Map a Local Ecosystem
Objective
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Students define an ecosystem by identifying its natural and man-made elements. Students identify several species, animals and/or insects. Students propose whether the plants and animals are native or nonnative species, and research disturbances in the ecosystem which may explain changes in the plant community.
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Materials
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(Measuring Tape
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(String
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(8 stakes
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(Scissors
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(Plant identification books
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(half-inch graph paper
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(Plastic, zip-lock bag or film container
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Procedures
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1. Choose a neighborhood ecosystem which can be explored safely. Contact your local parks department if you need help finding a suitable ecosystem.
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2. Before visiting the site learn its history and that of the surrounding area. How has the land been used in the past? What plant and wildlife species existed in the area before it was settled?
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3. At the site, use the measuring tape, string and stakes to mark off a 50 foot by 50 foot section. Use the graph paper to make a map of the section. Draw compass symbols, and create a legend.
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4. Starting one corner, systematically, walk through the section you have marked off. Use tree and plant identification books to identify trees or plants that seem to be the dominant species in the section. Make their approximate locations on your map.
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5. Draw the leaves of the foliage in your journal when possible. Make notes on general environmental conditions. How much light does this ecosystem receive? Do plants seem to compete for light? Is the soil compact? Dry? Are there any signs of animal or insect life? How much, if any garbage is in the area?
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6. Save some of the soil and/or any surface water for future testing in your plastic baggy or film container. Make sure to mark the container with the date and your name.
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7. Summarize your findings in a brief report. Explain if and how the ecosystem that you studied has changed over time. What events or environmental conditions may account for the inhabitants in your environment?
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8. What would you need to do to restore the ecosystem to an original or earlier state? What plants would you introduce?
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Identifying the Quinnipiac River Basin and Other Long Island Rivers
Using the maps in the Appendix and those provided by the State of Connecticut (see Resources), students will identify the Quinnipiac River and other rivers which comprise the Watershed: The Dead Wood Swamp, Eightmile, Tenmile, Harbor Brook, Wharton Brook, and Muddy River. Students will answer the following questions:
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1. Identify each of the Quinnipiac River Watershed rivers. Through which towns do each of these rivers flow?
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2. Form teams of six. Each student will select one of the rivers and identify its tributaries—the smaller streams and rivers that flow into it. Have the team combine this information to illustrate one large detailed Quinnipiac River Watershed map.
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3. Identify Long Island Sound. List the towns and cities which form the Sound coastline.
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4. Identify other rivers which flow into Long Island Sound.
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5. Three primary sewage treatment plant overflows empty into the harbor which serve New Haven, East Haven, Hamden and Woodbridge: Boulevard, East Street and East Shore Sewage Treatment Plants. Locate these treatment plants on a local map. Which river or estuary carries sewage overflow to Long Island Sound?
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6. If the other large rivers emptying into Long Island Sound contain sewage treatment plant overflow, what effect might these rivers have on conditions in Long Island Sound?
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7. Which nearby communities might be affected if farmers in Farmington used pesticides which washed into waterways? Which nearby communities are affected by chemical fertilizers used at the Orange Golf Course?
Water and All its Uses
Students will maintain a journal where they can log daily activities and record all the ways they use water. Remind students to consider water which is a component of something they use. For example, water is used in the car’s engine, or cooling system. List all the uses the class may brainstorm. Which of these uses may contribute to pollution?
Start a Scrapbook
Create a class scrapbook from newspaper articles, magazine articles, pamphlets, photographs and other items related to the Quinnipiac River Basin, Long Island Sound and local water pollution. Maintain this scrapbook throughout the unit as it will serve as reference for projects in which students will take action on a specific problem or current issue which will impact water pollution locally. Start writing letters to the organizations listed in Appendix A requesting information. The class should decide how they should organize information in their scrapbook.
Measure Water Quality
Phosphate and nitrate levels increase when excess fertilizers or sewage enters waterways. Nitrate levels above 1 part per million (ppm indicate contamination. Phosphate levels above .1 ppm may cause explosive algae growth. When this algae dies, the decay process depletes the water of oxygen.
The pH scale measures the “potential of Hydrogen”, the concentration of hydrogen ions on a scale 1 of 14. On this scale, pH values of less than 7 indicate an acid, while those greater than 7 indicate a base (alkaline). Pure water is neither an alkaline nor a base; it is neutral with a pH value of 7. Rainwater is slightly more acidic with a pH of 6.5. Ammonia has a pH of 11 or 12. Most fish tolerate a pH range of 6 to 8.5.
Materials
Water samples
Plastic vials with tops
neutral litmus paper
nitrate and phosphate testing kit
Procedures
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1. Collect water samples from around school, home, local rivers and waterways. Label each with location, date and time of day.
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2. Test samples with litmus paper. Identify which are acidic.
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3. Test samples using phosphate and nitrate testing kits. Are all water samples the same? Record data.
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4. Collect samples again after a rainstorm. Record pH levels. How do they change? Record phosphate and nitrate values. Create bar charts showing the change.
Model Long Island Sound
One way to understand the ways people have damaged the Sound through pollution is to model the Sound as a 20-gallon fish tank. Students can set up the tank, adding plants and gold fish. Long Island Sound contains about 16 billion gallons of water, so the scale is about 1 to 800 million.
Add two teaspoons of raw sewage each day. Add a tenth of a teaspoon of toxic chemicals such as pesticides or solvents (using cleaners from school or home are ideal).
As soon as pollutants are added to the fish tank, remove the fish and examine the gills using a magnifying glass. Students should see the gills which process oxygen quickly respond to the pollutants. Point out that the goldfish would die if left in the tank. Remove the goldfish to clean water, the humanitarian way to complete this project.
Keep adding pollutants and observe water color and smell, and the effects on plants. Students will observe algae growth which blocks out light, absorbs oxygen and ultimately kills the plants, and would kill the fish if they were not removed. Observe the water under a microscope or test water quality, as describes previously.
Develop a Public Opinion Survey
Public information surveys are used to gather information to make generalizations about attitudes. Students will:
(1) Decide what they want to know
(2) Target a specific audience. For example, if they want to examine the opinions of commuters on the expansion of the Quinnipiac River Bridge, they will only Iinterview staff which commutes.
(3) Write questions, taking care to avoid bias. They should ask similar questions phrased differently to ensure consistency of responses
(4) Conduct the survey
(5) Analyze data and report findings. Pie charts are excellent tools for reporting survey findings.
Construct a Pie Chart
Pie charts are excellent visual representations of survey data because they show responses relative to other options.
(1) Students should select data they wish to illustrate.
(2) Convert raw numbers to percentages by dividing the number of those selecting a particular response by the total and multiplying by 100.
(3) Calculate the size of each pie section. The pie “slices” are developed by multiplying the percentage value by 360 (degrees in the circle).
(4) Draw the pie. Color coding each section is also an effective visual tool.
(5) Label each section and title the pie chart.
Figure 1
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