Exploring ecoregions: if Earth were a giant jigsaw puzzle, one way to see its pieces could be as countries. But scientists also see the pieces as different ecological areas, or ecoregions.Exploring ecoregions This is a list of ecoregions as compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF identifies terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions. The terrestrial scheme divides the Earth's land surface into 8 terrestrial ecozones, containing 867 smaller ecoregions. : if Earth were a giant jigsaw puzzle, one way to see its pieces could be as countries. But scientists also see the pieces as different ecological areas, or ecoregions. Ecoregions are large geographical areas defined by their distinctive natural features such as soil type, climate, and plant and animal communities. Scientists have mapped out more than 1,000 different ecoregions on Earth. Today, many of these ecoregions are in danger because of pollution, habitat loss, and other problems. Here are three of the richest and most threatened ecoregions. (Scholastic Science World) EVERGLADES AND SOUTH FLORIDA When ROSEATE SPOONBILLS feed, they sweep their sensitive bills back and forth, feeling the mud for crayfish crayfish or crawfish, freshwater crustacean smaller than but structurally very similar to its marine relative the lobster, and found in ponds and streams in most parts of the world except Africa. Crayfish grow some 3 to 4 in. (7.6–10. , spiders, beetles and other prey. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A female AMERICAN CROCODILE The American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is one of the four species of New World crocodile and the most wide-spread in range. It occurs from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico through Central America and in South America as far as Peru and Venezuela. lays about 40 eggs in a mound. And when she hears her babies hatching, she sometimes helps them break out of their shells, then carries the hatchlings to the water in her mouth! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Five of the world's seven species of SEA TURTLES--all of them endangered, including the hawksbill-are found in the Everglades and South Florida. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] VITAL STATS WHERE IS IT? United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. STATE Florida ECOREGION An ecoregion (ecological region), sometimes called a bioregion, is the next smallest ecologically and geographically defined area beneath "realm" or "ecozone". Ecoregions cover relatively large area of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct SIZE 20,720 square kilometers (8,000 square miles)--about the size of Delaware and Connecticut combined HABITAT TYPE Flooded grasslands and savannas Flooded grasslands and savannas are a biome, generally located at subtropical and tropical latitudes, where which are flooded seasonally or year-round. It is characterized by
KEY SPECIES Florida panthers For the animal species by this name, see . The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida suburb of Sunrise. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). , manatees, snail kites, roseate spoonbills, sea turtles, tree snails. crocodiles. Key deer key deer n. A nearly extinct subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) native to the Florida Keys. [After the Florida Keys.] orchids MAJOR THREATS diversion, pollution, urban sprawl CONSERVATION STATUS Vulnerable ATLANTIC FOREST The Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese) is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savannas, and mangrove forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande FROGS including Hyla musica from southeastern Brazil, are known as indicator species. Because frogs breathe and drink through their skin, their health reflects the state of their environment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At night, GOLDEN-HEADED LION TAMARINS The Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) is a lion tamarin, and just like the others, also endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore, it is considered to be an Retire to sleeping holes in trees. They may use the same tree hole for as Many as six nights in a row. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The STICK SPIDER's bite is not deadly to humans. But when prey, like a butterfly, is caught in its web, the victim is wrapped into a bundle and paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. with a venomous venomous secreting poison; poisonous. bite. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] VITAL STATS WHERE IS IT? Southeastern coast of South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. COUNTRIES Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay ECOREGION SIZE 2,757,677 square kilometers (1,064,741 square miles)--about the size of Texas, California, New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). , and Arizona combined. HABITAT TYPE Tropical and subtropical moist Broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome. Tropical and subtropical forest regions with lower rainfall are home to tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and KEY SPECIES Golden-headed lion tamarins, maned Sloths, muriquis, red-billed currasows, jaguars, tapirs MAJOR THREATS Development from cities, farms, And urban sprawl, illegal hunting, deforestation deforestation Process of clearing forests. Rates of deforestation are particularly high in the tropics, where the poor quality of the soil has led to the practice of routine clear-cutting to make new soil available for agricultural use. CONSERVATION STATUS Critical/Endangered MIOMBO WOODLANDS The AFRICAN African pertaining to or originating in Africa. African buffalo includes black Cape buffalo, red Congo buffalo and red-brown varieties from Abyssinia to Niger. See also buffalo. ELEPHANT is the largest living land animal. It can grow up to 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) tall and weigh 6,000 kilograms (13,228 pounds)! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The roar of the AFRICAN LION can be heard up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) away. Lions roar to scare off Verb 1. scare off - cause to lose courage; "dashed by the refusal" daunt, frighten away, frighten off, scare away, pall, scare, dash intimidate, restrain - to compel or deter by or as if by threats intruders or to signal their pride (lion group Lion Group Malaysia is headed by chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri William Cheng. Cheng’s grandfather founded Lion as a small trading company in Singapore after leaving China in the 1920s. ) members when separated. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ZEBRAS play an important role in their grassland communities. By feeding on long, coarse grasses, wildebeests and buffaloes can more easily find the more tender, shorter grasses they prefer. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] VITAL STATS WHERE IS IT? Southern Africa
COUNTRIES Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia ECOREGION SIZE 2,589,998 square kilometers (1,000,000 square miles)--about the size of Alaska and Ohio combined HABITAT TYPE Tropical and subtropical sub·trop·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or being the geographic areas adjacent to the Tropics. subtropical Adjective of the region lying between the tropics and temperate lands grasslands, savannas, and shrub lands KEY SPECIES Elephants, black and white rhinos. wild dogs "Wild Dogs" were a band featuring current Journey drummer Deen Castronovo and Matthew T McCourt (aka Dr Mastermind). The band went through several lineup changes that included at least 2 singers, 2 guitarists and 3 bassists in its history. , cheetahs, leopards. Thornicroft's giraffes, Lichtenstein's hartebeests MAJOR THREATS Farming, deforestation, overgrazing overgrazing see overstocking. , dams, illegal hunting CONSERVATION STATUS Vulnerable LESSON PLANS Dear Teacher: From South American rainforests to African plains, our world is made up of thousands of unique ecoregions. Learning about them is a great way for your students to build their understanding of planet Earth and its variety of life, or biodiversity. This poster introduces students to three endangered places: the Atlantic Forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina; the Everglades and South Florida; and the Miombo Woodlands of southern Africa. This year, World Wildlife Fund is raising student awareness and support for these featured regions through its annual "Pennies for the Planet" program. To learn more about this special program, visit the Take Action! section below. We hope you and your students enjoy using this poster to learn more about the precious balance of life resources around the world. As always, we look forward to hearing from you. --The Editors, Science World Scholastic Inc. 557 Broadway, 4th Floor New York, NY 10012-3999 e-mail: ScienceWorld@scholastic.com POSTER SKILLS PAGES CHART-READING AND MATH SKILLS What's An Ecoregion? Why are certain environments threatened? And how do conservationists know what's at risk? Challenge your students to calculate some facts and figures to find out. DIAGRAM-READING AND CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS Everglades and South Florida What happens when one component of an ecosystem is out of balance? Students can discover the answers with our diagram of the Everglades food web. CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS Miombo Woodlands Unusual looking animals munch on plants throughout the southern Africa woodlands. Encourage students to put on their safari hats to figure out what eats what. CHART-READING SKILLS The Atlantic Forest of South America From the rainforest floor to treetops 61-meters (200-feet) high, each layer is home to a vast variety of species. Have your students use the chart to greet some of the forest's wild inhabitants
