Exploring the flora and fauna represented within Elm Forks Crow Creek Trail at the University of Nor

1
Exploring the flora and fauna represented within
Elm Forks Crow Creek Trail at the University of
North Texas is there a taxonomic
bias? Daugherty, S1, Zemler, M1, Tenorio, Y2,
Collins, L3, Muir, W4, Pustejovsky, L5,
Lancaster, J4, Snow, A4, Contador, T4, Rozzi,
R6 1Engineering Department, University of North
Texas 2School of Visual Arts, University of North
Texas 3School of Business, University of North
Texas 4Department of Biological Sciences,
University of North Texas 5Deparment of
Communication Design, University of North
Texas 6Department of Philosophy and Religious
Studies, University of North Texas
Introduction
Results

• In the Crow Creek trail 50 of the species
  present were mammals and 17 were insects as
  opposed to the world percentage of 0.4 and 75
  respectively. (Figure 2)
• 22 of the species present were birds and 11
  were reptiles in comparison to the world
  percentage of 0.8 and 0.65 respectively.
  (Figure 2).
• The percentage of vascular plants is 100 and 0
  for nonvascular plants opposed to the world
  percentage of 88.5 and 11.5 respectively.
  (Figure 3).
• There are 89 vertebrates and 11 invertebrates
  when in the world there are 5 and 95
  respectively. (Figure 3)

The Elm Fork Education Center is a public
education branch of the University of North
Texass Environmental Programs. Its mission is to
develop and implement premiere environmental
education programs in which educators, students,
and their parents engage in different field
activities and hands-on experiences that allow
them to learn about the native North Texas life.
The programs consist of a 4-hour, inquiry based
integrated exploration through the Outdoor
Learning Environmental Area (ODELA) and Crow
Creek Trail (figure 1). Crow Creek Trail presents
a series of bronze statutes that represent animal
species native to Texas. Plants and trees are
represented by signs that provide details about
their name, range, and natural history. In this
context, we asked ourselves What plants and
animals are represented within the trail, and is
there a bias towards certain types of organisms?
Figure 2. Proportion of known species present in
the world and in ODELA Trail.
Figure 1. The Top picture is a picture of
University of North Texas at the intersection of
West Hickory Street and Avenue C showing the
location of the Crow Creek Trail. The bottom
picture is an aerial view of the Environmental
Education Science and Technology Building and the
Crow Creek Trail in the back of the building.
Discussion

Methodology
With this data we can theorize that there maybe a
slight bias because we are vertebrates and tend
to associate with them. Due to this association,
conservation targets these animals because it
proves to be more cost effective. This is a not
an isolated situation. The bias observed here
also happens in Yellow Stone National Park, Santa
Cruz Botanical Gardens, and parks in Cape Horn in
southern Chile. To rid ourselves of this bias we
need to rethink our idea of nature and change our
formal educational system with more hands-on
environmental learning. As a way to overcome
these biases, we should include a more accurate
representation of invertebrates and nonvascular
plants within our trails. Doing this could
provide a more unified conservation strategy. If
UNT changes the trail to be more consistent with
the ratio of world species, we could start new
movements toward changing the lenses of how we
view and approach biodiversity conservation.
Figure 3. Percentage of Vascular, Nonvascular,
Vertebrates and Invertebrates in the world and
ODELA Trail.

• Methodology
• In order to answer the questions of what plants
  and animals are represented within the trail, we
  recorded the number and name of animals and
  plants present in the Crow Creek Trail.
• We then compiled the data into the following
  categories in order to assess a possible bias
  toward certain type of organisms
• Animals vertebrates and invertebrates.
• Plants vascular and nonvascular.
• These categories were then analyzed to see if
  they were proportionately representative to the
  number of species of plants and animals described
  as of 2009 (Number of Species on Earth).

The top picture is a student recording the data
for the experiment. The bottom picture is of Elm
Fork Education Center Outdoor Learning
Environmental Area (ODELA).

These pictures show how plants and animals are
represented on the trail. Plants are represented
by real organisms and animals as statues.

• Literature Cited
• Osborn, Liz. Current Results. Number of
  Species on Earth. 2009. April 21, 2009
  lthttp//www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/P
  lants-Animals/number-species.phpgt