Annotated Bibliography
BCS 301
The assignment:
An annotated bibliography is a list of works about a particular subject that includes a
brief evaluative summary (the annotation) of each item. Your annotated bibliography
should include at least 5 different sources with appropriate annotations. You should use
the APA reference format (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/).
Individual annotations should be approximately one detailed paragraph in length. Each
annotation should not only summarize the content of each source, but also evaluate the
potential of each source for a research paper.
Example:
Schnurr, J.L. & Collins, B.S. (2007). Influences of oak and pine establishment with time
since fire in sandhills Pinus palustris (Longleaf pine) forests. Southeastern Naturalist
6(3):523-534.
This paper documented the effects of biotic (seed survival and arrival) and abiotic (light,
water and nutrients) factors on the successful establishment of oak and pine seedlings in
different habitat types (sandhills, upland deciduous, longleaf pine) and under different
management frequencies (burned, unburned). By measuring seed rain in seed traps, seed
removal by placing acorns on the ground, and seedling survival by planting seedlings in
each site, as well as measuring soil water, soil temperature and light levels, the authors
could determine which was more important to seedling success: biotic or abiotic effects.
The authors found that abiotic effects were most important in dictating where seedlings
could establish and grow, which was different than past research in other systems. The
authors conclude that in harsh growing environments water is the most important variable
to determine successful seedling recruitment. This paper will be important to a research
project looking at why some environments seem to be seedling limited, and others seem
to be growth limited.