Zoo Research
In collaboration with our partner, The Memphis Zoo, the Rhodes Learning Corridor has provided the opportunity for students from three of our Learning Corridor partners, Cypress Middle School, Snowden School and Bellevue Junior High School, to be involved in hands-on research at the zoo.
The Sessions:
Creating Wildlife Habitat
Based on the AZA Butterfly Conservation Initiative, the Memphis Zoo’s Horticulture and Research & Conservation Departments are interested in linking the conservation of threatened, endangered, and vulnerable butterflies and the habitats that sustain them. In Tennessee, several species of native “Purple Cone Flowers” or Echinacea are threatened or federally endangered. An important forage resource for many species of butterfly in Tennessee, these beautiful flowers are beginning to receive some needed attention.
Participants spend the first half of the session working closely with horticulture and research staff planting and caring for native and hybrid species of coneflowers in various locations around the zoo. The remaining days are spent identifying and measuring which varieties support the broadest biodiversity. These studies allow each student to become familiar with a variety of subjects, including: horticulture, entomology, biodiversity, and the scientific method.
Establishing Bird Habitats
Throughout the City of Memphis, small pockets of forest continue to provide habitat for a variety of birds that use the Mississippi River Alluvial Flyway to migrate from season to season. One example of these important fragmented habitats is Overton Park. Constructed in the late 19th century, Overton Park continues to provide the resources needed to care for numerous bird species and other wildlife.
In this second session, participants work closely with zoo staff to create habitats for a variety of the bird species that live in Overton Park. By performing several small studies, each participant determines and learns how different resources promote species diversity. Day-to-day, we address a variety of issues that improve the participants′ understanding of: ornithology, biodiversity, and the scientific method.
In the photo above are the participants in the Biodiversity program in the summer of 2005 visiting the panda exhibit.
The Biodiversity program is directed by Dr. Tony Becker, beckert@rhodes.edu.
