do you think this response is primarily leaned or primarily genetic? Explain. c. Speculate on what kinds of behavior this response might be. 4. How does this behavior exemplify the “cry wolf” effect? Explain this in terms of a cost- benefit analysis.UNIT8 CASE: Back tothe Bay ¢—109 f t 6 3, The same species of gull resumes its response to the tape when dead gulls are displayed in \ the immediate area of the sound. ' a, What might account for the change in the gulls’ response? i D. Do you think this response is primarily learned or primarily genetic? Explain : c. How does this behavior reflect associative learning? Is it negative or positive reinforcement? 4. Can this behavior be interpreted as altruistic? Explain. 4. Birds other than this gull species ignore the taped distress calls ‘a, What might account for the observed behavior in the other birds? b. Researchers switched young of one species of bird with those of another. The young birds responded to the signals of the new species, Do you think this response is primarily Jeamed or primarily genetic? Explain. c. What evidence do you have from the case to support the idea that calls are species specific? 5. You observe that some gutls continue to respond to taped distress calls when no danger is G present, Do you think that these gulls are more or less fit than those that stop responding to such calls? Explain.| to > oLoGcaL MU: Aes fete Ci Il. Design an Experiment Design an experiment to examine the following question. Is the response to-distress calls (moving away from the area) learned in herring gulls? Materials: You will have access to newly hatched, juvenile, and adult herring gulls, You also will have 2 tape of herring gull distress calls. The following additional resources may help you with this activity Web/CD Chapter 51 Investigation, How Can Pillbug Responses to the Environment Be Tested? and | Lab Topic 1 of Investigating Biology by Morgan and Carter 1. Restate the question being studied as a testable hypothesis. 2, Describe the experiment. ! ‘a, What will the treatment(s) be? Which animals will receive each treatment? b. What will you measure as the response to the treatment? 3. List 3 variables that you will control. 4. Describe the experimental results that would support your hypothesisUNITS CASE: Back tothe Bey = 111 Ill. Investigations of Gull Calls Bird vocalizations are often divided into two categories: songs and calls. Songs are longer and more complex than calls and often are associated with seasonal courtship or territorial defense, The singing bird is usually male, and its songs are often learned. Songs are similar within the same species, but individual birds usually have their own renditions. Not all species of birds have songs, but most birds do have calls. Calls, such as distress, alarm, and begging calls, tend to be responses to a particular situation. They ate not seasonal and are produced by both male and female birds. Even very young birds use calls, Adult chickadees produce a “gargle” call that identifies themselves as members of the flock. Ifa bird Joins a new flock, it changes its gargle to match. Go to the Case Book website to explore calls of the Glaucous-winged gull, Larus glaucescens. You will have access to recordings of bird calls. 1. Play the recordings of the distress and non-distress calls. On a separate piece of paper, take notes while you listen, You will need to compare and contrast these recordings in the table below. Table 8.1 Recordings Comparison Glaucous-winged Gull jistress Call Glaucous-winged Gull Non-distress Call 2. How might the ability to differentiate between distress calls and non-distress calls be helpful to a scientist studying offshore gulls?—_—_— .. 112 > _ BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: A Workbook of Investigative Cases 3, Now review the sonograms (visual recordings of sounds) of each gull call (Figures 8.2a é and 8.2b), Listen to the recordings as you look at the sonograms. You may easily observe pitch, duration, and loudness in the calls. The vertical axis of a sonogram indicates the i frequency, or pitch, of the call, as measured in hertz (tz). (Note: Middle C on a piano is about 260 Hz.) The horizontal axis of a sonogram indicates duration of the call Figure 8.2b A Glaucous-winged gull non-distress call sonogram.pe NNR UNIT a CASE: Back tothe Bay = (113 @ Clear notes, such as a chirp, have a narrow frequency range and appear as thin bands. You will see thick bands and wider frequency ranges for buzzing sounds, such as those emitted by hummingbirds Volume of the call is also indicated by the darkness of the marks. The louder the sound, the darker the marks appear. It is easy to find patterns in a bird’ repertoire simply by look- ing at the elements of the sonogram. Compare the two sonograms. Identify features that are found in the sonogram of both | calls, including differences. Table 8.2 Comparison of Sonograms Glaucous-winged Gull Distress Call Glaucous-winged Gull Non-distress Call 4, In what ways is it an advantage to have sonogram data in addition to audio recordings?114 > BIOLOGICAL NQUIRY: A Wobook of esatve Cases 5, Examine the advertisement for a gull distress call recording and answer the following questions. Gull Gone Marina Mate Gull Gone today and reduce the damage caused by overpopulation of these peas, and Ring-Billed Gull, + Selet only the dcese calls you need, + Program the calls to aspeifi sohedule or jut eet on random play, + Speaker volume adjustable, Effective