Edge effects are a fundamental consideration in nature preserves. We usually expect to fin...

Edge effects are a fundamental consideration in nature preserves. We usually expect to find dramatic edge effects in pristine habitat with many specialized species. But you may be able to find interior-edge differences on your own college campus, or in a park or other unbuilt area near you. Here are three testable questions you can examine using your own local patch of habitat: (1) Can an edge effect be detected or not? (2) Which species will indicate the difference between edge and interior conditions? (3) At what distance can you detect a difference between edge and interior conditions? To answer these questions, you can form a hypothesis and test it as follows:

Form a hypothesis. Examine your list, and predict which species will occur most on edges and (if you can) which you think will occur more in the interior. Form a hypothesis, or a testable statement, based on one of the three questions above. For example, “I will be able to detect an edge effect in my patch,” or “I think an edge effect will be indicated by these species: _____,” or “I think changes in species abundance will indicate an edge-interior change at _____ m from the edge of the patch.”