Pacific Northwest Old-Growth Forest Concept Mapping

Transcription

1 Pacific Northwest Old-Growth Forest Concept Mapping Objective Students will Learn about the interconnections between forest ecosystems through visual concept maps. Synthesize their readings on forest ecology through their analysis of the concept maps. Demonstrate their understanding of the reading and the concept map by developing statements about forest ecology based on the concept maps. Grade Level Expectations for grades 6-8: Analyze how the parts of a system interconnect and influence each other. And, grades 9 & 10 Analyze how systems function, including the inputs, outputs, transfers, transformations, and feedback of a system and its subsystems. GLE for grade 7: Understand how organisms in ecosystems interact with and respond to their environment and other organisms. (1) Describe how energy flows through a food chain or web. (2) Describe how substances such as air, water, and mineral nutrients are continually cycled in ecosystems. (3) Explain the role of an organism in an ecosystem (e.g., predator, prey, consumer, producer, decomposer, scavenger, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore). (4) Describe how a population of an organism responds to a change in its environment. Materials: Concept map templates (5 provided below), paper, pens Procedure: 1) Briefly review concept maps. 2) Begin lesson by providing students with four major components of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest: (1) diversity and change, (2) layers, (3) interdependence, and (4) moisture and climate. 3) Divide class into five groups and distribute one student concept map to each group. Explain to students that they are to create at least four complete sentences using information from their map. Ask for detailed and accurate sentences. 4) When they have completed their sentences, each group will make a detailed poster that illustrates their section of the concept map. 5) Have groups share with the whole class, and discuss. Maps, sentences and posters can all be displayed together. Additional Options: Students can also work individually with concept maps to generate either sentences or paragraphs, providing a more individualized assessment. Posters can then be created as a follow-up activity. Students can research and create their own concept maps after the class brainstorms elements of an old-growth forest. You may want to model concept mapping using another topic. GLE for grades 6-8 Understand that models represent real objects, events, or processes. (2) Create a simple model (e.g., diagram or map and/or physical model) of a common object, event, or process. Concept maps can be used before or after a forest ecology field trip. They can introduce topics or reinforce and assess learning. Page 1 of 6

2 Forests #1 Such as, the mycorrhiza process Are highly Interdependent Tree roots Provide nutrients Fungi Help roots with water and nutrient absorption Grow on roots Connect trees to each other with underground networks Trees able to share nutrients in difficult times Produce underground fruit (truffle mushrooms) which have reproductive spores Eaten by voles, flying squirrels, etc. Which spread fungal spores through their scat (animal feces) Which are eaten by owls Live in trees Page 2 of 6

3 Forest #2 Depend upon both Moisture and Climate Unique to this part of the world Created by weather Created by mountains Including winter rainy season Including summer dry season Trap rainfall Favors conifers/ evergreen trees Located close to coast Able to photosynthesize during rainy, sometimes freezing winter Maintain temperate climate not too hot, not too cold Page 3 of 6

4 Forests #3 Have many varied Layers canopy midstory level understory ground level underground Maintains forest temperature Composed of tops of biggest trees: leaves & branches Many song birds nest here Like nurse logs, needles, leaves and nitrogen-rich lichen from the canopy Mycorrhizae process is an example Supports lichens, decaying matter, and small plants Absorbs and stores moisture Some birds and mammals spend their entire life in the canopy Full of biomass Provide shelter, food and hiding for animals Prevents soil erosion Stores both moisture and nutrients Supports new plant growth Page 4 of 6

5 Forests #4 Are highly Interdependent Such as dead trees Create skyholes Some have fallen Some are standing Called snags Some fall into streams Some fall onto the forest fl Home for bugs Feed birds such as woodpeckers Creating fish habitat Add nutrients to water Called nurselogs Home for fungi Stores a lot of water Store nutrients Home for birds such as owls (cavities), eagles (dead tops) Which is food for insects and macroinvertebrates May take hundreds of years to completely decay Supports new trees Home for mammals such as bears, American martens, squirrels Which in turn are food for fish Especially some species like Western Hemlock & Douglas fir Page 5 of 6

6 Concept Map: Pacific Northwest Old Growth Forests #5 Disturbances create change Are very Diverse and always Changing Such as treefalls, windstorms, floods, volcanic activity, avalanches, fires, etc. Some are not even identified (esp. insects) Thousands of types of fungi, plants and animals Provide chances for new plants/species Trees Can be major Can be minor Mostly conifers Leads to reforestation Might create skyholes A wide variety of ages and sizes Called succession Get old enough to die The forest changes Stages: pioneer community, seral communities, climax communities Page 6 of 6