Eco-Inquip^: Building Bridges Between
School Science and Professional Science

Newsletter

Volume 5, Number 5
September - October 1988

Director’s Note

September 3rd marked the Institute’s 5th

Anniversary. This is therefore an appropriate time

for a quick update:

• The permanent scientific staff at lES consists of
14 with Ph.Ds and 3 with masters degrees.

• The lES Public Education Program has seven
on its staff.

• The total number of employees at the Institute,
including these scientists and educators as well
as support staff, graduate students, research
assistants and horticulturists, is currently 100.
This number rose to approximately 140 during
the summer, when high school and college
students were hired to work with regular staff.

• 64 volunteers are currently assisting in all
aspects of the Institute’s operation.

• 51 research papers about lES studies were
published in scientific journals from July 1987
through June 1988. From July 1988 to date,

36 papers were published, with an additional 51
now in press.

• New attractions for vistiors include the Cary
Pines Trail loop, a photographic display in the
greenhouse and seasonal research
demonstrations.

The lES Newsletter is published by
the Institute of Ecosystem Studies
at the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum.
Located in Millbrook, New York,
the Institute is a division of The
New Y ork Botanical Garden. All
newsletter correspondence should
be addressed to the Editor.

Gene E. Likens, Director
Joseph S. Warner, Administrator
Alan R. Berkowitz,

Head of Education

Editor: Jill Cadwallader
Design and Printing: Central Press

INSTITUTE OF
ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
The New York Botanical Garden
Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum
BoxAB

. MiUbrook, NY 12545
(914)677-5343

...I never thought scientists were like real
people. I thought of them (as) I saw them on
t. V. and books.

...I (liked best) learning how to think and act
like a scientist when they find a problem or
something puzzling.

...I (liked best) experiments because I’m
learning something.... by finding it out on
my own.

These comments are representative of
those made by the 700 fifth and sixth
grade students who have participated in an
innovative school science program called
“Eco-Inquiry.” In 1986, Eco-Inquiry’s
creator, Institute of Ecosystem Studies
(lES) Program Leader in Ecology
Education, Kass Hogan, began piloting
the program in elementary schools in
Dutchess County, New York to develop
and refine the curriculum. Then, in a mid-
September 1988 workshop, she
introduced teachers from 10 Dutchess
County schools to the prototype: a thirty
session program in which teachers help
students understand processes in nature
while exploring their own capacities for
finding original answers to ecology
research questions.

Eco-Inquiry has three themes. First, eco-
system concepts are introduced as the
students explore how living and non-living

parts of an ecosystem interact. Second,
activities that are modeled after practices
of the scientific community lead to an
understanding of who scientists are, what
they do and why they do it. Finally, the
program teaches scientific inquiry skills:
students learn investigative techniques
through simple experiments, then are
challenged to design their own
experiments. The Eco-Inquiry sessions
emphasize not only the skills of disciplined
thinking but also the attitudes that support
inquiry behavior. The curriculum works to
develop intellectual curiosity, open-
mindedness, persistence, objectivity,
ability to learn from failure, and commit-
ment to accuracy -- attributes with long-
term benefits in both academics and every-
day life.

For the 4-day teacher workshop, Ms.
Hogan prepared kits with all the ‘props’
required to teach the 30 sessions. A cur-
riculum guide, background readings in
ecology, and “Rita”, a book written by
Ms. Hogan especially to complement the
Eco-Inquiry curriculum, were also in
the kits.

Participating teachers will introduce the
curriculum to their classes during the
1988/89 school year, and are being

continued on page 4

During the first part of the Eco-Inquiry workshop, lES scientists led the teachers in field programs and in
discussions about the scientific method. On Friday afternoon. Dr. Mark McDonnell (wearing a cap) and
the group dealt with the subject of forest ecology in a perfect classroom setting.

Tracking Opossums from Birth

The oldest mammal in North America,
and our only marsupial (a mammal whose
young grow within an abdominal pouch)
the Virginia opossum, Didelphis
virginiana, is slowly working its way
north. This primitive animal appeared in
the Hudson Valley in the early i930s; the
first in this area was found in Peekskill
after being hit by a car.

