The Great Turtle Adventure

Transcription

1 The Great Turtle Adventure This adventure story takes place in the scrub forest. This study guide will help you use the story to learn about this forest ecosystem. Read the questions first, so that as you read the story you will recognize the answers. You can write them down and then use this as a study guide for the Forest Ecology Quiz. From the section, The Beginning 1. Where does the story take place? (p.3) 2. What invasive exotic species is threatening native freshwater mussels? (p. 4) 3. What are some characteristics of a scrub forest? (p. 6) 4. What are two types of shrubs found in the scrub forest? (p. 6) 5. How were scrub forests formed? (p. 6) 6. The plants in the scrub forest adapted to live in what kind of environment? (p. 6) 7. What are some characteristics of the trees and shrubs in scrub forests? (p. 6) 8. What kind of habitat does the scrub jay live in? (p. 6) 9. Why is the scrub jay s habitat disappearing? (p. 6) 1

2 10. What two animals are mentioned in the story as threatened species? (p. 4, p. 6) 11. What is a wildland urban interface? (p. 8) From the section, Turtle Disaster 12. What are most animals doing during the hottest part of the day? (p. 9) 13. Where are soft shell turtles normally found? (p. 11) 14. When is the only time they come out of their normal habitat? (p. 11) 15. When a habitat is considered upland, what does that mean? (p. 12) 16. Where does rain water flow in a habitat? (p. 12) From the section, The Longest Walk 17. What is one type of animal that is found near water that was mentioned in this section of the story? (p. 15) 18. What native plant species are mentioned in this section of the story? (p.16) 19. What is a wild edible plant that is mentioned in this section of the story? (p. 17) 20. What type of soil do scrub forests have? (p. 18) 2

3 21. Why are scrub forests important to the aquifer? (p. 18) 22. What is the Floridan aquifer? (p. 18) 23. Why is the Floridan aquifer so important? (p.18) From the section, Places to see sand pine scrub in Florida 24. What are two tree species that dominate scrub forests? (p. 19) 25. What do humans like to do with scrub forest? (p.19) General questions: 26. What native animal species are mentioned in the story? 27. How does it feel to hike in the scrub forest? 28. How do fires affect a scrub forest? 3

4 Vocabulary Invasive exotic species - An organism that does not belong in a particular environment but has moved there or been introduced there accidentally from its original home, where it was a native. Scrub forest - An upland area with sandy soil where the water table is low and is maintained by big, but infrequent fires. Habitat The home or environment of a plant or animal. Adaptations Characteristics that help a plant or animal to survive. Threatened species An organism which is in danger of extinction in the future. Wildland urban interface - The border between people s dwellings and natural, unoccupied land such as a forest. As people move further from city centers to make their homes, they move closer into forests, and the wildland-urban interface is the zone between these two areas. Aquifer An underground layer of rock that water can travel through and be stored. Floridan aquifer The aquifer that funs underneath Florida, which stores most of the freshwater supply for the state. 4

5 Sample Exam Questions 1. What is a scrub forest? A. An upland area with sandy soil where the water table is low B. A lowland area with sandy soil where the water table is high C. An area that is maintained by seasonal floods D. An upland area with clay soil where the water table is low 2. What is a native plant species found in a scrub forest ecosystem? A. Douglas Fur B. American Cranberry C. Japanese Honey suckle D. Sand Pine 3. What is the name of the aquifer in Florida? A. Southeastern aquifer B. Floridian aquifer C. Tropical aquifer D. Floridan aquifer 4. What is a threatened bird species found in scrub forests? A. Spotted owl B. Scrub jay C. Pileated woodpecker D. Brown pelican True or False 5. There are no exotic invasive species in scrub forest ecosystems. T or F 6. Scrub forests are desirable places for humans to build homes. T or F 7. Pine and oak trees are the two tree species that dominate scrub forests. T or F 8. There are no edible plants in scrub forests. T or F 5