April Newsletter

April 2025

Exceptional Undergraduate Learning

DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT INTO THE WILD This spring and summer, the Department of Biological Sciences will head outside to collect and observe local wildlife. Here are some of the projects taking place in the field

ssociate Professor Dr. Kevin Judge and his students will place and monitor trap nests in the Wagner Natural Area to study solitary bees and wasps, which help with pollination and pest control. These artificial nests provide a safe place for the insects to nest, allowing researchers to monitor both the insects and their prey. The project will help inform conservation efforts for these important species. ssociate Professor Dr. Shannon Digweed will bring several honor and independent study students to various field locations. In Whitemud Ravine, they will focus on animal behavior, communication, and cognition by observing the way red squirrels communicate with each other and perceive and interact with their environment. They will also test whether squirrels can alter their foraging behavior using a detour apparatus. The same type of research will be conducted with Douglas squirrels in Richmond, B.C. At Rock Glacier in Kananaskis, Dr. Digweed and one of her honors students will also be studying pika vocal communication. They will make several trips to record pika sounds and play the sounds back to the animals to observe their responses. ssistant Professor Dr. David McFadyen and his students will venture to Wagner Natural Area, home to 16 of the 26 orchid species native to Alberta, many of which are endangered. They will focus on understanding the relationship between Alberta’s native orchids and the fungi in the soil that are essential for seed germination, specifically targeting the species of fungi required by the Sparrow’s Egg Lady’s Slipper and the Small Round leaved Orchid. Additionally, they will investigate the orchid genes that contribute to the plant-fungi relationship. This understanding is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies for these endangered orchids.

Alberta’s orchids are not as large and showy as those commonly found in greenhouses and floral shops, so careful observation is required to spot them.