Opossums have now reached the lower
Adirondacks, surviving in the Northeast in
spite of the fact that their bodies, with
naked ears and tail, are not adapted for
long spells of freezing temperatures. The
expanding range of opossums may be due
in part to the expanding range of humans:
in addition to their natural diet that
includes amphibians, insects and
vegetation, these animals will quite hap-
pily eat garbage or even boldly take food
from a pet’s bowl left outside overnight.
While the animals’ life span in southern
states is 7 to 10 years, in northern climates
it is much shorter. Females, who face the
winter in poor physical condition with
lowered fat reserves after breeding and
raising young, live an average of one and a
half years; males, whose lives are con-
siderably easier, live three years or so.

The scientific literature has offered few
answers to questions about how opossums
survive in these northern climates, and
particularly about how young opossums
progress from birth to adulthood. Robert
J. Hossler has just completed two seasons
of field work at the Institute of Ecosystem
Studies, making observations and gather-
ing the kinds of information needed to
answer some of these questions.

In May 1985 Mr. Hossler was hired as a
research assistant with the Institute’s
Lyme Disease study. In the course of that
work, which involved sampling the
Arboretum’s mammals for the presence of
the Lyme tick, he discovered that there
was an established opossum population on
the property. At the same time. Dr. John
D. Harder, a reproductive physiologist at
Ohio State University, was looking for a
graduate student to do research on
opossums. Mr. Hossler learned of Dr.
Harder through one of Harder’s former
master’s degree students, lES wildlife
ecologist Jay McAninch. He applied, was
accepted, and began his master’s degree
studies in January 1987.

Mr. Hossler returned to lES during the
spring and summer of 1987 and 1988 to do
his field work on the Arboretum and
adjoining properties*. Animals were
caught in live traps or by hand, weighed,
and - in the case of captured females -
information on the young in the pouch was
recorded. Before release at the site of
capture, the adults were fitted with radio
collars weighing only 28 grams (just under
one ounce) that could transmit signals up
to 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles). The animals

were then tracked in order to learn what
areas they used for foraging and resting.

In southeastern New York, female opos-
sums give birth during the early-March to
late- April period, depending on the se-
verity of the winter. At birth the baby
opossums are little more than embryos -
13 can fit on a teaspoon. As many as 22
young may be born at one time, but no
more than 13 or 14 survive... one for each
nipple inside the mother’s pouch. (The
average number of young, however, is
eight.) Each newborn opossum attaches
itself to a nipple so firmly that it cannot be
dislodged, and it feeds there for 50 days.
After this time, its eyes open and it can
move around with its siblings inside the
pouch. The young are weaned from 98 to
106 days after birth; during this time they
move from the pouch onto the mother’s
back, traveling with her or exploring for
short distances on their own. Mr. Hossler
observed his tagged female animals during
three stages: while the young were in the
pouch, during the weaning process, and
after she had left the juveniles to take care
of themselves.

He found that opossums take over bur-
rows abandoned by other animals, such as
woodchucks, and may use as many as six
dens during the stages before and after
weaning. They prefer to live in an edge

habitat, such as along roadsides.

During the weaning period, however, the
mother opossum tends to use just one den,
located in dense vegetation. When she
forages at night, she leaves the young,
who start to explore for food on their own.
The dense cover around the weaning den
helps to protect the young from predators
such as owls, coyotes, foxes and domestic
dogs. By October the juveniles have been
on their own for approximately 90 days,
and start moving greater distances to
extend their feeding ranges and increase
fat reserves for the coming winter.

Rob Hossler is now back at Ohio State,
analyzing the two years of data on habitat
preference and weaning behavior of the
opossum. One of his more interesting
findings deals with the latter! While most
young animals must be driven from the
nest or den when the weaning process is
completed, in the case of the opossum the
mother is the one who leaves. A new body
of knowledge on the ecology of a local
mammal has been created from this recent
study, and Mr. Hossler will publish the
results of his master’s thesis work in
scientific j ournals .

*Rob Hossler thanks the residents of Woodstock
Road and properties adjoining the Arboretum for
allowing him access throughout the course of his
field work.

New Postdoctoral Research at lES

The Institute makes postdoctoral appoint-
ments to enable outstanding young ecolo-
gists to contribute to the Institute’s
program and to establish themselves in the
scientific community. Two postdoctoral
associates have recently begun training
and reaearch at lES:

THOMAS S. BIANCHI, aquatic ecolo-
gist, recieved his Ph.D. in marine ecology
from the Chesapeake Biological Lab.,
University of Maryland. His research
there dealt with the feeding ecology of
benthic (bottom living) invertebrates --
specifically snails and polychaete worms -
in Delaware Bay and Long Island Sound.

