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Tagging Bumble Bees to Study Their Movements

Topic

  • Environmental Science
  • Conservation
  • Scientific Skills & Literacy
  • Experimental Design

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Scientists at Work

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:06:01
Saved By
17 Users
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Description

This video follows graduate student Jeremy Hemberger as he explains his experimental design for a study on the foraging behavior of bumble bees in different habitats.

Are human activities affecting the ability of bumble bees to find enough food? Does resource availability affect bee behaviors, such as foraging time? To answer these questions, Hemberger, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, designed a system for measuring the length of a bumble bee’s foraging trips. He attaches radio-frequency identification tags to several bumble bees in a colony to record individual bees' comings and goings in a variety of environmental conditions. Data from these experiments can provide helpful insights to guide the conservation and restoration of natural habitats in which bumble bees can thrive.

The video provides an example of animal behavior and conservation ecology using bumble bee foraging behavior, using technology to collect data and test a hypothesis, and interpreting data from research studies to guide conservation efforts.

An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player.

Key Terms

foraging, graph interpretation, human activity, resource availability, scientific methodology, scientific process

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 10.07.16
Date Updated 10.07.16

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.A, HS-ESS3.C

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-3

IB Biology (2016)

C.1

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 3.8

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5

Materials

HD (M4V) 224 MB
HD (WMV) 189 MB
SD (M4V) 52 MB
SD (WMV) 51 MB
Transcript (PDF) 120 KB

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