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Future Teachers of America Study Weed Seed
Predators
In an example of UMaine’s joint mission to conduct
research relevant to the state while educating its young people,
UMaine scientists combined a study of weed-seed predators with a
hands-on experience in science education for future teachers.
Looking at alternative, ecologically based weed-management systems,
the scientists are investigating the ability of insects that eat
seeds to control the population of weed seeds in the soil. Along
with this project, the scientists created a unique outreach activity
that showed secondary students ways in which such studies of basic
biology and ecology can be applied to problems in agriculture.
Twenty-five high school students from Maine and New York City who
were part of a Future Teachers of America summer course formulated
and tested hypotheses as to how cover-cropping systems may affect
weed seed predators. They also learned to identify several important
weed-seed predators using guides developed as part of this project.