Working at lES with Dr. Stuart Findlay,
he will study the cycling of organic matter
in Hudson River sediments. Most of the
organic matter settling to the river bottom
comes from leaves from the river banks, or
from river plants and plankton (suspended
microscopic forms). In this project, funded
by a grant from the Hudson River Foun-
dation, the scientists will try to understand
what the principal food resources are for
the Hudson’s food chain and how these
resources vary seasonally. The results will
have implications to the river’s fish
population.

Dr. Bianchi is also collaborating with lES
aquatic ecologist Dr. David Strayer on a
study of the evolutionary genetics of snails
across New York. The genus of the snail
in question is Goniobasis. Originally, one
species, G. livescens, was found in the
western part of the state, in the Mohawk
River drainage basin, and a second
species, G. virginica, lived east, in the
Hudson River drainage basin. With the
opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, the two
species were able to extend their ranges
and are now coexisting along part of the
canal. Drs. Bianchi and Strayer will use
this natural phenomenon to learn how
related organisms interact when they
come into contact with each other, and will
study the animals’ shells to see if hybrid-
ization has occurred.

LARS O. HEDIN, an aquatic ecologist
who will soon receive his doctorate degree
from Yale University, did his thesis re-
search on changes in the chemistry of
rainfall. Working at lES with his thesis

advisor. Dr. Likens, and with a research
group at the University of Stockholm in
Sweden, he analyzed data from long-term
studies of rainfall chemistry (extending
back 25-30 years) trying to understand the
factors that affect the acidity of rainfall
both in the northeastern part of the U.S.
and in Europe. He found that while there
is variability in pollutant emissions in the
two geographical areas, the chemical
conditions leading to the production of
acid rain are remarkably similar.

In a related project, he calculated sulfur
dioxide emissions (sulfur dioxide is
produced primarily by the burning of fossil
fuels, such as coal and oil, and is a
precursor of the sulfuric acid that makes
acid rain what it is) and found that
although these emissions have declined
since the early 1970’s, due to the Clean Air
Act and other efforts, they are still much
higher than acceptable. (Results of this
study were published in the prestigious
international scientific journal NATURE
in January 1987.)

As an lES postdoctoral associate. Dr.
Hedin will continue studies of acid pre-
cipitation. He is still collaborating with the
Swedish research group to learn more
about similarities and differences in
rainfall chemistry, and will look at how
these patterns affect the biology and
chemistry of streams and lakes. For this
work he will use primarily the waters of
the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
in New Hampshire, the site of the long-
term Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.

Promotion

DONALD C. BUSO was recently named
manager of field research at Hubbard
Brook. He has a bachelor of science
degree in ecology from Cornell University,
and has worked with Dr. Likens at the
Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study in New
Hampshire since 1975, most recently as a
research assistant III. His new respon-
sibilities include supervising the weekly
sampling of streamwater and precipitation
in the Hubbard Brook Experimental
Forest; organizing and interpreting data as
they are collected; and troubleshooting
scientific instruments.

Staff

Visitors to the Arboretum will meet two
new lES staff members in the reception
areas.

At the Plant Science Building, SANDY
CAHILL, part-time receptionist, greets
visitors and operates the switchboard
three days a week.

At the Gifford House, SU STUDLEY,
visitor services coordinator, welcomes and
provides an orientation for Arboretum
guests. Additional responsibilities include
operating the Gift and Plant Shop.

Local Weather

Data collected at the lES Weather Station
provide background information for ecologi-
cal research at the Institute and serve as a
standard against which long-term trends in
weather and air quality may be compared.

July and August, 1988

Highest temperature: 37.2°C (99°F) on July 8
Lowest temperature: 5.0°C (41°F) on
August 22

Number of days high temperature at least
32 °C (90 °F) this year: 29
Daily average temperature: 23.3°C (74°F)
(Normal*: 20.6 C (69° F)

Precipitation: 44.20 cm (17.40 in.)

(Normal: 19.30 cm (7.60 in.)

Average rainfall pH**: 3.86
Total precipitation since January 1st:

80.87 cm (31.84 in.)

(Normal: 67.54 cm (26.59 in.)

Strongest wind gust: 39 km/hr (24 m.p.h.)

from the Northwest on July 2
Prevailing wind: South-southeast (166°)
Average wind speed: 6km/hr (4 m.p.h.)

