Nature Net’s Pre- and Post-Field Trip Materials
Subject: Habitat
Level: Middle School
Introduction
The term habitat refers to the environment in which a plant or animal lives and finds what it needs for survival - such as shelter and food. Plants and animals adapt to survive and thrive in a particular habitat. Habitat loss is partially responsible for the high number of plants and animals that are either threatened or endangered today.
Vocabulary
Habitat: A site or type of environment in which a plant or animal lives and where elements required for a plant or animals survival are present.
Sanctuaries: A reserved area in which native wildlife and plant habitats are protected from the unwanted impacts of human activity.
Habitat Loss: The loss of one part of the environmental setting in which a plant or animal lives; this loss may result in the population loss or over-population.
Community: All plants and animals in a particular habitat that are bound together in a food chain/web or inter-relationships.
Niche: The specific place in which an individual plant or animal lives; a definite environment to which an animal or plant is adapted.
Population: The total number of individuals of plant or animal species within a habitat, which can be supported by the available resources.
Concepts
-Habitats vary widely and different animal and plant species exist in almost every environmental setting on earth. Common habitats in Wisconsin include wetlands, lakes and rivers, prairies, and woodlands. Many plants and animals have adapted so they can thrive in a variety of habitat settings (deer and squirrels, for example), while other species can only survive in a very specific niche.
-Loss of habitat is major cause of plant and animal species endangerment. When species are adapted to survival in a given environmental, they cannot survive when the habitat changes or becomes smaller and thus, crowded. Similarly, the introduction of new species into a habitat often causes severe imbalances. An introduced species may lack predators and thus, take over where a native species once lived.
-Many national, state, and county parks were created in response to habitat loss and as such limits were established for development in these areas. Park managers are concerned with maintaining balanced plant and animal communities – species that are niche-specific can only survive if their habitats are protected. A park manager’s job is challenging however, because they must balance habitat conservation with the public's desire to visit such areas or use the resources present in certain environmental settings.
Post-Visit Activities
After your visit to some of the Nature Net sites, you can explore habitats by playing "Forest Consequences" from Project Learning Tree, where students make land use decisions and explore the consequences of their decisions.
Suggested Readings
For Teachers:
Sharing Nature with Children. Cornell, J. Dawn Publications, Nevada City, California. 1979.
Project Learning Tree: Environmental Education Activity Guide. American Forest Foundation, Washington D. C. 1993.
For Students:
A Sand County Almanac. Leopold, Aldo. Ballantine Books, New York. 1966.