Research Project Ideas???

[TANN-MANN]

Hi Guys
I am after some ideas for a research project to do through uni. unit outline as specified below:

This unit provides students the opportunity to undertake a mini-research project or independent reading in an area of interest upon agreement of potential supervisor(s) and the approval of the relevant course coordinator. This unit is open to all BSc and BEnvSc students. It is a core unit for BSc(Biosystematics) where it may be supervised by staff from UNE and/or the Australian Museum and/or the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a unit where i can choose to do something i like...all i have to do is present a strong choice of project, otherwise they will choose for me.
so topic area is obviously goin to be herps, but i need ideas for study areas, wether it be predator-prey interactions, species diversity over a range of habitats etc.
I will no doubt have to undertake a venemous handling course as part of OH&S...i may even be able to claim it on tax.

I live in Armidale...so its probable not the best area as its rather cool, however if i get all my field work done over the warmer months i have the rest of the time going over data to ensure top marks.

so All ideas most welcome...i could even do some study into the theory BHP's have an specalised pit located under the rostral scale.
who know

thanks in advance everyone

Cheers
Andrew

 

[TANN-MANN]

Forgot to add...its only based over one semester so i can only stretch it over a max 6 months

 

[waruikazi]

Why not try someting along the diamond, hybrid, integrade thing. You might even be able to get a permit to collect wild animals.

 

[TANN-MANN]

Thanks Gordo,
That would be a great one, except it would involve a great deal of travel outside of the new england region and i probably wouldn't have the resources.
but who knows i could put it forward and the uni might be willing to help out

 

[waruikazi]

Or the effect of climate change on the range of whatever species you choose. it's a hot topic!

 

[jordo]

Why not try someting along the diamond, hybrid, integrade thing. You might even be able to get a permit to collect wild animals.

Hopefully its not that easy for wildlife to be collected, generally animals used for research are released (as far as I know).

Or the effect of climate change on the range of whatever species you choose. it's a hot topic!

Boom tish! :lol:

Tann - You could do anything, what are your specific areas of interest; behaviour, conservation, ecology, physiology, etc? What species are common in your area if travel, time and cost is an issue?

 

[TANN-MANN]

Main areas of interest is behavour, ecology and conservation.
as for travel cost etc...i normally wouldn't worry but i can see it clashing big time with other uni units.
i haven't looked into too much detail as yet, get getting a general feel for the idea before i embark...its not until next year.
Species common, well for starters Egernia cunninghami are very common around the rocky outcrops (new england locale) as for morelia, i'm not 100% as yet but i know there are a couple of the subspecies around...either the inland or MD. aslo plenty of the common vens such as RBBS and browns
So far ideas have been awsome...keep it up
cheers
Andrew

 

[-Peter]

Hopefully its not that easy for wildlife to be collected, generally animals used for research are released (as far as I know).

they are???? you'd hope so but its generally not the case.

 

[waruikazi]

What about the effect of climate change on maternal incubation?

 

[Lozza]

ah the old SCI395 eh....
apparently there are quite a few cunninghams out near Dumeresq Dam
you need permission/permit to do any research experiment with animals (even if they're your pets apparently). See Fritz in Zoology if you have questions about permits and reptiles in the area.
good luck with it

 

[TANN-MANN]

Hey Lozza...Yep SCI359...i take it you have done this one before??? you may well be a great resource for me, I hope u don't mind if i fire a couple pm's your way??
yeah i've seen a few cunninghams out at Dumaresq Dam as well as just about every other herp found in the area. its great out there.
there is also a great diversity out at the blue holes national park.
I know about permits etc, just getting a feel for potentials for the unit before i even apply to take it.
so Fritz is the reptile man huh, was going to ask Dr Stuart Cairns about it.

anyways more research needed into this first i think.

cheers
Andrew

 

[luke.r.s]

- what about links to climate change and sex ratios over different species and different ages? would be a big project but you may be able to do a piolet type study and then look at further research in the future. ( research is good fun - im currently completing an honours yr looking into some cattle genetics markers) also if you do and collections /samples/observations good luck with your animal ethics committee application, although necessary their very time consuming and can seem to be a little over the top (20 pages to apply to pull some tail hair from cattle - a commonly performed task for progeny testing, did seem a little much)

 

[Possum]

Sdaji would be a really good reference for ideas too, he is very good at that kind of stuff.

 

[Lozza]

Hey Tann mann,
I haven't done that one but I'm doing work300 which is pretty much the same -4000 words on conservation of the genus mixophyes. I was thinking of doing that unit but no time as next semester is my last in my undergrad.
Stuart would be the best for help with your data/statistics if you need it but his main research is with kangaroos (unless you plan on doing something with reptile parasites as he is good with the invertebrates). Fritz has done a lot with thermoregulation/energetics in reptiles but doesn't claim to be a "reptile man".
I dont mind if you want to ask some q's - but I don't claim to know everything

 

[Nephrurus]

Anything with vertebrates that is more than observing requires ethics consideration. Keep this in mind as it can often take many months for this to come through. You can do alot of stuff by simply observing and not actively interferring with animals. Flight distance in skinks (guichenoti) in urban and bushland habitat and thermal requirements of sympatric skink species are two projects i can remember being done at USYD.

-H

 

[Rossagon]

There are a few interesting things that I observed going on around the Ebor area in 2005 whilst I was assisting with some PHD fieldwork. How about something to do with the encroachment of species like RBB's (Pseudechis porphyriacus) onto habitat previously occupied by Copperheads (Austrelaps ramsayi). Or something along the predation of said species? Although these may be hard to quantify in such a short period.

Cheers Rossco.

 

[TANN-MANN]

Rossco,
that sounds like a really interesting project...not that all the other ideas arn't interesting
would love to know more information about that one rossco, its would be pushing the time frame, but a challenge never hurt anyone.
keep em coming
cheers
Andrew

 

[Lozza]

yeah I work at Ebor Public School and we've had a few RBBS in the playground lately. Next door had a copperhead last week but its mostly browns we see.

 

[inthegrass]

Why not try someting along the diamond, hybrid, integrade thing. You might even be able to get a permit to collect wild animals.

port macquarie is not that far from you.
cheers

 

[TANN-MANN]

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