Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens

Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens

www.GrannysGardenSchool.org / 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH 45140 / 513-324-2873

Animals in the Ground Habitat

Grade Three

Lesson Summary

When to use this lesson

Use this lesson to introduce adaptations of soil animals. This is best used in September as the second of two activities that compare the adaptations of invertebrates that live among garden plants (Animals in the Garden Habitat) and invertebrates that live in soil.

Objective

Students understand that animals have adaptations that help them survive in their environment.

Materials

·  Worksheet for each student

·  Clipboard for each student

·  A collection plate for each student

·  A trowel for each student, optional

·  Pencil for each student

·  Hand lens for each student

·  Laminated compost/soil animals folder

·  Bug boxes

Estimated Duration

30 minutes

Ohio Learning Standards Connections

Life Science

Offspring resemble their parents and each other.

·  Individual organisms inherit many traits from their parents indicating a reliable way to transfer information from one generation to the next.

·  Some behavioral traits are learned through interactions with the environment and are not inherited.

Individuals of the same kind differ in their traits and sometimes the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.

·  Plants and animals have physical features that are associated with the environments where they live.

·  Plants and animals have certain physical or behavioral characteristics that improve their chances of surviving in particular environments.

Animal Adaptations

·  This lesson is the second of two activities to compare invertebrate animals that live in different habitats. Explain that today we’re gathering information to answer the question “How do the adaptations of invertebrate animals that live among the garden plants differ from the adaptations of invertebrate animals that live in the soil?” We’ll compare our observations today to the information we collected when we recorded information about invertebrates that live among the garden plants.

·  This lesson can be used with compost from the compost pile or with observations in garden soil. If you use gardens, students should not dig in the class beds and should not damage plants in flower gardens. If you opt for compost, test a sample first. Look for wet/damp compost locations.

·  Review some characteristics of animals.

Ø  Animals need air, food, water, living space, and shelter.

Ø  A habitat is the place where an animal lives and finds food and shelter. Today we’re examining the invertebrates that live in soil.

Ø  Invertebrate animals do not have a backbone, like insects and other arthropods, worms, slugs. Vertebrate animals do have a backbone, like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians.

Ø  Animals have adaptations, which are special traits, to help them survive in their habitat. Adaptations help the organism satisfy their needs. Adaptations can be physical (exoskeleton, wings, color, compound eyes, fur, etc.) or behavioral (burrowing, flying, swimming, etc.)

·  How does the soil habitat compare to last week’s garden habitat? The soil habitat has leaf litter, moss, fungi, twigs, logs, and soil to provide shelter and food to animals.

·  Trowels or wood chips can be used to observe soil in gardens. Students should not dig holes. They only need to move the soil to examine it. Students should cover their observation location before moving on to the next location.

·  If you use compost, where will you look for animals in the compost?

Ø  Using a trowel, students place a scoop of compost Frisbee/plate. Most compost animals are happiest in a moist spot rather than a dry spot. The trowel is returned to the storage bucket, and the student takes the filled Frisbee/plate to your gathering spot.

Ø  Remind students that climbing is not permitted on the compost piles.

Ø  Remind students about the acceptable use of trowels. The tool is carried point down and returned to the storage bucket when not in use.

·  Discuss the worksheet. When an invertebrate is found, identify it by name on the worksheet and list at least one adaptation.

Looking for Invertebrates

·  Students receive a hand lens to hang around their neck. Explain that the hand lens is a tool for observation that must stay around their neck, and is only used for closer observation. We’ll be respectful of nature by observing plants and animals and not harming them.

·  Give students time to explore the gardens to complete the worksheet.

·  Use the guide and photos from the compost/soil animals folder to help you and the students identify the animals you find.

·  Leave time at the end to discuss what was found and the adaptations students noted. Highlight both physical and behavioral adaptations.

