Search

Tropical rain forests are inhabited by a wide range of plant and animal diversity. However, little is known about the diversity of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species in these areas. To fill the gap, a study has been conducted in seven sites inside Nyungwe National Park, a tropical rain forest located in South-Western Rwanda. Data have been collected in October 2021 through a quick sampling using pitfall traps, arboreal traps, baiting, Winklers, and hand searching of nests in leaf-litter, soil, rotten and fallen wood, and under stones. Collected ant specimens have been identified to subfamily, genus and species levels by using the identification keys. Names of species have been confirmed after comparing the findings with the specimens housed at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science (Brussels, Belgium) and at Kiko Gomez’s personal collection (Barcelona, Spain). A total of 7 subfamilies, 28 genera and 74 species were sampled. The subfamily Myrmicicnae had more genera and species compared with other subfamilies. Further, 9 genera and 43 species were collected in Rwanda for the first time, while 13 species were potentially undescribed ant pecies. High number of species has been sampled in the sites located in secondary forest at Karamba (53 species) and Pindura (33 species). We recommend intensive sampling in other locations of Nyungwe tropical rainforest and in the rest of Rwanda mountain tropical rain forests to get a clear view on the diversity of ant species in Rwanda.

A learner-centered teaching approach is more emphasized in teaching and learning biology, specifically the content of cell division. The teaching method is valued for assisting learners’ understanding terminologies used to describe any particular event that occurred during the cell division processes for instance, chromatids, crossing-over, chiasmata, and cytokinesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perspectives on the effectiveness of the inquiry-based learning (IBL) on learners’ achievements in biology of cell division in Rwanda secondary schools. A total of 254 learners studying the cell division in upper secondary schools and 10 biology teachers were purposively selected and participated in the study. Pre-training was assessed through the lesson observation. The feedback was used to train teachers on the IBL lesson plan and lesson delivery. The post-training consisted of preparing the lesson on cell division. Planned lessons were then delivered, and data about the improvements were collected using the lesson observation checklist. Further, data were collected using the questionnaires addressed to teachers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics where percentages, means and standard deviations were calculated by using Excel Software Version 2016. The findings of the study revealed that the IBL was an effective teaching method towards learners’ achievement in biology. It motivates learners to follow the lesson and express their opinions, which contribute to better performance. The study recommends continuous professional development to equip teachers with skills in teaching by using the IBL.

Biology continues to present difficulties in teaching and learning. Among other biology domains classification of living things is considered to be one of the challenging subjects as different studies indicated students’ misconceptions in the test to classify both plants and animals. Inadequate teaching methods were the core source of these challenges which were also found to lead to poor performance in schools. This review paper shows the role of active teaching methods to improve learning science subjects. The article gives an insight into how adopting innovative teaching methods can help educators implement appropriate teaching strategies recommended in reforms of science education, such as the Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) using the 5Es (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and evaluate) instructional model. Findings of this review indicate that the instructional methods give opportunities to relieve misconceptions for learners. It is appreciated to allow students learning by doing, hence perform well in assessments and evaluation due to acquired skills and competences. This is the reason why the 5Es instructional model was recommended among other active learning instructions as a remedy that can enhance teaching and learning of biology, especially the content of classification of living things, based upon its advantages in science education.

The language of instruction, particularly in STEM, has been an issue in many developing countries. In reference to Tanzanian education policy, Kiswahili is recommended as the language of instruction in primary schools (P1–P7), while English is used in all levels after the primary. This chapter argues that students need to be supported following the language pedagogical strategies to enhance the learning of subject content and the language of instruction in secondary schools. This study aimed at exploring the policy implications and contributions of language pedagogical strategies on students learning of STEM, focusing on biology. A total of 250 students were randomly selected and 36 teachers purposively selected to participate in the study. Pre- and post-tests, focus group discussions, interviews and lesson observations were used for data collection. Results showed that post-test results (mean = 38.5; standard deviation = 13.6) were higher than the pre-test (mean = 30.2; standard deviation = 12.2), in addition to significant differences in mean scores between the post-test and pre-test means (t (249) = 5.6, p < 0.05). Lesson observations and teachers’ interviews revealed that the strategic use of bilingual instruction increased students’ interactions and activeness in class, which in turn, improved the learning of content through the English language. Further, students viewed mixing Kiswahili with English as more helpful and wish to see this approach adopted in teaching and learning. This book chapter, therefore, suggests that the education policy needs to acknowledge language pedagogical strategies combining Kiswahili and English to allow students to effectively learn STEM, particularly biology.