up to 200 feet away. + Operates on photocell only; cperaticnal during active period fo gulls, + Inoludes booklet on maximizing effective bird pest centro. + Audible Range: 100-110 dB (deciteD. ‘+ One-year unconditional money-back guarantee, + Uband CE listed. Made in the USA, + Shipping wt: 7 Ib Contact us at: gullgone @marina.com for more information, ‘To order eal: (995) 555-0099 Seurching for a way to safely keep gulls away from boats, dosks, and the shore? Order + Distres oalls from seven gull speoies inoluding Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, + Field tested effective in driving gulls away when operated as recommended Figure 8.3 Advertisement for “Gull Gone.” a. What are three biological claims in this advertisement?fren SPA SISTINE EOE EL UNITS CASE: Back tothe Bay 15 (Choose one of the claims an briefly describe an experiment that would ts ts val ¢. Is there any behavioral significance to the product’ feature that allows for playing distress calls in random sequence? IV. Investigations of Population Growth and Control A. Gull Population Growth (Refer to Chapter 52 in your text for help with this exercise.) 1. Review the data in Table 8.3 below. Table 8.3 Increase in Number of Gull Mating Pairs in Selected (Locations Locations Initial Observation Final Observation Gull Species Mating Pairs/Year Mating Pairs/Year | Kennedy Airport, 15 pairs/1970 7600 pairs/1990 Laughing Gull New York, United States Leslie Spit, 20 pairs/' ‘80,000 pairs/1982 Ring-Billed Gull _| Toronto, Canada Five lands, 3 pairs (est V1949) 51,500 pairs/1978 Silver Gull Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia Mud Islands, Port ~ 5 pairs1959 70,000 pairs/1988 Silver Gull Philips Bay, | Victoria, Australia } a. Are the four gull populations all increasing in size at the same rate? ExplainL1G DP —_ BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: A Workbook of investigative Cases 1b, Which rates are the most similar? ¢. While doing further research on gull populations, you discover that in 1985 there were 15,000 pairs of laughing gulls living in the vicinity of John F Kennedy International Air- port in New York City. How does this knowledge change your answers to La. and 1.b.? 2. Consider reasons why differences in these gull populations occur. List three ways that the environment in which the birds live could affect their rates of reproduction. 3. Population growth is greatly influenced by environmental factors. The activities of a human population impact nearby gull populations. For example, the potential for collisions | between aircraft and gulls ensures that officials at John F Kennedy Intemational Airport implement gull population control measures, List at least three other examples of human-gull interactions, For each example, explain whether the gull population benefits B. Control of Bird Populations: The Chicken or the Egg? If the ultimate goal at an airport loca- I tion is to reduce gull population size to ensure human safety, should guil nests and eggs or adult gulls be removed? In this exercise, you will use a model to compare the effectiveness of these two methods. @iam snus orn Sa aati UNIT CASE: Backtothe Bay 117 I @ 1, Fill in the worksheet below to estimate the relative effectiveness of these two different population control methods. ‘The Chicken or the E99 Worksheet i Find the dfrences in poption (rots eating om te gl twosing Pu = 10 cogs per Nast «| ans pec TO Surv of adits © 90% Sura fat ‘Sorivl of Adate 905 _Borwvl of Youn Bice = 50% Survival f Young Gs = GOR Survival of Young Bxdt = 108 ‘Gnestng pote) tei Population Ener tha vain rom the ‘nfration above a3 pero 3 ‘he caktotons: fe SRS ENISE Bung Ate = (0 sia) ayaeye 6800) eases PN te ees fea ong is osha we rk a ee © CRISES acecctn yo Figure 84 The Chicken or the Egg Worksheet. Use the provided equations to calculate surviving gull populations after implementing two types of gull control methods. This spreadsheet also is provided on the Case Book website as a functioning model. 2. Which of these gull control methods is more effective? 3. Which of these two control methods would you advocate? Explain your choice.118 D BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: A Workbook of Investigative Cases Additional Investigations V. Ethics Paper on Gull and Human Interactions (Choose A or B.) Go to the Case Book website for links to information about many of these topic. ‘A. Choose one of the following situations in which humans and gulls interact. * Landfills + Airports * Offshore oll rigs + Rool-roosting gulls in Melbourne, Australia + Municipal reservoirs + Maintaining biodiversity in wildlife refuges + Maintaining biodiversity and gull effects * Protecting birds from oil spills using sound Research the situation examining control methods used and outcomes. Consider the impact of the large gull populations on the environment, other species, and humans. Then consider the impact of the control measures. Discuss the ethical issues involved in the decision to control a species and in the various control measures that were used B. Choose three of the following methods of gull control. Evaluate each for its effectiveness in controlling gulls, its expense, and the ethics of both using and selling these methods. Describe your findings in a 1-2-page paper. * Model aircraft (Melbourne area) + Owl effigies (Louisiana Land and Exploration) + Rubber snakes (Tides Stadium, 1997) * Avipoint installations to prevent roosting + Raptors as gull predators + Deterrent spray * High-pressure water blaster (Melbourme area 200) * Monofilament lines (Melbourne area hotel) VI. Explore the Environmental Conditions of the Chesapeake Bay Liam and Solana spent four hours on their boat tour of the Chesapeake Bay, learning about its history, ecology, and geology. In this investigation, you will take a brief “armchair tour” of the Chesapeake Bay by exploring some of the environmental factors that affect its biological diversity. Go to the Case Book website for resources on Chesapeake Bay and further direc- tions for the following activities.UNITS.CASE: Back tothe Bay = 119 © A. Stressors on the Bay. Examine the animation. List three important stressors on the Chesapeake (Gee the Stressors on the Bay link on the Case Book website) B. Cutter Marina. Examine the information about Cutter Marina, including the data charts and interpretation of each of the water quality variables measured. Describe and provide the values for three variables that indicate a healthy bay. C. Eyes on the Bay. The water quality of the Chesapeake is sampled dally at more than 100 sampling stations. All of these data are reported and compiled online at “Eyes on the Bay” (Figure 8.5) listed on the Case Book website. || click the markers on the map bolow to see the latest Fized Station Monthly Mantodina dat, ‘Continuous Monitoring date, and Veter Quality Mapping date collected by Meryl's Chesapeake ‘Bey & Coastal Bavs Water Quolty Monitoring Programs. ‘lek gerd Stal | ‘Toggle Salons On Feet Bouton “Sora ‘stores Dae conse Nios 2003 Achve cont Monere| ar auatey } i Figure 8.5 Eyes on the Bay. 1. Examine differences in salinity across the Chesapeake Bay by first switching to “full-screen map" and then running your cursor over the red square icons and reading the salinity data that appears on the left side of the screen. € a. Describe what happens to salinity as you move from open ocean (the right and lower ‘edges of the map) to the top of the Chesapeake Bay,120 D BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: A Wotkbook of Investigative Cases b. Describe what happens to salinity as you move from the center of the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River, which starts near the bottom center of the map. 2. Choose data from two stations, one from the upper Chesapeake Bay and one from the lower Chesapeake Bay near the ocean. Click on the icon to open the station’ site. Look at the following variables during August: dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and water clarity, Enter the data for each station in Table 8.4. Table 8.4 Comparison of Data from Two Stations Year Month: August Tower Bay station name: Upper Bay station name: Dissolved oxygen Dissolved oxygen Water temperature Water temperature PA pH Water clarity Water darity 3. Studies have shown there are major differences in types of organisms inhabiting different areas of the Bay, How do the data you recorded in Table 8.4 help to explain this finding? &pee mS TE SSS SE SELES SSE UNIT CASE: Back tothe Bay @ 121 D. Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program. Go to the Case Book website to access the link to the "Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program” website (Figure 8.6). Use this website to examine productivity in the Chesapeake as measured by chlorophyll producti a Chesapeake Bay pals Remote Sensing Program fauyg roe se ane eR ( Chlorophyll toy (aa lens tat en of toot comacaly eGR cronadtisegte saat tris inn Yo ae waist e Sones oon of php dha asec ence Bene ca toeaian bat ete y Set ura nents MAT sisinss soca ate Sedo igctstiesewt adiee Ste inc ih bares seat erie eae sraseiy? tea cli andrea ase Imag eed nl ene Sita cas fou nial ealgur tate nee ees ne Bib ie eau ttnon covet ak bs se By tol fous tho tone ton te Capo ee Pa Spare rated ea ning th pg gen cre Gir Ritmenaidiet saatemantgh Soe Seating ow Saws icy Syne etn wntees asses actin iat Figure 86 CaRSP ascertains chloropyil concentrations to extinate primary praducty and to gauge ¢ the overall productty ofthe Chesapeske Bey ecosystem, 1. Choose a year from 1998 to 2002 and run the animation of chlorophyll for the whole year. (Note: If you click on the animation while it is running, it will pause on the map shown. Double-clicking will resume the animation.) Briefly describe the changes in chloro- phyll content in April, July, and October.122 —_BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY: Werkbook of Investigative Cases | 2. For the yeats 1998-2002, track chlorophyll data for the last reading in July. Focus on the grid square bounded by 37~37.5 (representing latitude) on the left and by 76.5~76 (repre- senting longitude) on the bottom. Give a range and an average for each date in ‘Table 8.5 Table 8.5 Chlorophyll Data over a Five-Year Period Date Range/Average July 1998 july 1999 july 2000 Suly 2007 July 2002 3. Compare the data you tracked for 1998 and 1999. What might account for the differences you see in the chlorophyll increase for these two years? 4. The area of the Chesapeake Bay where Liam and Solana’ family has lived is near the Lower Chester River, south of Eastern Neck island (38.99 latitude, 76.22 longitude), Describe one variable that you think may be contributing to the failure of this part of the Bay to support commercial shell fishing 5, Summarize what you have learned about the environment of the Chesapeake Bay, comparing and contrasting the upper and lower regions of the Bay and the rivers that empty into the Bay. @