Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education最新文献

As use of geospatial technologies has increased in the workplace, so has interest in using these technologies in the K–12 classroom. Prior research has identified several reasons for using geospatial technologies in the classroom, such as developing spatial thinking, supporting local investigations, analyzing changes in the environment, and interesting students in technology and geography. The National Research Council (NRC) advocates spatial thinking instruction across the K–12 curriculum and instruction in geospatial technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), is one way to increase understanding in spatial thinking. Many educators agree that GIS can be a useful tool for student learning; however, if GIS is going to be successfully integrated into the classroom, many issues need to be addressed, including those related to professional development. Many of the characteristics of effective professional development apply to professional development in geospatial technologies but researchers continue to identify best practices. The professional development objectives for the NSF ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) program at the University of Kentucky were threefold: (1) to increase knowledge of geospatial technologies, including GIS, GPS, and remote sensing; (2) to develop spatial thinking; and (3) to apply that knowledge to community-based natural resource investigations, a localized form of project-based learning (PBL). The UK team hypothesized that the unique components of this professional development program would be an effective way to increase teachers’ knowledge of new technologies and spatial thinking and to instruct teachers how to apply that knowledge to community-based investigations.

This learning activity guides students/learners through the basic process in a wheat breeding program. Wheat is a self-pollinated crop that breeders improve by crossing different cultivated varieties. Through careful crossing, observation, and further selection, breeders make better plants for producers. Biotechnology such as molecular markers aids breeders in the selection process by allowing them to observe the genes present in the DNA of wheat. Using the information from DNA and data collected in the field allows breeders to select plants with traits of interest. This activity uses wheat as a case study to uncover concepts such as pollination, inheritance of traits related to a single gene, selection for herbicide resistance, and molecular marker technology for selecting genes leading toward high protein level expressions. There is an interactive feature called the “breeder's notebook,” which allows users to review concepts while completing the activity. A discussion of genetic engineering and its relation to wheat breeding programs is also provided in the activity. The education material is designed for introductory-level college students and is also useful for extension education.

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This casual–comparative study was conducted to determine the professional development needs of teaching faculty with fewer than 6 years of university teaching experience (n = 67). Faculty were compared on the level of teaching assistantship responsibility during their graduate degree program. The purpose of this article is to provide faculty development officers with fundamental considerations for achieving quality professional development with junior faculty based on previous teaching experience. This study found professional development needs should be tailored based on teaching assistant experiences.

In plant breeding and genetics research, plant breeders establish a hypothesis to explain how they think a particular trait is inherited, such as if it is due to one gene with complete dominance, an interaction of more than one gene, or quantitative inheritance, with many genes contributing, etc. Next the breeder sets up some crosses and observes the resulting progeny to test that inheritance hypothesis. However, when the data is collected, oftentimes the breeder discovers the number of plants observed in each class is not exactly what was expected from the hypothesis. The question then is how do plant breeders determine if the data supports their hypothesis or not? Following a tomato disease resistance example in this lesson, you will learn a simple statistical test that breeders can use to conclude if the experimental data supports their hypothesis. This lesson is written for undergraduate and graduate students studying plant breeding, as well as agriculture professionals unfamiliar with the use of the chi-square analysis. After completing this lesson module you should be able to:

Sites contaminated by heavy metals, such as industrial waste sites, create unwelcoming environments for plant growth. Heavy metals can have a wide range of toxic effects such as replacing essential elements or disrupting enzyme function. While some heavy metals are essential to plant nutrition at low concentrations, high concentrations of any heavy metal(s) has the effect of reducing or preventing plant growth. Despite the obstacles to plant growth, revegetation of these sites is important because wind and water erosion can transport heavy metals from contaminated sites, thereby spreading these potentially toxic pollutants. Phytoremediation techniques which use plants to remediate contaminated soil may provide a solution to problems of revegetation and contamination. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may enhance phytoremediation, especially phytoextraction and phytostabilization, by reducing heavy metal stresses on plants, increasing heavy metal uptake, and affecting translocation of metals within plants. This paper provides a review of the effects of AMF colonization on heavy metal tolerance in plants and the potential for utilizing AMF in phytoremediation techniques.

Soilborne pathogens can devastate crops, causing economic losses for farmers due to reduced yields and expensive management practices. Fumigants and fungicides have harmful impacts on the surrounding environment and can be toxic to humans. Therefore, alternative methods of disease management are important. The disease suppressive abilities of composts have been recognized for several decades, and significant research has been done in order to identify substrates with effective suppression. The mechanisms of suppression are mainly biological, but abiotic aspects of the composts, such as pH, carbon to nitrogen ratio, and maturity, interact with pathogenic and biological control processes and determine efficacy of suppression. For example, Fusarium wilt is aggravated by high ammonium-N composts (Cotxarrera et al., 2002), and mature composts with low levels of labile compounds more effectively suppress Rhizoctonia damping-off (Trillas et al., 2006). Identification of these abiotic factors can increase efficacy of disease suppression of composts. In addition, inoculating composts with biological control agents, such as Trichoderma, has been found to increase suppressive ability in many cases.