The game is based loosely on the concepts from SameGame. . HANDS-ON ACTIVITY Be a Backyard Explorer! From farmlands to suburbs to urban jungles, life teems everywhere. Turn your students into field explorers--right in their own neighborhood? VOCABULARY BUILDER Habitats Across the World After studying the front and back of the poster, test your students' eco-vocabulary with this crossword puzzle. TAKE ACTION! PENNIES FOR THE PLANET is World Wildlife Fund's annual program for kids, designed to educate about biodiversity and the concept of ecoregion--based conservation. Each year, the program focuses on a few global areas in need of special attention. This year, students can choose to help collect pennies to aid the Atlantic Forest, Everglades and South Florida, and Miombo Woodlands ecoregions. All contributions go directly to support projects that protect the habitats and species living in these threatened areas. In 2000-2001, students raised more than $50,000 worth of pennies to support environmental education in the Chihuahuan Desert--the largest North American desert North American Desert is a term for the large, arid region between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada of Western North America. It comprises the five major American deserts:
Three living groups of tortoise can be considered 'giants': Galapagos tortoises Chelonoidis (nigra) species Seychelles giant tortoises Dipsochelys species African spurred tortoise Centrochelys sulcata of the Galapagos Islands, and rare wolverines that prowl the Klamath-Siskiyou Coniferous con·i·fer n. Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved, chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs such as pines, spruces, and firs. Forests of the Pacific Northwest. To learn more about the 2002-2003 ecoregions and see how your students can participate, visit www.worldlife.org/windows/pennies. You can quickly donate your coins by visiting a Coinstaro [C] machine at your local participating supermarket. Use WWF's special 4-digit code (8888) for your coins to be directly donated to the "Pennies for the Planet" program. Call 1-800-928-2274 to find the nearest Coinstar[C] machine location. Or, you can write a check or money order, payable to "WWF See Windows Workflow Foundation. , Pennies for the Planet" and mail it to: World Wildlife Fund, "Pennies for the Planet", 1250 Twenty-fourth St. NW, Washington DC, 20037. RESOURCES Biodiversity Basics--An Educator's Guide to Exploring the Web of Life The WWF curriculum guide, designed for middle school educators, explores the meaning of biological diversity, its significance, its current status, and measures taken to protect it. Extensive background information is complemented by 34 interdisciplinary activities and a resource section. Available from Acorn Naturalists, 155 El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
Project Learning Tree is an interdisciplinary environmental education program designed to educate young people about the environment. For more information, check out www.plt.org or contact call (202) 463-2462. Project WILD is a national environmental education program that emphasizes wildlife conservation, ecology, and interdisciplinary teaching Interdisiplinary teaching is a method, or set of methods, used to teach a unit across different curricular disciplines. For example, the seventh grade Language Arts, Science and Social Studies teachers might work together to form an interdiscipinary unit on rivers. . Learn more at www.projectwild.org or call (713) 520-1936. For more on ecoregions, including the three featured on this poster, visit these sites: World Wildlife Fund's Ecoregions of the World: www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregione/index.htm www.wildlife.org/wildworld Centre for International Forestry Research, Miombo Research Briefs: www.cifor.cgiar.org/acm/pub/mrb.html Everglades Information Network: evergladee.fiu.edu Conservation International Hotspot--Atlantic Forest: www.conservetion.org/xp/ClWEB/strateglee/hotspots/ athlantic_forest.xml ANSWERS TO SKILLS PAGES Chart-Reading end Math Skills/What's An Ecoregion? 