Ecosystems and variation
Who lives in one square of ground?
Do more small animals live in damp shade than in dry sun?
Watch first
An English teaching video on this topic from Cognito. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
What you need
Tick each one as you find it — 0 of 4 ready.
Stay safe: Wash your hands afterwards and put everything back as you found it.
Plan the fair test
- Change: Habitat: damp shade or dry sun
- Measure: Number and type of animals counted
- Keep the same: Size of the square and how long you spend searching
Objectives this evidences
- Understand the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, including food webs and insect pollinated crops
Do it, one step at a time
Step 1 of 4
- Step 1. Lay your square on a shaded, damp patch of ground and gently look through the leaf litter.
- Step 2. Tally each type of animal you find. Do not pick anything up with bare hands.
- Step 3. Repeat on a dry, sunny patch of the same size for the same length of time.
- Step 4. Draw a bar chart comparing the two habitats, then sketch a food web from what you found.
What should happen
Damp shade usually holds more, because it offers moisture, food and cover from predators.
Think about: Remove one organism from your food web. Which others would you expect to change, and why?
Write up your result
A sentence or two is enough to save it.
The lessons behind this practical
Each one opens with the same short film, and the film has a written transcript underneath if reading is easier than watching.
Now the quiz for this topic
Questions come from the lessons behind this practical, so nothing is asked that has not been taught.
Quiz
Ecosystems and variation quiz
4 questions from the lessons in this stage. No timer, and you can try again as many times as you like.