RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bringing plants and soils to life through a simple role-playing activity
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 171009
DO 10.1101/171009
A1 Michael E. Van Nuland
A1 Miranda Chen
A1 Benjamin J. England
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/05/08/171009.abstract
AB Interactions are at the core of many ecological and evolutionary forces in nature. Plant-soil interactions provide a rich example of the interconnectedness of living systems, but are hidden from everyday view and overshadowed in the classroom by more popular teaching examples involving animals, reptiles, or invertebrates. To highlight the importance and relevance of plant-soil relationships, we devised a simple role-playing activity suitable for college students. Specifically, the activity simulates how feedbacks between plants and soil environments influence plant species abundance and community richness. With this activity, students will gain a better understanding of these prolific, but overlooked, forms of biological interactions that impact the diversity and functioning of ecosystems.