1. c 2. c 3. b 4. c 5. a Chart-Reading Skills/The Atlantic Forest of South America 1. forest floor 2. canopy 3. forest floor and middle story 4. emergent layer Diagram-Reading and Critical-Thinking Skills/Everglades and South Florida 1. Largemouth bass largemouth bass see micropterus salmoides. , wood storks (young and eggs), alligators (young and eggs) 2. Florida apple snails 3. Scientists speculate that declines in apple snail populations would cause snail kite populations to dwindle dwin·dle v. dwin·dled, dwin·dling, dwin·dles v.intr. To become gradually less until little remains. v.tr. To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. . Snail kites, which depend on one food source, are less resilient than raccoons, which eat many different types of food. 4. They eat each other. Alligators eat raccoons, and raccoons eat the eggs and young of alligators 5. Toxic chemicals often travel from small fish to wood storks and large fish, from storks and fish to raccoons and alligators, and from raccoons and alligators to panthers. (Note: At least one panther has died from mercury poisoning mercury poisoning, tissue damage resulting from exposure to more than trace amounts of the element mercury or its compounds. Elemental mercury (the silver liquid familiar from thermometers) is the most common occupational source. in the Everglades.) Food webs are so interconnected that if one part is affected, many other parts are often affected too. Critical-Thinking Skills/Ecoregion: Miombo Woodlands 1. a) browsers b) E 2. a) grazers b) A 3. a) grazers b) B 4. a) both b) C 5. a) both b) D Vocabulary Builder/Habitats Across the World ACROSS: 1. corridor 2. Florida 3. grazer 4. assessment 5. emergent 8. species 7. ecoregion 8. grass 9. tapir 10. floor DOWN: 11. biodiversity 12. browsers 13. endemic 14. manatee 15. herbivores 16. Africa 17. sustainable 18. panther 19. reef 20. Brazil CHART-READING AND MATH SKILLS Name: -- What's An Ecoregion? Wherever we live, we live in an ecoregion. An ecoregion is a relatively large unit of land that is characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features, and plant and animal communities. Scientists at World Wildlife Fund and other conservation organizations have mapped the world into more than 1,000 different ecoregions, all filled with diverse species (kinds of organisms) and habitats (where organisms live), which are valuable to the people who live there. But some ecoregions are considered higher priority for conservation action than others. Why? Take a closer look at three characteristics of the South American Atlantic Forest ecoregion to find out. PART A: One question scientists ask about an ecoregion is, "How many different species of plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. live there?" * The Atlantic Forest is extremely diverse. It's home to 5 percent of the world's animal species and 7 percent of the world's plant species. * In a 1 hectare (2.5 acres) plot, scientists counted 450 different species of trees. PART B: Another question scientists ask is, "How unique are the life forms in the ecoregion?" In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , are there endemic species--ones that naturally occur in only one area or region? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PART C: Scientists also ask, "How threatened is this ecoregion?" If an ecoregion full of unique life is disappearing quickly, we need to act to help save it. Directions: Use the data supplied to find the correct answers. 1. If there are an estimated 270,000 plant species on Earth, approximately how many live in the Atlantic Forest? a. 890 b. 8,900 c. 18,900 2. An average 2.5-acre plot of New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. woods contains about 8 species of trees. How many more species of trees could be found in a similar size area of the Atlantic Forest? a. 12 b. 353 c. 442 3. Approximately what fraction of plants found in the Atlantic Forest is endemic to the region? a. 1/4 b. 1/2 c. 3/4 4. Which group has the largest percentage of its species endemeic to the Atlantic Forest? a. bird b. plant c. amphibian amphibian, in zoology amphibian, in zoology, cold-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia. There are three living orders of amphibians: the frogs and toads (order Anura, or Salientia), the salamanders and newts (order Urodela, or Caudata), and the 5. Based on the map, the remaining size of Atlantic Forest compared with its original size appears closer to which of the following? a. 7 percent b. 48 percent c. 95 percent CHART-READING SKILLS Name: -- The Atlantic Forest of South America The bustling Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, city, Brazil Rio de Janeiro (rē`ō də zhänā`rō, Port. rē`  thĭ zhənĕē`r lie
in the heart of the Atlantic Forest ecoregion. More than 2,589,998
square kilometers (1,000,000 square miles) of tropical rainforests once
covered this region; its rich diversity of plant and animal species
