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12.08.2009
study a different aspect of a forest ecosystem: the plants, animals, soil, the forest as part of a broader landscape and the forest and humans. Gather a selection of booklets and reference texts to assist the learners with their study. Give each group a set of questions on which they need to report to the larger group after about an hour. You can adapt the group sheets provided below to suit your class. There is a suggestion for a creative activity for each group. Make sure that you provide the group with the materials (such as plasticine) for these activities.
Grade: Upper secondary, adult.
In the forest, divide the class into five groups of 5-6 people. Each group will study a different aspect of a forest ecosystem: the plants, animals, soil, the forest as part of a broader landscape and the forest and humans. Gather a selection of booklets and reference texts to assist the learners with their study. Give each group a set of questions on which they need to report to the larger group after about an hour. You can adapt the group sheets provided below to suit your class. There is a suggestion for a creative activity for each group. Make sure that you provide the group with the materials (such as plasticine) for these activities.
GROUP 1 - THE PLANTS OF THE FOREST
Your group is to investigate the plants of the forest in terms of diversity and their importance or role. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare the report back to your fellow learners.
Your group is to investigate the plants of the forest in terms of diversity and their importance or role. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare the report back to your fellow learners.
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What is diversity and why is it important? Base your investigation of diversity around the plants of the forest.
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Do you notice anything about the structure of the forest plants: individually as well as combined? What role do forest plants play both within the forest and as part of the broader landscape?
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Use examples you have found to explain the following ecological concepts in detail. Describe them and explain how they work, what is important about each in the functioning of the forest ecosystem: Energy flow, photosynthesis, symbiosis, epiphytism, mutualism, commensalisms and adaptation.
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Identify the different layers in the forest:
a) describe each layer, components, characteristics, height, etc.
b) describe the adaptations of the plants at each layer in the forest ecosystem.
c) outline the role of each layer in the forest ecosystem. -
Collect 6 different leaf shapes and identify the shapes.
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Find and identify as many different types of alien plants in this forest as you can. Outline the problems that these plants cause here and suggest long and short term solutions.
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Do forest plants compete? Explain your answer and provide an example.
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Outline the process of succession in the forest and try to find the different seral stages. Explain the condition of the forest margin and identify the pioneer species.
Creative Activities: a) Using crayons and paper do leaf rubbings to demonstrate the diversity of plants in this forest. b) Use ‘artists palettes’ (a collection of leaves, seeds, forest objects, stuck onto a blank sheet of paper or card) in describing at least one of the ecological concepts above.
Succession: the process during which an ecosystem recovers from some kind of disturbance. After disturbance, the plant and animal communities in the ecosystem keep changing until the ecosystem becomes stable again.
Sere: All communities which appear during a specific period are collectively known as a SERE (or seral stage).
Examples of SERA : plants found on the forest margin, pioneer plants, invader plants, plants growing in open spaces in the canopy, etc. Seral stages keep replacing earlier stages until a climax community is reached. The climax community resists further change and a dynamic equilibrium is established.
Community: a collection of different species found in the same place at the same time.
Sere: All communities which appear during a specific period are collectively known as a SERE (or seral stage).
Examples of SERA : plants found on the forest margin, pioneer plants, invader plants, plants growing in open spaces in the canopy, etc. Seral stages keep replacing earlier stages until a climax community is reached. The climax community resists further change and a dynamic equilibrium is established.
Community: a collection of different species found in the same place at the same time.
GROUP 2 - THE FOREST ANIMALS
Your group will be looking at the animals of the forest and investigating the roles they play and how they are adapted to life in the forest. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues prepare the report back to your fellow learners.
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In order to survive in the forest, forest animals (mammals, arthropods, birds and reptiles) need to cope with the specific forest conditions. What are these conditions and how do the forest animals cope with them?
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What is the role or importance of forest animals in terms of the functioning and diversity of the forest?
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Explain in detail the following ecological concepts: population dynamics, niche, predation, parasitism and specialised adaptations the animals will need to enable them to survive here?
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Find evidence of animals living in the forest (spoor, droppings, scats, feathers, etc)
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Sketch a forest profile and show where animals live.
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Forests contain a number of different communities (riverine, margins, forest floor, different strata) which interact with each other in various ways. Describe, in detail, the processes occurring in any part of the forest community. Construct a food web and indicate which way the energy flows and why?
