Ross Biological Reserve

The Ross Reserve has for 60 years provided Purdue University with an invaluable teaching and research environment. On the bank of the Wabash River, it is a forest rich in biological diversity and in history of ecological study. The Reserve was established in 1949, thanks to the vision of plant ecology professor Alton A. Lindsey and colleagues, and has been the focus of 15 doctoral dissertations, dozens of scientific publications, and numerous masters and undergraduate honors theses. It harbors nearly 400 species of vascular plants and more than 100 species of vertebrate animals.

When first protected, the Reserve was a patchwork of mature but disturbed forest mixed with agricultural fields and clearings. Rapid regeneration of the clearings and slow maturation of the forest have produced a haven for wildlife that is rare in the midwestern landscape.

Ross Reserve Facility

Among the Purdue courses that make extensive use of the Reserve every year are Ecology, Field Ecology and Conservation Biology. Student projects for these courses have investigated a wide variety of processes at the Reserve, using both experimental and observational approaches. These have included in vertebrate & invertebrate behavior, population dynamics, plant and animal community ecology, limnology, soils, climatology, biological diversity at several levels of organization, and conservation issues like invasion of natural communities by exotic species and pollution of aquatic habitats.

Purdue ecologists also offer a summer Placement in Environmental Science at the Reserve, in addition to other shorter workshops. These workshops establish the feasibility of teaching in a natural environment, using an effective hands-on approach that demonstrates fundamental principles. Teachers use the Reserve to hone skills like plant identification while experimenting with methodology. Decades of student field studies have generated a rich source of inspiration for students today. Data sets from many of these studies are archived for use by visiting classes, and local high schools have successfully exploited this resource.

Ross Reserve Projects

• Differential effects of mate competition and mate choice on eastern tiger salamanders. Rick Howard, Scott Moorman, and Howard Whiteman
• Vocal responses of male American toads (Bufo americanus) to calls of competing males. Rick Howard
• Energy regulation patterns in Carolina chickadees. Jeff Lucas
• Vocal communication in Carolina chickadees. Jeff Lucas
• Hormonal facilitation of the avian pair bond and constraints on its maintenance during the nonbreeding season. Jim Kellam; Undergraduate assistants, Dave Thomas, Carrie Kelsch, Lori Freeman
• Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on the Genetic Structure of Populations of White-footed Mice. Cathy Mossman
• Influence of Aggressive Behavior on Isolation of Habitat Islands. Cathy Mossman

Resources