spread over parts of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Now, cities,
factories, and farms have replaced most of this wild habitat. Less than
7 percent of the original forest remains.Many people in this ecoregion recognize that protecting the remaining patches of the Atlantic Forest is essential for both sustaining rare species and preserving the quality of human life. Forests boost water supplies, stabilize soils, and pump the atmosphere with oxygen essential for breathing. Because the remaining forest is extremely fragmented, animal populations are isolated, making breeding difficult. In addition, limited resources challenge their survival. One aim of World Wildlife Fund's "Pennies for the Planet" program is to help create corridors, or protected areas, to link existing forest reserves. What lives inside a rainforest? Plenty! Each layer teems with life. Study the diagram (right) to answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. In which layer of the forest are rivers found?-- 2. In which layer of the forest do sloths spend most of their time?-- 3. Jaguars sometimes eat tapirs. Based on this information, in which two layers do jaguars spend time?--and-- 4. Which layer is the windiest?-- Emergent Layer: Trees in the emergent layer grow high above the leafy tops of other trees, reaching heights of up to 61 meters (200 feet). Bathed in bright sunlight much of the time, this layer also undergoes extreme shifts in temperature, wind, and rainfall. Ariel toucans, white-lined bats, and many colorful butterflies fly within this high zone. Canopy: Lots of sunlight reaches the tangle of vines, leaves, and branches of the canopy layer, which rises to about 40 meters (150 feet). Here tiny primates called tamarins feast on fruit and insects, slow-moving sloths hang upside down, and blue-bellied parrots perch on branches. Middle Story: The dark, damp middle story extends from the forest floor up to about 18 meters (60 feet). Plants spread their broad leaves to absorb the limited sunlight. Tree frogs cling to Verb 1. cling to - hold firmly, usually with one's hands; "She clutched my arm when she got scared" hold close, hold tight, clutch hold, take hold - have or hold in one's hands or grip; "Hold this bowl for a moment, please"; "A crazy idea took hold of tree trunks, while jaguars clamber clam·ber intr.v. clam·bered, clam·ber·ing, clam·bers To climb with difficulty, especially on all fours; scramble. n. A difficult, awkward climb. into the low branches to eat a meal or watch for prey. Forest Floor: The forest floor is a dark, shadowy world. Leaves and other organic matter decompose de·com·pose v. de·com·posed, de·com·pos·ing, de·com·pos·es v.tr. 1. To separate into components or basic elements. 2. To cause to rot. v.intr. 1. quickly, aided by fungi, high humidity, troops of insects, and low levels of light. Tapirs--distant relatives of Rhinos--trot through the underbrush, and birds called red-billed currasows walk along the ground making low whooping whoop n. 1. a. A loud cry of exultation or excitement. b. A shout uttered by a hunter or warrior. 2. A hooting cry, as of a bird. 3. The paroxysmal gasp characteristic of whooping cough. noises. Otters and capybaras--the world's largest rodents--frolic in nearby rivers. DIAGRAM-READING AND CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS Name: -- Everglades and South Florida If you travel from the northern edge of the Everglades to the southern tip of the Florida Keys Florida Keys, chain of coral and limestone islands and reefs, c.150 mi (240 km) long, extending from Virginia Key, S of Miami Beach, to Key West, and forming the southern extremity of Florida. island chain, you would encounter a number of wild and impressive habitats. The Everglades is a "river of grass" more than 80-kilometers (50-miles) wide and 322-km (200-mi) long, but rarely more than 61-centimeters (2-feet) deep. Here, rare Florida panthers pad through the forests while alligators cruise the shallows. Birds like roseate spoonbills, egrets, and ibises wade in the water, and wood storks congregate in the treetops. Just off the coast in Florida Bay Florida Bay is the shallow bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland (the Florida Everglades) and the Florida Keys. Nearly all of Florida Bay is included in Everglades National Park. , rotund sea cows call manatees swim and feast on sea grasses. And the world's third largest coral reef--where thousands of fish species, lobsters, sea turtles, and more--call the Florida Keys home. The Keys are also the only place on Earth where you can see tiny Key deer and the elusive American crocodile. But, if you've visited southern Florida, you know that many people live in growing cities