R Programming for Biologists

Teaching the tools to get computers to do cool science

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NEON

NEON Database


The National Ecological Observatory Network has entered into the construction phase of development and they are already making their data available! NEON collects ecological and environmental data for representative regions of the United States at local to continental scales, including, of course!, small mammal box trapping. We’ve retrieved NEON’s existing small mammal data from Ordway-Swisher Biological Station [NEON Data Use Policy].

  1. Create a SQLite database called ordway_mammals.sqlite.
  2. Download the three data tables (capture, plots, traps) and import them into the SQLite database.
  3. Connect to the database and familiarize yourself with its tables and structure.
  4. Write a query to determine the total number of traps that have been disturbed at each plot. Plot a histogram of the results.
  5. Determine the average hind foot length and weight of each species collected for each National Landcover Database (nlcd) class. Plot the average weight of all species with weight measurements from the woody wetlands.
  6. Write a set of nested queries to determine the total number of disturbed traps and average weight of Podimus floridanus for each sampling event (eventID).