To assesseffects of land use change on soil and litter arthropods, a research was conducted inexotic and native tree species at the Artboretum of Ruhande and in varieties of coffee andbanana plantations at the Rubona agricultural research station, in southern Rwanda. Datawere collected by pitfall traps, hand sorting, and Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Collectedspecimens of soil and litter arthropods were morphologically identified under microscope,and classified to the family level by using dichotomous keys. Fourteen orders and 20 familiescomprising 2135 individuals were identified. The family of Formicidae was more abundantcompared to the other identified families, and occurred in all land uses. High abundance anddiversity of soil and litter arthropods werefound under plots of native tree species and bananaplantations compared to exotic tree species and coffee plantations. Research concluded thatnative tree species offer suitable habitats for soil and litter arthropods.It recommendedfurtherstudies in other land uses and ecological zones of Rwanda to generalize the findings.Key words: arthropod, fauna, land use change, soil and litter

Different tree speciesare blamed to have negative effects on soil ecosystems by changing soil physicochemical properties, and hence soil quality. However, few researches to verify this statement were done in Rwanda. This study provides prior information on the effects of planted forest tree species on soil physicochemical properties. It was conducted in the Arboretum of Ruhande, in southern Rwanda. Soil cores were collected in plots of exotic, native and agroforestry tree species. Collected soils were analysed for soil pH, total nitrogen, organic carbon, available phosphorus, aggregate stability, bulk density, soil humidity, cation exchange capacity, and soil texture. Soils sampled under exotic tree species were acidic, richin soil organic carbon, and in soil available phosphorus. Native and agroforestry tree species offer better conditions in soil pH, soil water content, cation exchange capacity, clay and silt. Less variations in soil total nitrogen and soil bulk density were found in soils sampled under all studied forest types. Research concluded that studiedtree species have different effects on soil physicochemical parameters. It recommended further studies to generalize these findings. Key words: soil, exotic, native, agroforestry, soil properties

Teaching and learning of invertebrate systematic require effective pedagogical language strategies since the terms used are most in English and Latin. The Tanzania education policy specifies that the medium language of instruction in primary must be Kiswahili, while English has to be used in post-primary education. Consequently, secondary school biology students find difficult to cope with learning in the context of foreign language. This paper aims at presenting the investigation on how pedagogical language strategies can effectively support teachers and learners during teaching and learning of systematic invertebrates in Tanzania secondary schools. Data were collected using the lesson observation checklist, lesson evaluation sheet, interview with teachers and focus group discussions with learners. A total of 60 sessions, each of 80 minutes were observed in 10 schools. A total of 40 teachers and 400 level four students of the ordinary level participated in the study. Quantitatively, paired sample t-test, means, standard deviations and percentages were used to evaluate and compare changes in learners’ performance in pre- and post-tests. Further, thematic analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Key findings from the study indicated that the majority of teachers who participated in the training managed to set competencies and the activities to reinforce the achievements of developed competencies. Again, teachers and learners had a progressive significant improvement over introduced pedagogical language strategies. Overall, there was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post- intervention. Interviews with teachers and focus group discussions with students revealed that the strategies increased students’ interactions and activeness in class, which in turn, improved the learning of biology content through the English language. This study therefore recommends the pedagogical language strategies to be adopted during teaching and learning of biology, specifically the content of invertebrate systematic.

This article reviewed published papers on the use of soil and litter arthropods as biological indicators of soil quality since the 1970s. Our review shows that soil and litter arthropods are litter transformers and ecosystem engineers. They contribute to the availability of organic matter. Their diversity, abundance, biomass, and density are suitable measures for the assessment of natural and/or anthropogenic effects on soil. However, their use is challenged by difficulties in sampling methods and the identification of soil and litter arthropod diversity up to species level, and few research projects combine both abiotic and biotic factors. We recommend further research to investigate the most suitable methods for sampling soil and litter arthropods, and create a classification of dominant groups up to species level which, along with the use of integrative methodologies, will be valuable steps towards a generalized and accepted method for the assessment of soil quality., Cet article a examiné les articles publiés sur l\'utilisation des arthropodes de la litière et du sol comme indicateurs biologiques de la qualité des sols depuis les années 1970. Notre revue montre que les arthropodes de litière et du sol sont des transformateurs de litière et des ingénieurs d\'écosystèmes. Ils contribuent à la disponibilité de la matière organique. Leur diversité, leur abondance, leur biomasse et leur densité sont des mesures appropriées pour l\'évaluation des effets naturels et / ou anthropiques sur le sol. Cependant, leur utilisation est remise en question par des difficultés dans les méthodes d\'échantillonnage et l\'identification de la diversité des arthropodes de la litière et du sol au niveau de l\'espèce, et peu de projets de recherche combinent à la fois des facteurs abiotiques et biotiques. Nous recommandons que d\'autres recherches explorent les méthodes les plus appropriées pour échantillonner les arthropodes de la litière et du sol et créent une classification des groupes dominants jusqu\'au niveau de l\'espèce qui, avec l\'utilisation de méthodologies intégratives, constitueront des étapes précieuses vers une méthode généralisée et acceptée pour l’évaluation de la qualité du sol.