2005: Eastern Bluebirds: The Effect of Soil and Food Quality on
the Health, Growth Rate, and Sex Ratio of Nestlings Lori Simpers
(Biology) Susquehana University Eastern Bluebirds chicks, like
all organisms, are affected by the environment around them. I
wanted to see how the quality of the soil around the nest and
the quality of the bugs the chicks were eating affected their
health, growth rate, the size of the brood, the number of broods
produced in a year, and the sex ratio of the brood. In order to
do this, I analyzed the Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus content
of soil and bug samples taken from the area around the nest box.
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus are all essential nutrients.
Carbon is the basic building block of matter; Nitrogen is used
in the production of amino acids, proteins, and enzymes; and
Phosphorus is necessary for DNA and ATP, or useable energy. The
ratios between Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus are typically
used in assessing nutrient content. Nitrogen and Phosphorus are
both limiti