FR25 EP Mathematics workshop

The activity is mainly based on an easily accessible mathematical concept which is proportionality. This is used in an environmental context since it involves measuring the evolution over time of the abundance of mobile species in a geographical area. The concept of arithmetic means is also then used to compensate for the possible risk of sampling fluctuation linked to the variability of field surveys. The objective to be achieved lies in the ability of students to understand how biologists can measure, using simple tools, the evolution of parts of an ecosystem, and to be able to implement, on their modest scale, this science approach. This session has the advantage of developing mathematical skills in an embodied context. Generally sensitive to environmental issues, students are aware of the reality of climate disruptions of anthropogenic origin that are accelerating and which are causing a drop in biodiversity.

In a first time, students discover the Capture-Mark-Recapture method (CMR) principle.

Then, they experiment it with datas of a document which evokes an Australian fur sea lions population.

At the end, in a practical work for groups of two students, they put themselves in the shoes of biologists by implementing the CMR method and realise that this easily method is, most of the time, very efficient and so is really used by scientists to measure the evolution of the abundance of mobile species in a geographical area.

Students discovered an easily mathematical method allowing to measure biodiversity evolution. They realise that mathematics, often an abstract matter in their courses, is deeply linked to the reality and contributes to understand and  shape the world which surrounds them.