such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale (lô`dərdāl), residential, commercial, and resort city (1990 pop. 149,377), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. . In the last century, people have altered this ecoregion by developing land, changing the flow of fresh water to ensure a steady supply for people and their crops, and polluting the environment. Because of these changes, many plant and animal species indigenous (native) to this area are threatened or endangered. New plans are underway to help restore the Everglades and South Florida ecoregion. World Wildlife Fund's "Pennies for the Planet" program will aid conservation and research efforts, including a student water quality monitoring program, studies of roseate spoonbills and other species in need, and a project to recover lost fish traps--which can float loose for years, killing any species they catch. To learn more about how an imbalanced ecosystem threatens the life within, study this diagram illustrating a portion of the Everglades food web. Arrows point from things that are eaten to the creatures that eat them. Then answer the questions below in complete sentences. 1. What do raccoons eat?-- 2. Name something the snail kite eats.-- 3. If Florida apple snail populations declined, what might happen to snail kites?-- In what ways does that make snail kites less able to adapt to environmental conditions than raccoons?-- 4. What is interesting about the food web relationship between alligators and raccoons?-- 5. If the small fish in this food web ingested in·gest tr.v. in·gest·ed, in·gest·ing, in·gests 1. To take into the body by the mouth for digestion or absorption. See Synonyms at eat. 2. a toxic chemical such as mercury, which other animals might be affected?-- [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HANDS-ON ACTIVITY Name: -- Be a Backyard Explorer! Your neighborhood may not be home to rhinos or jaguars, but it's still leaping, crawling, and sprouting with living things Living Things may refer to:
You Need: a simple map of the area you plan to survey, such as your schoolyard or nearby park * paper and pencils * magnifying glasses * field guides To Do: 1. Select an area to study. Then form small survey teams. Organize your group to maximize efficiency; for example, you might want to assign different members to different parts of your survey area, or to different organisms, such as insects, plants, mammals, and so on. 2. Identify every living thing and signs of living things you see (see Animal Signs for hints). When you see something, make a note of its location. Don't worry if I you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. the organism's name. Simply sketch it and label your drawing with a description, such as "shiny black bug" or "tall yellow flower" or "insect that ate the maple leaves." 3. After 30 minutes, return to class and compare your results. Then discuss the following: * How many different species did each group find? Is that more or less than you expected? Have you noticed all these organisms before? * Are the organisms evenly distributed across your survey area? Can you guess why or why not? * Do you expect to get different results if you did this survey again? Explain. * In some parts of the world, wildlife habitats are diminishing very quickly because of environmental changes such as clearing forests to make way for farms and cities. Why do you think scientists find rapid assessments so useful? 4. Pool your class's findings to create a mini field guide to showcase your area's biodiversity. Use existing field guides to help you find the scientific and common names of the organisms. Animal Signs: Besides looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. animals, keep your eyes open for these signs: * burrows * nests * digging and scratching marks * tracks * bones * feathers * insect galls and cocoons * spider webs * nibbled leaves and branches * droppings * feeding holes in dead trees and logs CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS Name: -- Miombo Woodlands Visitors to the Miombo Woodlands ecoregion are often amazed by sightings of incredible wildlife: herds of elephants yanking down branches with their trunks, cheetahs slinking through tall grasslands, warthogs zipping by with tails in the air, wattled cranes gathering in the wetlands, and rare wild dog families resting in the shade. This southern African landscape is characterized by oak-like trees that the indigenous Bantu people call miombo and mopane This article is about the tree. For other uses of mopane or mopani, see mopani (disambiguation). The mopane or mopani (Colophospermum mopane . The animals of this ecoregion depend on local woodlands to keep them alive. But for a growing human population of more than 