I started out my first week at the Appleton Whittle Research Ranch in Arizona. My first few days here I spent settling in and reading and researching scientific papers on how decomposition works and how some scientists ran experiments to figure out what insects are apart of what stage in decomposition and how they play a role in decomposing. This research was preparing me so I could create my own experiment that I could run during my time here. After a couple days of research I got to examine and collect insects off of a coyote carcass. I then took the insects and tried my best to identify them. This was super cool and I learned a lot about what insects are a part of what stage in decomposition, so from there I could then identify what stage the coyote carcass was in based on the insects I found.
After that I finally got to create and set up my own experiment. Based on my research and my short time here, I decided I would run an experiment on two mice carcasses and see which one would decompose faster if one was placed in the shade and one was placed in the sun. To determine the stage of decomposition the mice are in I sample insects twice a day and identify them and research what part of decomposition they play a role in. So far my experiment is going great and my results seem to be proving my hypothesis that the carcass in the sun would decompose faster. I am staying with two other people that are researching lizard behavior and climate change. I have learned a lot from them and I even got to help them out with their research which was really interesting! On our free time since the ranch is very secluded and WiFi is limited, we spend our time playing board games and hanging out outside looking for animals. So far I learned lots this week and I’m ready to start my last week here and get the most out of it I can!
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