Announcement from colleagues at the University of Houston:
We are seeking volunteers for prairie ecology work looking
at insect and plant communities. The goals of the various projects that
volunteers will be working on are to: determine if old roads may be restored to
functioning prairies, and determine how insect herbivores and their diversity
affects how prairies function. We would like volunteers for both field
work that will take place off campus and lab work that will
be conducted on campus.
Field volunteers. We
are seeking 3-4 volunteers to help with fieldwork in a coastal tallgrass
prairie south of Houston. Volunteers will gain valuable experience in
ecological research and learn about plants and insects in native prairie
systems. We seek individuals that: enjoy
being outside; want experience working in an ecology lab; can work at least 1-2
days per week; tolerate early mornings and strenuous / monotonous work in very
hot conditions. The research will occur
at the University of Houston’s Coastal Center about 40 minutes south of campus,
which contains one of the largest tracks of pristine coastal tallgrass prairie
remaining. Volunteers would be determining the feeding preferences of
grasshoppers, the major herbivore in these prairies, and other various projects
that Dr. Prather is conducting at this prairie. Possible duties would include:
collecting plants and insects in the field, setting up feeding trials in the
lab and greenhouse, and collecting data on insect feeding.
Lab volunteers. We
are also seeking 1-2 volunteers to help with lab work on campus grinding plant
and insect material for nutrient and isotope analysis, and sorting insects to
look at prairie insect community structure. We seek individuals that: want
experience working in a biology lab; and tolerate monotonous and
detail-oriented lab work. Working hours are very flexible once the volunteer is
trained. Volunteers will gain experience in preparing plant and insect material
for nutrient and isotope analyses, and in identifying insects.
