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Marcus Cohen
 Marcus Cohen
studies behavioral and developmental aspects of host-parasite interactions. His graduate research is focused on brood parasitism (a type of social parasitism where one animal has another animal raise their young for them) of the parasitic Cuckoo Catfish. Marcus examines the developmental adaptations that allow the parasitic catfish to be such a successful parasite as well as how parasitism affects the reproductive success of the host fish. Before entering graduate school, Marcus owned a pet/aquarium store where he participated in science education outreach and enjoyed introducing students to unique and fascinating ecological systems. Marcus again looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world, animal behavior, and development with your students.!
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Special Presentations:
Food Webs and Trophic Levels: What a Tangled Web We Weave
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." -(John Muir, 1911). What is an ecosystem? Do carnivores really get their energy from the sun? In this exercise, students will learn about the movement of energy from the sun, through plants, primary, secondary, and top consumers. Students will create a food web from a given set of organisms and will demonstrate how changes to one trophic level can impact the others. Depending on grade level, topics that may be covered include: energy transfer, toxin accumulation, and the importance of top predators in the maintenance of ecosystems. (Grades 4-12)
Territoriality and Competition: Who's the Fittest Male of Them All?
Three major forms of communication (chemical, visual, and mechanical/vibration) have been described among animals. Students will investigate the competitive and defensive visual cues/behaviors (e.g., flaring or puffing gills, color change) of the male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). These fish are easily recognized by their bright colors, large flowing fins and are frequently kept individually in small cups at pet stores (otherwise they might fight to the death). After learning about the ecology and various displays of these amazing fish, students will hold a tournament using live fish in separate containers to determine which male has the best displays. Lastly, we will discuss how the displays observed in the tournament are important to the fish and its survival in the wild. (Grades 4-12)
That Spill Is Not So Slick
We know that there was a large oil leak recently in the Gulf of Mexico, but what happens now? Oil spills in the ocean have the potential to have disastrous consequences on marine ecosystems directly, as well as terrestrial ecosystems once the oil washes ashore. Students will learn about the short-term and long-term effects of oil spills on the economy, environment, food webs, and wildlife. We will do an interactive activity using the example of seabirds to illustrate how oil spills affect their ability to survive and reproduce, as well as their place in the food web. (Grades 4-12)
Bark Beetles: Evergreens Gone Brown!
"Every large, mature lodgepole pine forest in Colorado and southern Wyoming will be dead within 3 to 5 years." - (Rocky Mtn News, Jan. 15, 2008). How can a beetle the size of a grain of rice cause this level of destruction to our forests? Factors contributing to the scope and severity of the current outbreak include: drought, plant defenses, fire management techniques, and climate change. Through a simulation using live termites, students will explore how pine beetles produce and use different pheromones to communicate, including how they either attract or repel other pine beetles from a particular tree. We will discuss what scientists have recently learned about these destructive little insects, and what the future holds for our pine forests. (Grades 4-12)
Marcus is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU-Boulder.
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