*“Normal” values are taken from data collect-
ed for a 30-year period at the Millbrook
School.

* * Degrees of acidity or alkalinity are indi-
cated using a logarithmic pH scale. On the
scale of 0-14, vinegar - an acid - has a pH of
approximately 3, and “neutral” is 7.0. The
pH of “normal” rain is 5.6 or higher.

5th Anniversary: After a meeting of all lES
staff, at which Dr. Likens summarized the
Institute’s progress (see Director’s Note on
page 1), there was a surprise celebration. Dr.
Likens cut the first piece of cake decorated for the
occasion.

Eco-Inquiry, from page 1

encouraged to adapt the program to their
individual situations. An lES scientist will
sponsor each class and “collaborate” with
the student researchers. Teachers will also
receive direct support through classroom
visits by lES educators. At the end of the
year, revisions will be made based on
suggestions submitted by the participating
teachers.

Thus, Eco-Inquiry is moving one step
closer to fulfilling its potential as a prac-
tical, stimulating and rewarding experi-
ence for teachers and upper elementary
school students. The long-term goal of the
Institute of Ecosystem Studies is to have
the revised curriculum published and
eventually incorporated into school
science classes throughout New York
state and the U.S.

Fall/Winter Calendar

CONTINUING EDUCATION
PROGRAM

The winter term will begin during the
third week of January. Catalogues de-
scribing courses, workshops and ex-
cursions during the winter and spring
terms will be mailed before the holidays.

SUNDAY ECOLOGY
PROGRAMS

Free public programs are offered on the
first and third Sunday of each month,
except over holiday weekends. All
programs are from one to two hours
long, and begin at 2:00 p.m. at the
Gifford House on Route 44A unless
otherwise noted.

Tentative schedule (please call
(914) 677-5358 to confirm the day’s
topic):

Dec. 4: An Acid Rain Update
(Gene E. Likens) - Talk
Jan. 15: Slide presentation by
Dr. Steward Pickett on flowers &
pollination.

Talks are held indoors at the Gifford
House. In case of inclement weather, call
(914) 677-5358 after 1 p.m. to learn the
status of the day’s program.

ART EXHIBIT

“To Catch the Wind”, drawings and
paintings of birds by wildlife artist Karen
L. Allaben-Confer, is open to the public
at the Plant Science Building through
mid-January. Hours: Weekdays, from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Notecards by the artist are for sale at the
lES Gift Shop.

GREENHOUSE

The lES Greenhouse performs double
duty: it is a year-round tropical-plant
paradise as well as a site for controlled
environmental research. The public is
invited to explore both aspects during
Arboretum hours. There is no admission

fee, but visitors should first stop at the
Gifford House for a free permit.

ARBORETUM HOURS

October 1 - April 30: Monday
through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.;
Sunday 1 - 4 p.m. The Gift and Plant
Shops are open Tuesday through
Saturday 11a.m. to4p.m. and Sunday
1 - 4 p.m.

Closed on public holidays. (Also closed
during the deer hunting season -
Nov. 21 - Dec. 13, 1988 - and when roads
are snow covered.)

All visitors must obtain a free permit at
the Gifford House for access to the
Arboretum. Permits are available up to
one hour before closing time.

MEMBERSHIP

Become a member of the Mary Flagler
Cary Arboretum. Benefits include a
special member’s rate for lES courses
and excursions, a 10% discount on
purchases from the Gift Shop, six issues
of the lES Newsletter each year, free
subscription to Garden (the beautifully
illustrated magazine for the enterprising
and inquisitive gardener), and parking
privileges and free admission to the Enid
A. Haupt Conservatory at The New
York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.
Individual membership is $25; family
membership is $35. For information on
memberships, contact Janice Claiborne
at (914) 677-5343.

f A NOTE TO OUR MEMBERS

The lES membership list and that of the
NYBG in the Bronx have recently been
converted to new computer systems. If
you feel that you are not receiving all of
our materials or if there are errors in
your address, please contact Janice
Claiborne, Membership Secretary, at
(914) 677-5343. We apologize for any
discrepancies that may have occurred in
this changeover.

For more information, call (914) 677-5358 weekdays from 8:30 - 4:30

INSTITUTE OF
ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
The New York Botanical Garden
Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum
Box AB, Millbrook, New York 12545

Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID

Millbrook, N.Y.
Permit No. 16

IIESt

Newsletter

Volume 5, Number 5
September - October 1988

100% Recycled
Paper