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Animals and Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States Investi-gator (Rocky Mountain Research Station) – Vol. 3 No. 1

Investi-gator is a sister publication to Natural Inquirer, serving students in grades 4 or higher. In this Investi-gator edition, you will learn many interesting facts about the Southwestern United States. In “That’s a Humdinger!,” you will discover what happens to hummingbird nesting following different kinds of forest-related treatments. In “By the Light of the Silvery Minnow,” you will find out whether a small minnow can learn to find natural foods. Without success, this minnow might one day disappear. You will learn how climate change might affect 30 different animal species in the article entitled, "Wild Ways." Some of these species are already in danger of extinction.

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6 Articles
9 Activities
Lesson Plan
Glossary

What Is an Investi-gator Journal?

A fan of the three Investi-gator covers

An Investi-gator journal is a collection of 4-6 articles on a variety of science topics from a particular region of the United States. These journals are written for upper elementary school students. Investi-gators are similar to our Natural Inquirer journals, but the articles and activities are written for younger students.

Investi-gator journals include:

Four to six articles based on published, peer-reviewed research papers; the articles keep the research paper format (see more below) but are written in language students can understand.
A FACTivity for each article, which is an activity to complete after reading the article. The FACTivity helps reinforce major science concepts from the article. These activities are designed to be easy to implement, with few material requirements and options for adapting them for your audience or available resources. Some articles in a journal may have two FACTivities.
A short “Welcome to the journal” article about key background information and science concepts that unify the articles included in the journal
A glossary of new terms for each article and the introductory materials.
A list of related Natural Inquirer publications for each article as well as outside references.
Standards correlations, including Next Generation Science Standards, addressed in the articles and the FACTivities.

Journals may also include additional essays (called spotlights), other activities (like crossword puzzles or vocabulary challenges), and more.

A screenshot of one of the Investi-gator article's listing showing the different modes of viewing

Reading Modes

Investi-gator journals are currently available in two formats:

PDF versions of the printed journal can be downloaded free on the website. The PDF version directly replicates the content and layout of the printed version. You can also download individual articles as pdfs.
The “Read Distraction Free” option allows the individual articles to open in their own window, without the rest of the website being visible. These articles can be found under the “Articles” tab. This version allows readers to scroll to particular sections of the article using the sidebar menu on the left side of the screen. This version also has interactive Reflection Sections and Number Crunches. Students can enter their answers, submit them, and then receive the correct answers to double-check their work. Submitted answers are not saved on the website and will disappear once the window is closed.

What's in an Invest-gator Article?

Here, we'll go into more detail about the parts of an Investi-gator article and give you some ideas about how they can be used.

Meet the Scientists
This section introduces the scientists (and others) who worked on the study. In their own words, they each share a memorable science experience, a favorite research project, or something they learned during the course of their education or research.

Use this section to:
- Introduce kids to the variety of people who work in science
- Introduce kids to the variety of scientific fields and give brief descriptions of science-related jobs
- Explore ways that people interact with science every day
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) applications:
- Science and Engineering Practices
- Crosscutting Concepts: Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Many of the scientists and engineers featured in this section are also featured on our collector cards. Learn more about their work, how they got interested in their fields, and interesting projects they worked on. Cards can be printed as posters, too.
Thinking About Science
This section briefly describes a concept about science or scientific research. This overview can touch on topics like
- study type (longitudinal study, quantitative vs. qualitative data),
- behaviors of scientists (conducting literature reviews, collaborating with other specialists, replicating earlier studies),
- the practice of science (the scientific method, engineering design, data collection, randomization, controls and variables),
- or other aspects of science (bias, correlation vs. causation).
Use this section to:
- Reinforce steps in the scientific method and the process of science
- Encourage students to think about the practice of science and what it can and cannot tell us
- Consider the many types of scientific study and what information each type can provide
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Science and Engineering Practices
- Life Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

You can use key words to search for other or related scientific topics on our website (e.g. “longitudinal study,” “bias,” or “sampling”).
Thinking About the Environment
This section provides a brief overview of a topic or concept in environmental/life science. The topic or concept is directly related to the research study that follows. Examples of topics include the carbon cycle, the water cycle, habitat fragmentation, phenology, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

Use this section to:
- Provide important background information to help students understand the research study
- Serve as a quick reference during reading or class instruction
- Connect the research article with other activities or media on the same topic
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

You can use key words to search for more resources on life or earth science topics on our website (e.g. “habitat,” “carbon,” or “genetics”).
Introduction
This section begins the scientific article format. Much like the published, peer-reviewed study this article is based on, the introduction provides background information for the study – what is currently known and what remains unknown. The introduction culminates in the question(s) the study hopes to answer.

The introduction is also the first section with a Reflection Section. This section includes two or three questions to help kids reflect on what they’ve just learned in the Introduction. If they are using the online distraction-free reading mode, they can answer these questions directly on the website.

Use this section to:
- Review important background information that kids need to understand the study
- Connect the study to the concepts addressed in the Thinking About Science and Thinking About the Environment sections
- Understand research questions and hypotheses, including generating their own hypotheses given what they already know
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Use one of the guided reading lesson plans to help kids follow the format of a scientific paper.
Methods
This section is the nuts and bolts of the study design – the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the research. Contained within the Methods section are usually maps of the study location or the set-up of study plots, as well as details about what data was collected and how.

The Methods section also ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Show students how experiments and studies are designed and carried out
- Explore sampling methods and randomization
- Introduce various data collection tools (e.g. camera traps, surveys, insect collection tools, weather stations, etc.)
- Explain bias and how studies are designed to remove bias
- Help students gain experience with map reading
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Many Methods and Findings sections contain Number Crunches, which are simple math exercises designed to help students interact with the data from the study.
Findings
This section summarizes the data collected during the study. The Findings section usually includes data tables or graphs and highlights the significant data points from the study. This section often mentions statistical analysis or the use of computer programs to model or analyze the data, though these methods are only discussed generally.

The Findings section also ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Have students practice reading and interpreting graphs and tables
- Compare results between variables and controls
- Explain the concept of statistical significance
- Discuss how no data or negative results still provide valuable information
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Search the website for “map” or “graph” to find activities where students can practice making and reading maps and graphs.
Discussion
This section concludes each article. In it, we summarize the main findings of the scientists’ study. Additionally, we present the scientists’ ideas about the limitations of their study, the big-picture impacts of their research, and the scientists’ plans for future study or action.

The Discussion section ends with a Reflection Section – two or three questions to help students think through what they just read, especially general take-aways from the study. These questions are interactive on the distraction-free reading mode.

Use this section to:
- Discuss what conclusions can and cannot be drawn from the available data
- Explain the difference between correlation and causation
- Explore study limitations and opportunities for further study
- Brainstorm ways the study findings could be applied to real-world situations
Next Generation Science Standards applications:
- Life Science and some Earth Science Disciplinary Core Ideas (depending on topic)
- Most Crosscutting Concepts (depending on topic)
Note that specific standards are linked on this educator guide tab.

Other resources:

Use the “Designing Your Own Study” resource page for videos of scientists discussing their own research studies. The page also includes educator resources to help students plan their own scientific studies.

Additional Resources on the Website

A screenshot of the related content tab for an Investi-gator article On the website, we pair each journal with a variety of other resources, as well. Use the tabs on the product page to browse through the following:

Related activities, including the FACTivity for each article
An “About” essay that gives some larger context for the research the scientists conducted or more information about the science topic from the journal
A glossary of all boldfaced terms from the journal
A “Scientists and Collaborators” page that lists the people involved in the studies in the journal; click on a researcher to reach their bio page and see what other articles they might be featured in
A “Related Content” page that lists both Natural Inquirer resources about similar topics and also outside reference materials

Article Selection and Review

Natural Inquirer partners with the USDA Forest Service, so we source research studies by Forest Service scientists that have been peer-reviewed and published in reputable journals. Some of our articles have also been created in collaboration with scientists from other Federal agencies, such as U.S. Geological Survey and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, universities, and other non-profits.

All journal articles are reviewed by scientists who conducted the original research study to verify scientific accuracy. Journals are also reviewed by student editorial review boards of middle or high school students before publication. Additionally, all journals are reviewed by the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before publication.

A screenshot of the citation for Every journal article includes a citation of its source study. Many educators pair the original research paper with our article to help more advanced students learn how to read formal research papers. The journal article then serves as adapted primary literature, bridging the two articles.

Lessons

In this lesson, students learn about mistakes and the importance of acknowledging and correcting those mistakes. This lesson plan is designed to be paired with “The Lands of Time” from...
Lesson Plan – Everybody Makes Mistakes
In this lesson, students learn about mistakes and the importance of acknowledging and correcting those mistakes. This lesson plan is designed to be paired with “The Lands of Time” from...
- Explore Lesson Plan
- Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
- Explore Lesson Plan
- Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
Part Of

The Lands of Time: Understanding Land Grants in New Mexico

Glossary

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absorption
(əb sȯrp shən): The process of taking in.
aerate
(er āt): To supply with air
amphibian
(am fi bē ǝn): Any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (such as frogs, toads, or salamanders) that have many characteristics that place them between fish and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae and air-breathing adults.
ancestor
(an se stür): An early kind of animal from which later kinds have developed.
Anglo-American
(aŋ glō ə mer ə kən): A North American whose native language is English and especially whose culture is of European origin.
aquatic
(ǝ kwä tik): Growing or living in or often found in water.
archaeological
(är kē ə lä ji kəl): Having to do with the scientific study of material remains (such as tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments) of past human life and activities.
arid
(a rəd): Very dry; especially, not having enough rainfall to support agriculture.
arid
(a rəd): Very dry; especially, not having enough rainfall to support agriculture.
bacteria
(bak tir ē ǝ): (Singular: bacterium) A group of single-celled microorganisms that live in soil, water, the bodies of plants and animals, or matter obtained from living things and are important because of their chemical effects and disease-causing abilities.
biosphere
(bī ə sfir): (1) The part of the world where life can exist; (2) living organisms together with their environment.
breeding habitat
(brē diŋ ha bə tat): Environment where an animal nests and reproduces as opposed to where it lives during the rest of the year.
burrow
(bər ō): A hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter or protection.
canopy
(ka nə pē): A protective covering, such as the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a forest.
cay
(kē): A low island or reef of sand or coral.
control
(kǝn trōl): A variable factor that has been kept constant and which is used as a standard of comparison to the experimental component in a controlled experiment.
coordinate
(kō ȯrd nət): Any of a set of numbers used to locate a point on a line or surface or in space.
debris
(də brē): The remains of something broken down or destroyed.
decay
(di kā): To break down, rot, or undergo decomposition.
economy
(i kä nǝ mē): A system relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, area, or period.
ecosystem
(ē kō sis tǝm): A system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.
efficient
(i fi shǝnt): Capable of producing desired results with little or no waste (as of time or materials).
erosion
(i rō zhǝn): The process of deteriorating or disappearing by wearing away.
exotic
(ig zä tik): Strange, different, or foreign.
extinction
(ik stiŋk shən): The state of no longer existing.
groundwater
(grau̇nd wȯ tǝr): Water within the earth, especially that which supplies wells and springs.
habitat
(ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.
herbicide
((h)ər bə sīd): A substance used to destroy or slow plant growth.
humidity
(hyü mi də tē): The amount of moisture in the air.
immunity
(i myü nə tē): The power of the body to resist an infectious disease.
infectious
(in fek shəs): Capable of causing infection.
intensity
(in ten(t) sǝ tē): The degree or amount of a quality or condition, like the strength of a fire.
invasive
(in vā siv): Tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner, such as a nonnative species growing and dispersing easily, usually to the detriment of native species and ecosystems.
leaf litter
(lēf li tər): Dead plant material, like leaves and twigs.
mammal
(ma mǝl): Any of a class of warm-blooded vertebrates that include human beings and all other animals that nourish their young with milk produced by mammary glands and have the skin usually more or less covered with hair.
marine
(mə rēn): Of or relating to the sea.
mesa
(mā sə): A flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides.
montane
(män tān): Of, relating to, growing or being in the zone of moist cool upland slopes below tree line.
native
(nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.
nutrient
(nü trē ǝnt): A substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life.
photosynthesis
(fō tō sin thǝ sǝs): The process by which plants (and some bacteria and protists) that contain chlorophyll make carbohydrates from water and from carbon dioxide in the air in the presence of light.
plague
(plāg): A serious disease that is caused by a bacterium, occurs or has occurred in several
forms including bubonic plague, and is usually passed to human beings from infected rodents and especially rats by the bite of a flea or is passed directly from person to person.
population
(pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.
prairie
(prer ē): A large area of level or rolling grassland.
prevalent
(pre və lənt): Widespread.
productive
(prə dək tiv): Having the quality or power of producing especially in abundance.
randomly
(ran dǝm lē): So that each possibility has a definite and especially an equal probability of occurring.
relative humidity
(re lǝ tiv hyü mi dǝ tē): The ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present in the air to the greatest amount possible at the same temperature.
riparian
(rə per ē ən): Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (such as a river or sometimes a lake or tidewater).
rodent
(rō dǝnt): Any of an order of fairly small mammals (like mice, squirrels, or beavers) that have sharp front teeth used for gnawing.
scarce
(skers): Lacking in quantity or number; not plentiful.
scarce
(skers): Lacking in quantity or number; not plentiful.
sediment
(se dǝ mǝnt): Material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers.
simulate
(sim yǝ lāt): To make an imitation (or copy or model) by one system or process of the way in which another system or process works.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
species
(spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.
susceptible
(sǝ sep tǝ bǝl): (1) Having little resistance to something, like a disease or infection; (2) easily affected.
transition
(tran zi shən): A changing from one state, stage, place, or subject to another.
transmit
(trans mit): To transfer from one person, animal, or place, to another.
transpiration
(tran(t)s pə rā shən): The process by which plants give off water vapor through the stomata in their leaves.
understory
(ǝn dǝr stȯr ē): The plant layer, especially the trees and shrubs, between the forest canopy and the ground cover.
urban forest
(ər bən fȯr əst): Trees and other vegetation growing within a city or town.
variable
(ver ē ə bəl): (1) A factor, trait, or condition that can be changed or controlled; (2) a quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.
wildfire
(wī(ǝ)ld fī(ǝ)r): An uncontrolled, damaging fire started in a wilderness or rural area.

Sharon Coe

I have had wonderful experiences doing science outdoors. One of my favorite experiences was studying a bird. I studied mountain chickadees in a forest in the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra...
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Deborah Finch

“One of my favorite science experiences was collecting bird and small mammal data on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in Oregon and Idaho. While I was there, I lived in a...
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Paulette Ford

“I like being a scientist because I love to read, write and explore. My research is really exciting to me, and I look forward to it every day. Holding small...
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Megan Friggens

My first favorite science experience was taking a 10-day field trip to Belize as part of a college tropical biology class. Belize is in Central America. This trip was my...
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Kenneth Gage

My favorite science experience happened while working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I was traveling to a remote village in the Andes Mountains of Peru. An outbreak...
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Darin Law

My favorite science experience was completing a native and exotic grass study within the University of Arizona Biosphere 2. Biosphere 2 is a research facility where scientists perform experiments. Biosphere...
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Hugo Magaña

My favorite science experiences are teaching about photosynthesis and studying food webs. In this photo, I was collecting algae from which I would later create pure diatom cultures. Diatoms are...
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Alice McSweeney

My favorite science experience is talking with ranchers to learn how they teach their children about the land and animals. I also love working on my family’s guest ranch in...
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Bob Parmenter

“[One of] my favorite science experience[s] has been working on the Mount St. Helens volcano since its explosive eruption in 1980. In the early years after the eruption, the roads...
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Carol Raish

Some of my favorite science experiences are listening to older people talk about the way things were in the past when they were young. I also love to travel to...
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Max Smith

My favorite science experience is going outside to discover where birds nest, what they eat, and what eats them. In the photo, I am bird-watching with my dog near Seattle,...
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Animals and Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States Investi-gator (Rocky Mountain Research Station) – Vol. 3 No. 1

Highlights

What Is an Investi-gator Journal?

Reading Modes

What's in an Invest-gator Article?

Meet the Scientists

Thinking About Science

Thinking About the Environment

Introduction

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Additional Resources on the Website

Article Selection and Review

Lessons

Glossary

absorption

aerate

amphibian

ancestor

Anglo-American

aquatic

archaeological

arid

arid

bacteria

biosphere

breeding habitat

burrow

canopy

cay

control

coordinate

debris

decay

economy

ecosystem

efficient

erosion

exotic

extinction

groundwater

habitat

herbicide

humidity

immunity

infectious

intensity

invasive

leaf litter

mammal

marine

mesa

montane

native

nutrient

photosynthesis

plague

population

prairie

prevalent

productive

randomly

relative humidity

riparian

rodent

scarce

scarce

sediment

simulate

species

species

susceptible

transition