Activity 2: Variety? the spice of life
The purpose of this activity is to give students the opportunity to
- map the biodiversity of an ecosystem
- compare the biodiversity of selected ecosystems
- practise ecological sustainability at school by devising and possibly
implementing a plan to increase the biodiversity of their schoolyard
Length and implementation of activity
Part 1 must be done on this web site. It could take approximately 30
to 40 minutes and you may wish to assign different info sheets to different
students, followed by an information-sharing session. Any remaining time
could be spent explaining Part 2 (how to invent vegetation type names
by using general appearance or the name of the dominant vegetation, how
to draw a vegetation map, how to distinguish between different species?size
and colour are not always reliable?and use a letter or number system when
names are unknown).
Part 2 could take 70 to 80 minutes, or more, to draw the vegetation
map and make a list of the different species. Instead of making a list,
you may only want students to make generalisations about the variety of
different species observed.
The comparison and discussion in Part 2 could take around 20 to 30 minutes.
Helpful hints:
For Part 2 it would be useful to run off a map of the school and the
school grounds ahead of time. In discussing changes to the biodiversity
of the school, you might want to prompt students by getting them to think
about the following points:
- If you had only one type of plant in your schoolyard, and a pest
(disease or insect) attacked that type of plant, what would your schoolyard
look like?
- Different animals prefer different types of food and shelter. If you
have only a few types of plants in your schoolyard, what will you probably
notice about the number of different types of animals?
- More and more scientists are searching the natural world for plants
and animals which can provide medicine and genes for genetic engineering.
Therefore, why is biodiversity important? (Consider making your schoolyard
a 'haven' for plants that are becoming rare in your area.)
- Some or possibly many of the plants you noted in your schoolyard
are not native; this means they have been imported from other countries
or other areas of your country. What are some of the problems associated
with imported plants? (eg. not adapted and may die easily; become weeds
because they have no native predators and therefore 'takeover' and decrease
biodiversity; may not be the best food for native animals and may even
be poisonous?give as many local examples as you can)
Teachers Notes
Student Notes
Part 1
Part 2
Safety
Students should be warned not to handle plants or animals.
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Queensland core learning outcomes for Science:
Life and Living 6.3
- Students prepare senarios to describe the potential long-term
effects of changes in biodiversity caused by human action on ecosystems
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References
Clarke, Ron. Never Say Never: Couran Cove Resort from dream to reality.
The Couran Cove Resort Environmental Research Trust. 1999.
(You may want to consult you local native plant group. In Australia this
would be The Society for Growing Australian Plants.)
Web sites
www.couran-cove.com.au/html/newsinfo_frame.html
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