40 million people, these woodlands are also a key source of food and fuel. Around 5,180 square kilometers (2,000 square miles) of woodlands are cleared each year for agriculture. Due to these shrinking woodlands, many animals' natural habitats become fragmented. Conservationists are looking for sustainable ways to keep woodlands healthy for both human needs and animal survival. In other words, they are trying to meet the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of people, other species, and future generations to survive. World Wildlife Fund's "Pennies for the Planet" program will help create a community-managed corridor, or protected link, to connect two existing but separated wilderness preserves (protected areas). This would give animals more freedom of movement to find food sources as well as mates. And careful monitoring would provide local human communities areas to gather resources wisely. Who depends on the Miombo Woodlands? Many herbivores, or plant-eating animals. Some are grazers (grass eaters) and some are browsers (animals that eat the leaves of shrubs and trees). And the less picky pick·y adj. pick·i·er, pick·i·est Informal Excessively meticulous; fussy. picky Adjective [pickier, pickiest] Brit, Austral & NZ ones both graze and browse. Study the clues below to determine if the species is a grazer, browser, or both in blank Absent limitation or restriction. The term in blank is used in reference to negotiable instruments, such as checks or promissory notes. When such Commercial Paper is endorsed in blank, the designated payee signs his or her name only. a. Then see if you can find their picture below for blank b. 1. The Black rhinoceroses' horn is prized in some parts of the world for medicinal uses. Because of the horns' value, poaching poaching: see cooking. (illegal hunting) of rhinos has severely endangered the species. Black rhinos use their own horns to break high branches to get at their food. a) -- b) -- 2. Contrary to what their name implies, white rhinos are gray--the same color as black rhinos. But they don't eat the same type of food. You'll notice a hump on the neck of a white rhino. This knot of muscles and tendons is used to lift its heavy head up from the ground where it feeds, a) -- b) -- 3. Pukus are medium-sized antelopes with furry, gold-colored backs and white undersides. Males have ringed V-shaped horns that turn upward. Pukus travel in herds of about 30 and feed on grassy floodplains. a) -- b) -- 4. The shaggy-maned kudu kudu (k  `d), short-haired African antelope, genus Strepsiceros. has 4 to 12 pale stripes on the back. It
can grow up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) and weigh over 227 kilograms (500
pounds). But don't be fooled by its size. This antelope species can
easily leap 2 meters (7 feet) in a single bound! Males have long,
spiraling horns. Large rounded ears allow them to hear in any direction.
Kudus are often seen munching on a variety of leaves, herbs, vines,
fruits, and grasses. a) -- b) --5. Both male and female sable antelopes sport very large, backward-arching horns--as long as 165 centimeters (65 inches)! They have short, glossy coats and eat grass, foliage, and herbaceous plants growing on termite termite or white ant, common name for a soft-bodied social insect of the order Isoptera. Termites are easily distinguished from ants by comparison of the base of the abdomen, which is broadly joined to the thorax in termites; in ants, there is mounds, a) -- b) -- [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] VOCABULARY BUILDER Name: -- Habitats Across the World What have you discovered about biodiversity and ecoregions? Study the information on the front and back of this poster. Then use the clues below to complete this crossword puzzle. ACROSS 1. A link between two protected areas 2. Everglades state 3. Animal that eats grass 4. A quick survey: rapid -- 5. Top rainforest layer: -- layer 6. Scientific word meaning "kinds" of plants and animals 7. Large area characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features, and plant and animal communities 8. The Everglades is known as the "river of --" 9. Forest-dwelling, distant rhino relative 10. Darkest rainforest layer: forest -- DOWN 11. Variety of life that inhabit an area 12. Animals that eat the leaves of shrubs and trees 13. Found only in one specific area 14. Sea cow 15. Plant-eating animals 16. Miombo Woodlands continent 17. Meeting the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of people, other species, or future generations to survive 18. Rare large cat: Florida -- 19. Structure made by corals 20. Country containing most of the Atlantic Forest [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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