Copy of Energy Flow Lab_ Owl Pellet SPED 101

Owl Pellet Lab Overview Purpose: To use an owl pellet to apply multiple APES concepts in our continued mission to see how our actions impact even the smallest facets of the biotic and abiotic world. Concepts covered include: food webs, energy flow, thermodynamics, species relationships & keystone species, biomagnification/bioaccumulation, and terrestrial biomes. ● ATTENTION! This NOT poop! Owls throw-up the parts of its food it cannot digest. The pellet is sterile. ● This is a formal lab report. The final report will be typed and then shared or printed. ● For the investigation portion of the lab, you will need a sheet of paper to create the data table to collect data about the owl pellet. ● Be sure to take great care while dissecting the pellet. Bones can easily break and you need them to identify the prey. ● You will use the bone charts provided to identify the type and quantity of prey the owl consumed. This is the data you will be using to complete the lab report. ● In each data table, ONLY add the prey YOU FIND. Lab Report Rubric Your Lab Report must contain the following information: 1. Title 2. Type of summary of the procedure – paragraph. 3. Create Data Tables, Diagrams, etc. 4. Analysis & Conclusion Question answers – thoroughly answer based on each section and pay attention to what is being specifically asked and addressed. This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :54:05 GMT -05:00 Owl Pellet Lab Background Information: The barred owl inhabits areas of North Texas. This owl is approximately 43-50 cm (17-20 in) long with a wingspan of 99-110 cm (39-43 in) and has a mass of about 0.8 kg. Owls are nocturnal raptors that feed on small mammals, birds and reptiles. Owls swallow their food whole or if too big, may tear it into chunks. Owls are not able to digest hair, bones or feathers. The owl digestive system has a specialized section that presses the undigested portions together forming a pellet. Since the owls cannot pass the pellet through their digestive system, they must spit out the pellet. Materials: owl pellets, dissecting tools, identification keys, skeleton diagram, sorting sheet Procedure: 1. One owl pellet per table. 2. The ‘surgeon’ puts on a set of gloves. R