Creative Activity: Using plasticine: create your own animal that would be perfectly suited to life in the forest. Say which specific part of the forest it would live in, how it moves about, what it eats, what its enemies are and how it defends itself or escapes from its enemies.
Community: a collection of different species found in the same place at the same time.
GROUP 3 - THE FOREST SOIL
Your group will be investigating the soil of the forest as well as its living components. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare the report back to your fellow learners.
Your group will be investigating the soil of the forest as well as its living components. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare the report back to your fellow learners.
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Firstly, describe the soil itself; is it sandy, clay, both? How much humus does the soil contain?
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Now search for creatures in the soil. Identify them and find out what role they play in the forest.
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Why does the forest never run out of nutrients in the soil for plants?
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Explain, in detail, the following concepts; decomposition, biogeocemical cycles and habitat.
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What abiotic factors affect this forest? How do they do this?
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Take a sample of soil and leaf litter and conduct a topsoil analysis. Identify all the components of the soil. How does leaf litter affect the forest?
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Identify accurately the path taken by nutrients in this forest. Illustrate.
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Locate and identify 5 different agents of decomposition and describe how each functions. Mention features such as aerophytes and weathering.
Creative Activity: Collect 10 leaves in different stages of decomposition and stick them on a dry stick to show the process of decomposition.
Nutrients: chemical compounds, essential for life, which are obtained from food i.e. carbohydtraes, proteins, lipids and proteins. The most common chemical elements found in nutrients are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.
Nutrient Cycling:the transformation of chemical elements from non-living inorganic form in the environment to living organic form in organisms and, via decomposition, back to non-living inorganic form, e.g. the OXYGEN CYCLE, CARBON CYCLE and NITROGEN CYCLE.
Decomposition: the gradual breakdown of organic matter into simple inorganic form, brought about by physical and biological agents.
Decomposers: bacteria and fungi
Detrivores: animal consumers of dead matter
Nutrient Cycling:the transformation of chemical elements from non-living inorganic form in the environment to living organic form in organisms and, via decomposition, back to non-living inorganic form, e.g. the OXYGEN CYCLE, CARBON CYCLE and NITROGEN CYCLE.
Decomposition: the gradual breakdown of organic matter into simple inorganic form, brought about by physical and biological agents.
Decomposers: bacteria and fungi
Detrivores: animal consumers of dead matter
GROUP 4 - THE FOREST "FROM A DISTANCE"
Your group will investigate the forest as part of the broader landscape. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare and present the findings to your fellow learners.
Your group will investigate the forest as part of the broader landscape. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you, investigate the following issues and prepare and present the findings to your fellow learners.
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Describe the forest in relation to the topography. Why has the forest become established in this area?
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What other types of ecosystems surround and are found within the area of forest? Why does the forest not spread into these areas and vica versa? Remember the forest has a million years in which to do this if it could.
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What role does the forest play as part of the broader landscape?
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Consider the abiotic factors such as rock type, aspect, humidity, wind and temperatures inside and outside the forest. Explain the significance of any differences.
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Where is there the greatest area of water availability and why? How does the overall shape of the forest help this forest to manage water?
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Find evidence of soil erosion inside and outside the forest.
Creative Activity: Select any one tree that “stands out” and then arrange your group to observe it from different perspectives. One person may observe it from far away, another from VERY close up and another from upside-down and another from in the tree itself, etc... Spend five minutes writing down the three most obvious descriptive words from your perspective. Then get together and using all the words your group has produced, create a poem adding as few other words as possible.
GROUP 5 - THE FOREST AND US
Your group is going to investigate the human relationships with the forest. Using your senses as well as the resources given to you prepare and present the findings to your fellow learners.
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“People have been impacting on this forest for hundreds of years”. Find evidence to support or contradict this statement. What positive and negative influences have humans had on this forest? (past, present and future) Think carefully and describe each in detail.
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What impact does the forest have on the people; both positive and negative. Think specifically as well as holistically and describe each in detail.
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Using the information available, formulate arguments for and against the global protection of forests.
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Map the area indicating north. Include developments around and in the forest.
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How does this forest benefit the local area?
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Is this site ideal for building houses? Why/why not?
Critical Discussion and Debate: Choose what your group agrees is a critical issue around this specific forest and then develop and hold a debate around two different possible viewpoints on the issue.
