Ecosystems and Animal Adaptations

Introduction

Purpose

This exciting WebQuest has been developed for you to discover and appreciate the wit and wonder of nature as you travel around the world, explore, and discover many interesting facts about animals, where they live, and how they survive. You will play games, view images of animals in the wild, use interactive maps, answer questions, and complete a field guide on endangered animals from around the world. You will then create a Google Slides presentation. There are also extension activities for those who have a fascination for animals.

A habitat is any place where a particular animal or plant lives. Examples of habitat include a lake, a desert, or a forest. Descriptions of environments using temperature and rainfall are used to group habitats together. Animals which live within a same-species group and occupy an area at the same time, are part of a population. Populations of different plants and animals interact with each other, and together, these populations form communities. Plants and animals in a particular ecological community, or biome, must be adapted to the same living conditions so they can all survive. Many populations can live in the same area because each species fills a specific role in the community. Each plant and animal has its own roll in the ecological community, and is important in some way to the survival of the other.

Introduction

Hello students! Travel on this exciting journey around the world. Select an ecosystem to visit and learn about the animals that live there. You may even come across endangered species! After you have traveled around the world, you will create a field guide on the species of your liking from a biome of your choice; then create a Google Slides presentation for your classmates.

Task

Task

You have been chosen to journey around the world stopping on each continent to discover interesting animals, their habitats and the threats they face. Some animals you will be researching have uncertain futures. They are endangered! You will do your own research on each ecosystem's animals. Your assignment is to complete field guide notes describing the ecosystem and an animal, then create a Google Slides presentation for the class.

Are you ready for your mission?

Process

Process

Step 1: Choose an ecosystem. You must research one animal from one ecosystem.

Step 2: Print Field Notes. You must have field notes on the ecosystem and your animal.

Step 3: Using your field notes, you will create a Google Slides presentation. Each presentation should have 6 slides. Of the 6 slides, one slide will be a Title slide and one slide will be a Work Cited slide. Each slide should have a minimum of 3 bulleted items and a minimum of 3 complete sentences in the Notes section. Make sure you also have pictures of your animal on EVERY slide.

Copy of Field Notes: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ztjn6yLRN9kxgNjgQEZPjxOSduZPbHlg

 

Ecosystems

Rain Forest

  • Asia
  • South America
  • Africa

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/index.htm

https://blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.php

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/habitats/rain-forest/#rain-forest-chimp.jpg

https://sciencing.com/adaptations-animals-tropical-rainforest-6862950.html

https://www.bioexplorer.net/tropical-rainforest-animal-adaptations.html/

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/Tropical-Rainforest-Plant-and-Animal-Adaptations.pdf

 

Tundra

  • Arctic

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/tundra/index.htm

https://blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.php

https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/habitats-and-ecosystems/tundra/

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/tundraA.html

http://www.animalspot.net/tundra-animals

https://nhpbs.org/wild/tundra.asp

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/About-the-Tundra.pdf

 

 

Desert

  • Africa
  • Australia
  • North America

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm

https://blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.php

http://www.livingdesert.org/animal/

https://worksheetplace.com/index.php?function=DisplaySheet&sheet=About-the-Desert&links=3&id=3954&link1=241&link2=454&link3=456

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/Desert-Plant-and-Animal-Adaptations.pdf

 

Grasslands

  • Africa
  • North America
  • South America
  • Asia

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/bison.php

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/Grasslands-Plant-and-Animal-Adaptations.pdf

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/About-the-Grasslands.pdf

https://blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.php

 

Temperate Deciduous Forest

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia

https://www.eagles.org/

https://blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.php

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/yellowstone-otters/introduction/2103/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/in-the-valley-of-the-wolves/interactive-map-where-yellowstone-wolves-roam/228/

http://www.wwfmaps.org/

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/giantpanda/panda.html

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/habitats/temperate-forest/#maple.jpg

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/Deciduous-Forest-Plant-and-Animal-Adaptations.pdf

https://worksheetplace.com/mf_pdf/About-the-Deciduous-Forest.pdf

 

Conclusion

Extended Activities

Activities, puzzles, and worksheets

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

 

Build a Prairie

http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/build/

 

Show what you know - Build a food web

http://teacher.scholastic.com/ACTIVITIES/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/form_wildcats.htm

 

Our Wonderful froggy friends are disappearing!

Frogs are very sensitive to environmental changes. The rapid lost of many species of frogs is a sure sign that something is going very wrong on our planet. Every day new species of frogs disappear from our planet forever. Meet some of the interesting fellows whose plight has been noted.

http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml