I first began my research project in late May of 2010. At first, I wanted to study the beetle population of the forest surrounding my school's campus. During the summer, however, I continued working at Harvard University's MCZ and decided to develop my research further. I designed a project to compare the beetle populations in the two areas and study various habitat factors that may affect the communities. I spent dozens of hours over the summer and during the fall term of my senior year to complete this research and write up my paper with the help of Dr. Black at school and Dr. Rykken at Harvard. Below is the Layman's Summary for those of you who may not be as accustomed to the language or the idea of ecological studies. Feel free to read the research paper too! It's only 22 pages...;) 


Layman's Summary

Beetles are among the most diverse order of animals on Earth. Sensitive to environmental changes, the structure of their communities may provide information on the effects of isolation and disturbance on ecosystems. This study involved the use of pitfall traps to collect ground beetles from an inland forest and an island in eastern Massachusetts to determine the effects that environmental factors would have on beetle diversity. Analysis of the data collected suggests that habitat factors, such as the structure of the vegetative community, affected this diversity, while biotic factors such as competition and level of predation may have contributed as well. While there were habitat differences between the two areas, similar patterns emerged.


Full Paper


Research Paper

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