Keystone Species
adaptation
A physical or behavioral trait that helps an animal survive in its environment
predator
An animal that eats another animal
omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and meat
carnivore
An animal that eats only meat, or other animals
herbivore
An animal that eats only plant material
prey
An animal that gets eaten by another animal
Describe the honeybee "waggle dance" activity.
Bees help pollinate flowers by alerting other bees to the pollen source with a waggle dance. Hide the plastic flower(s). Then I need to do a waggle dance (figure-8, waggle in direction of flower) to alert where the flower is. *Try to purchase local honey to support beekeepers. WE LOST 44% OF OUR HIVES IN 2015. Also, plant a whole lotta flowers.*
Describe the elephant water/smell activity.
Discuss how elephants are able to find water with scent. Then discuss how they drink. Take a look at the film canisters, and smell them. If there is a scent, "dig" it out! If there is not, don't bother, because elephants wouldn't waste their time, so why should you? *Encourage kids to save water at their house and use reusable bottles.*
habitat
environment where an organism lives throughout the year or for shorter periods of time
What do prairie dogs create (think broad)?
islands of habitat for more than 150 species
conservation
management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect
gopher tortoise basics + Why do other animals rely on them?
native to southeastern US dig burrows with shovel-like front feet that can be 40 ft long and 10 ft deep (shelter from extremes, like heat) Burrows provide shelter to more than 360 other species!
extinct
no longer existing
umbrella species
similar to a keystone species, but often migratory, requiring large amounts of habitat for survival(tiger)
domino effect
situation in which one event causes another, which causes yet another, until an entire system is changed
indicator species
species sensitive to environmental changes that can indicate declines in habitat health
foundation species
species that plays a critical role in establishing an environment (e.g. coral)
How do other animals rely on prairie dogs?
Other animals use the prairie dog burrow to hide in for shelter (e.g. tiger salamander, black-footed ferret). Prairie dogs are also a good source of food.
Describe the elephant eating activity.
Pick up Cheerios with the cootie catchers, and drop them in a bowl. Then use the corn cobs to grind the Cheerios in the bowl.
Describe the sea star whiteboard activity.
Place all animal cutouts (sea stars, sea otters, gulls, sea anemones, kelp) and TWO mussels on the whiteboard. Then remove one sea star and add one mussel. Repeat, but this time, remove one other animal as well. Repeat that until all the animals except for mussels are gone! What happened?
Describe the gopher tortoise whiteboard activity.
Place all animals on the board. Explain how when fire or cold strikes, animals hide within the tortoise's burrow to stay alive. What happens if a tortoise or two (OR ALL) is/are removed? *You can help save other species of turtles that live in Maryland by leaving them alone! Jk, preserve their habitat.*
Describe the prairie dog grass activity.
Place grasses and plants on Velcro on the habitat spread. Then remove the grasses. Now do the rest of the plants have more room to grow?
Describe the prairie dog block activity.
Place prairie dog blocks on bottom. Stack other blocks on top in pyramid in any order. Then remove one of the prairie dogs. What happens?
How do plants rely on prairie dogs?
Prairie dogs eat only one "type" of plant (grass?), which allows other types to grow. They also lock moisture into the soil by foraging, which also promotes new plant growth.
Describe the elephant Jenga activity.
Set up the Jenga tower. Draw one card at a time, and follow the instructions. Don't remove blocks from the top three rows.
How is a keystone species defined?
The contributions of a keystone species are large compared to its prevalence in the ecosystem.
How do mice and shrews benefit from the elephant?
They are able to burrow in the warm, dry soil of a healthy savannah without trees, which the elephant maintains.
How do elephants help prevent death from drought?
They are able to locate and dig up water sources with their amazing scent of smell. They are also able to carry up to three gallons of water in their trunk.
Why are sea stars important keystone species?
They are key predators to mollusks (sea urchins, mussels, etc.), keeping those populations in check.
How do elephants help maintain the savannah habitat?
They knock down and eat invading trees, creating more space for grazers to eat.
How do elephants eat?
They use their trunk to pick up their food (as small as a dime!) and then crunch it in their flat, herbivore teeth.
What is the point of a keystone species?
Without them, other species present in the ecosystem might very likely go extinct, too.
What type of animal is a keystone species, often?
a predator
endangered
a species seriously at risk of extinction
keystone species (definition)
a species that has a major influence on the way an ecosystem works
biodiversity
all of the different kinds of living organisms within a given area
grazer
an herbivore that feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants, such as shrubs
browser
an herbivore that primarily eats grass or other low vegetation
food web
charts the flow of energy through the environment and all the possible feeding relationships at each trophic level
ecosystem
community and interactions of living and nonliving things in an area