Ecological Futures — What investigators are finding

Design and monitor healthier ecosystems

These are anonymised patterns from investigations across Kokiri Lab. They are not individual student work.

Current discoveries

Trap colour may influence which species arrive

One group using a yellow trap recorded different species proportions than groups using white traps, but more data is needed.

Evidence: In one set of runs, the trap colour change lined up with a shift in the mix of species recorded, but the sample size is too small to be confident.

What it might mean

Different wavelengths or brightness could attract different species, but you’d need a controlled comparison to tell.

Try this next: Run both trap types at the same location on the same night to control for weather and habitat.

needs more testing

More moths appeared on warmer nights

Groups running traps on nights above 15 degrees Celsius recorded significantly higher moth counts than on cooler nights.

Evidence: Across multiple trap runs, nights logged as warmer tended to coincide with higher moth counts, even when the location stayed similar.

What it might mean

Insects may be more active above a threshold temperature, which could shift the number arriving at traps.

Try this next: Record air temperature alongside count data and look for a threshold temperature where activity increases.

seen across groups

Dissolved oxygen fell on warm days

On days above 22 degrees Celsius, groups consistently recorded lower dissolved oxygen readings.

Evidence: When temperature and dissolved oxygen were logged together, warmer days tended to align with lower dissolved oxygen values in the same tank.

What it might mean

Warmer water generally holds less dissolved oxygen, which could explain the pattern if other variables stay similar.

Try this next: Record both water temperature and dissolved oxygen in the same measurement session to test this relationship.

early pattern

pH dropped sharply after feeding

Multiple groups recorded pH drops of 0.3 to 0.7 units within two hours of feeding fish.

Evidence: Across class logs, groups who measured before and after feeding frequently saw a short-term decrease in pH, followed by partial recovery later.

What it might mean

Fish waste and uneaten food may temporarily acidify the water, suggesting the system needs time to rebalance.

Try this next: Take pH readings before feeding, one hour after, and three hours after to map the full recovery curve.

seen across groups

What surprised investigators

Unexpected results are part of good inquiry — they often point to the next fair test.

Trap colour may influence which species arrive

One group using a yellow trap recorded different species proportions than groups using white traps, but more data is needed.

Evidence: In one set of runs, the trap colour change lined up with a shift in the mix of species recorded, but the sample size is too small to be confident.

What it might mean

Different wavelengths or brightness could attract different species, but you’d need a controlled comparison to tell.

Try this next: Run both trap types at the same location on the same night to control for weather and habitat.

needs more testing

What needs more investigation

Investigators found One group using a yellow trap recorded different species proportions than groups using white traps, but more data is needed.. Does it hold when trap colour changes?