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Got
To Have a Habitat
The
concept of habitat is taught in elementary schools across the country.
Most students can recite that habitat is the food, water, shelter, and
space, all in the proper arrangement, necessary for a plant or animal to survive
and reproduce. In addition,
students know that habitat loss is the number one cause of species extinction.
However, more in-depth investigation reveals fascinating complexities to
the concept of habitat.
What
is Habitat?
A tree is not necessarily a
habitat nor is the ocean, though each can be.
A habitat can be defined only in the context of a plant or animal
species. Therefore, a two-foot
section of log on a forest floor may be the habitat of a wood beetle, providing
everything the beetle needs to survive while a white tail deer needs several
acres of combined woods and meadow lands plus a source of water.
Habitat
Size
Greater animal size does not
equate to greater habitat space needs. A
100 foot oak tree only needs the correct soil, moisture, and temperature in a
100 square foot area while a liana vine needs over 100 linear feet with
supporting trees in addition to proper moisture and temperature.
A large elk’s habitat might be several thousand vertical feet of a
wooded mountain side with trees, grass, and water.
A much smaller sockeye salmon needs miles of moving cold freshwater which
joins miles of ocean water. Even
smaller, a monarch butterfly’ s habitat consists of thousands of miles from
summer breeding grounds in North American to wintering grounds in Central
American plus the entire migration route between the two locations with
appropriate food plants everywhere.
A
Biome is not a Habitat
People frequently refer to the ocean habitat or the tropical rainforest
habitat. Large geographic areas
with somewhat uniform climatic conditions with a complex of communities
characterized by a distinctive type of vegetation is more appropriately referred
to as a biome. A biome is generally
found on several continents. Common
biomes include alpine tundra, ocean,
deciduous forest, coniferous forest, tropical rainforest, grassland, etc.
Humans
Have Habitats
As a living species, humans have habitats as well.
The exact habitat varies by individual and cultures, but the basics are
the same. In addition, as human
populations have increased and altered the land, is there a new world-wild biome
-- the urban biome?
Improving
Habitat
While not listed as a
specific activity here, consider having students design and implement some type
of habitat improvement project. These
can be as simple as five to ten flower pots and a shallow dish of water by the
side of the school building to large yard designs and plantings.
The exact type of project varies by age of students, school site, and
community needs. It takes some
planning by teachers, some of which older students can do. Resources vary for each area and can include free plants,
grants, in-kind labor and so on. The
National Wildlife Federation has a schoolyard habitat program and Project Wild
has a publication on habitat action projects for students. Other resources include state forestry departments, state
wildlife division, and local wildlife related businesses.
Vocabulary
Biome - a large geographic area with somewhat uniform climatic conditions
with a complex of communities generally characterized by a distinctive type of
vegetation.
Habitat - the arrangement of food, water, shelter and space suitable to
an animals’ or plants’ needs for survival.
Urban - areas with dense concentrations of people, buildings, and
concrete.
Fun
Fact
Only
beavers and humans are capable of altering and creating habitat.
A
single harpy eagle requires nearly 39 square miles (100 square kilometers) of
rainforest. An eyelash mite spends
its entire life in a person’s eyelashes!
Other
Resources
National Wildlife Federation
The Nature Conservancy
Project WILD
(especially “Cabin Conflict” and “Habitat Lap Sit”)
Project Learning Tree
World Wildlife Fund
ACTIVITY
ONE
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