Visit a natural area to study an "ecosystem"
- List the plants and animals you observe. Try to count the number of different types.
- Determine if you have different levels of plant life in your ecosystem such as groundcover, shrubs, and trees. How do you think the different levels affect each other?
- Measure the temperature in 3 different locations at ground lvel and in the air about chest-high. Which is the warmest, coolest, and why?
- Dig a small hole in the soil. Note the different levels of soil, what it is made out of, and what it feels like.
2. Traveling Through Time
Ecological succession is when one community replaces another over a period of time. This is a natural process of change. A pond might fill in to become a meadoe, or a meadow might grow into a forest. Think of yourself as a time traveler. Draw what you might see in the fture for two of the following sites:
- Lake or pond that has a marshy area at one end
- Fallen tree
- Vacant lot or meadow
- Burned Forest
3. Identify That Tree
Learn to identify ten tree species using leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark as a means of identification. Describe the kind of ecosystem where each is found.
4. Reading the Rings
Find a tree stump where you can read the growth rings. A year's growth consists of a light and dark ring. In order to determine the tree's age, count the total number of dark rings, and add 5 for the early years when growth is hard to see. Wider rings represent years of rapid growth, while slower growth causes thinner rings. What might have caused the differences in growth years?
5. Eco-Games
Play a game that shows how plants and animals depend upon each other to help others understand relationships within an ecosystem.
6. Saving Animals and Plants
Visit a zoo or wildlife preserve. Find out why it exists, and if they are doing any research to learn about and preserve species.
7. Adapt or Perish
Look for some examples of how plants and animals have developed or adapted to survive in their habitats. Consider environments with a lot of water, or a little; those that are hot or cold; or those that have been changed by humans.
8. Plants and People
Identify 5 different plants that are native to your area. Find out if American Indians or early pioneers used these plants for food, medicine, bedding, fuel, or anything else.
9. Observing Change
Find out how animal or plant grounds change. Make observations over a period of time by doing one of the following:
- Return to your study area during a different season. Look for examples of change
- Keep track of the kinds and numbers of birds coming to a feeding station or special spot over several months. Are there differences at different times of the year?
- Choose a tree in your area. Record the changes you observe over a year. Include signs of wildlife or anything else you notice.
10. Earth as an Ecosystem
Consider one of the following problems and learn what is being done in this country to protect the earth's ecosystems:
- Air pollution
- Mass cutting down of trees in rainfoorests
- oil-spills
- overfishing
- Running out of landfill sites for garbage
Come up with ideas about what you might do as a creature in the earth's ecosystem to ensure the survival of your habitat and act upon one of them.
