ABI150 Section A - Day 5: Say YES to the Proposal!

Today's in-class session marked a big turning point for this course, we moved from generating ecological ideas to forming real practical research questions!

Prior to the start of class all students were to submit a research proposal. 

Samantha, today's MC, started the class by creating a Google Form, where each student could select their top proposals choices. We took around 20 minutes to carefully read and analyze what our peers submitted. Students then individually voted on their top 4 choices. 

We have winners!

Based on the votings, proposals # 1, 5, 7 and 8 won!

Proposal 1: Do birds choose safer feeding locations over better food resources when there is an increased risk of predation? When birds are given the choice between a high reward food patch in an open, exposed area and a low reward food patch that is more protected/covered, do they choose safety over the abundance/quality of food? 

Proposal 5: How does the presence of large birds (like herons or snowy egrets) affect the behaviors (specifically foraging) and abundance of smaller birds (like red-winged blackbird, marsh wren, black phoebe, etc.) in the Yolo Bypass? Does food availability increase in the presence of the large birds since they cause disturbances in the water and bring prey out of hiding, or does competition precede this and thus, smaller birds are outcompeted by the larger ones?

Proposal 7: How does the concentration of Aristolochic acid in host plants, pipevines, affect the California Pipevine Swallowtail's growth rate and/or vibrancy of orange spikes?  Would substituting the California Pipevine Swallowtail’s specific host plant species, Aristolochia californica, with another species in the same genus impact larval mortality? 

(Shout out to my group: Lianna, Taylor, Carissa and I (Lily), WOHOO!)

Proposal 8: Do the Pipevine Swallowtail larvae disperse from high density egg laying sites, selecting pupation locations that reduce competition and detection risk? If dispersal is based on competition/detection risks then should larvae from high density sites disperse farther for pupations compared to those in low density sites? 

Group Analysis

Now that 4 proposals have been chosen, the class broke into even groups, where each group is to work on one of the proposals. Within these groups, students took about 15 minutes to begin refining the original idea/proposal.

Group 1: Proposal 1 

Group 2: Proposal 5 

Group 3: Proposal 7 

Group 4: Proposal 8 

This period was very productive as many groups found flaws or highly-narrowed ideas within their proposals. Here they focused on ways to strengthen methods, identify limitations/feasibility, and overall refine the research proposal to make execution more practical. 

Group Share-Out

After initial analysis of the proposals, groups were asked to share out loud with the class any key ideas or challenges they encountered. A theme across multiple groups was focus and simplicity, turning hard to examine questions into plausible study designs. Groups adjusted the scope of the initial proposal to create more practical executable proposals.

Lit Search

Groups took about 15 minutes to conduct a literature review. This was a good place for students to look into finding answers to any unresolved questions remaining from your previous group discussion. After 15 minutes of individually searching, students were to upload at least one relevant paper to their proposal group tab on Zotero. We then took another 15 minutes to discuss what we found and how it can be implemented into our work with the rest of the group.

Practical Planning for Thursday

Groups continued their discussion on execution of the proposals. They started to discuss possible field sites, materials needed, and logistics. 

For the last 20 minutes of class I went around asking each group about their field site plans. This is where I found that groups 3 and 4 plan to head to Cahill (Oak Savanna) and groups 1 and 2 have plans of visiting Davis Wetlands and Yolo ByPass Wetlands (sites 3 and 4)!

Important notes: 

1. Davis Wetlands is currently closed due to hazardous roads, as of April 13, 2026. If this site remains closed by Thursday, groups 1 and 2 will need to limit their observations to the Yolo Bypass Wetlands. 

2. Davis Wetlands close at 1pm, so groups planning on visiting that site must be time conscious.

General idea for Thursday's schedule: 

This is subject to change by groups/van as some groups may require longer site time than others. 

10:00 AM - Load into vans (groups 1 and 2 in one van, groups 3 and 4 in the other van)

10:20 - Van 1- Groups 1 and 2 arrive at Davis Wetlands (IF OPEN!)

                - Shortly after begin group observations/data collection 

10:35 - Van 2- Groups 3 and 4 arrive at Cahill-Oak Savanna

                - Shortly after begin group observations/data collection 

12:30 - Lunch time!

12:55 - Check in -- Do groups need more time/do they want to move sites?

1:00 - Van 1- move to secondary location-- Yolo Bypass Wetlands 

Continue as groups see fit..

Please note this is a very rough draft of a schedule. Because each proposal is different, each group will essentially be self-ran and coordinated, so ensure to budget your time effectively. 

When your group believes to be done at the field site, check in with the other group conjoined at the same site. Coordinate leave times. 

Preparation for the field

- Plenty of water

- Snacks/Lunch

- Layers, dress accordingly with weather--expecting strong winds

- Any additional resources needed for your proposal

Yolo Bypass (Week 1 site)

- Van accessibility  

- Bathrooms at each site location

Cahill (Week 2 site)

- Possible hunters in area, wear bright identifiable colors

- Appropriate clothing: long pants, long socks, closed toe shoes--may encounter snakes/ticks AGAIN!

- No bathroom access

- No van checkpoints like at Yolobypass, so materials must be carried with you

- No cell service (Merlin/iNaturalist apps will still work!)

Davis Wetlands 

- Gate entrance, ensure to close behind you

- Bathroom accessibility

- Van accessibility 

Great work refining your proposals! Can't wait to see what you all find!

See you Thursday morning!!