Ecology Explorers educational data: bird data from multiple school locations in the central Arizona-Phoenix area

The Sonoran Desert has one of the most diverse native plant and animal species of any desert in the world. Many birds are uniquely adapted to living here and they are part of food webs which include animals and plants that also are adapted to desert living. Phoenix is an ever-expanding urban area located in the Sonoran Desert. CAP LTER scientists are studying the impact of this urbanization on bird communities. o Which birds are living in the Phoenix metropolitan area? o Which landscape designs attract which types of birds? o Are there different kinds of birds in different urban landscapes (residential, commercial, parks)? To answer these questions ecologists are conducting surveys of bird populations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Your school can be part of this process by conducting your own bird surveys within your school yard and sending that information to scientists at ASU.

索诺兰沙漠（Sonoran Desert）是全球各类沙漠中本土动植物物种多样性最为突出的区域之一。诸多鸟类已演化出适配该生境的独特生存策略，它们隶属于涵盖其他同样适应荒漠生活的动植物的食物网。
凤凰城（Phoenix）是坐落于索诺兰沙漠境内的持续扩张型都市区。CAP LTER的科研人员正探究该城市化进程对鸟类群落的影响。
本次研究聚焦于以下三个核心问题：
1. 凤凰城都会区现存哪些鸟类类群？
2. 何种景观设计能够吸引特定类群的鸟类？
3. 居民区、商业区、公园等不同城市景观内的鸟类类群是否存在差异？
为解答上述问题，生态学家正针对凤凰城都会区全域的鸟类种群开展系统性调查。您所在的学校可通过在校园内开展自主鸟类调查，并将采集到的数据提交至亚利桑那州立大学（Arizona State University）的科研团队，从而参与此项研究工作。