·  Compare the kinds of traits of soil animals to the traits of garden animals. Discuss the differences in their adaptations. What adaptations do you find more in the garden? In soil? Were there more different kinds of insects in the soil or in the garden? Compare the body parts and colors. What conditions do soil animals need to live that garden animals do not need?

Sources

·  “Ground Invertebrates”, Woodland Habitats at Woodgate Valley, The Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery Schools. http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/woodgate/woodland/woodland11.html

·  “Ant Information”, The University of Arizona Center for Insect Science Education Outreach. http://insected.arizona.edu/antinfo.htm

·  Ribeiro, Pedro L., Helene, Andre F., Xavier, Gilberto, Navas, Carlos, Ribeiro, Fernando L. Ants Can Learn to Forage on One-Way Trails, PLOS One: A Peer Reviewed, Open-Access Journal, http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0005024, 09-16-12.

Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens

www.GrannysGardenSchool.org / 20 Miamiview Drive, Loveland, OH 45140 / 513-324-2873

Animals in the Soil Habitat – Grade Three

Name: ______

Name of Animal / List an adaptation and how it helps the animal survive.

In science, students learn that animals have traits to help them survive. Today we observed soil animals to identify their survival traits. We compared the adaptations of soil animals to animals that live among the plants of the garden to understand that animals have traits unique to the environment in which they live. Ask your student about the differences. Email to join us for our next gardening experience!

Growing the Future by Teaching Children in the Gardens

20 Miamiview Lane, Loveland, OH 45140 513-324-2873

www.GrannysGardenSchool.org

Common Compost Organisms

Level one consumers eat plant and animal waste and consist of:

fungus/mold earthworms millipedes snails pillbugs flies

bacteria other worms some mites slugs sowbugs

Level two consumers eat level one consumers and consist of:

springtails feather-winged beetles various microscopic worms some mites

Level three consumers eat level one and level two consumers and consist of:

centipedes rove beetles ground beetles ants

earwigs predatory mites pseudoscorpions spiders

Ant
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Insect
Characteristics / 6 legs; 3 body parts; 2 antennae for sensing; compound eyes; chewing mouthpart; exoskeleton; complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, adult, male and queen have wings; wasp relative
Color / Black, red, tan, brown
Lives / Soil, wood, some in galls or acorns
Eats / Insects, dead insects, nectar
Adaptations / Color; exoskeleton; pinchers to bite and chew; claw on legs for climbing; 6 legs with joints for speed and strength; live in colonies; chemical communication with scent and taste; find each other and food by scent; chewing mouthparts
Winter / Diapause in wood or soil as adult
Photo Source / Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Meat_eater_ant_feeding_on_honey02.jpg, permission granted under terms of GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2, 02-12-10
Beetle, Ground
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Insect
Characteristics / 6 legs; two antennae for sensing; 3 body parts; compound eyes; chewing mouthpart; exoskeleton; compound eyes; two pairs of wings; complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, adult
Color / Shiny black, metallic green
Lives / hides under leaves, logs, stones
Eats / slugs, insect larva, other small invertebrates
Adaptations / camouflage; fast legs to escape and catch prey; bite; plays dead; emits irritating gas
Winter / Overwinter as larva or as adult in protected place.
Photo Source / William Vann EduPic Graphical Resource, http://www.edupic.net/beetles.htm, 02-19-10
Beetle, Rove
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Insect
Characteristics / 6 legs; two antennae for sensing; 3 body parts; compound eyes; chewing mouthpart; exoskeleton; compound eyes; short wings; complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, adult
Color / Brown, black, reddish-brown and black
Lives / Under logs, rocks, decaying matter
Eats / Some eat fungus, most eat other invertebrates
Adaptations / camouflage; fast legs to escape and catch prey; when run or are threatened they curl their abdomen up
Winter / Overwinter as egg, larva, pupa, or adult in protected place.
Photo Source / Charles Lewallen, Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/homae.html, 02-12-10.
Centipede
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Chilopod
Characteristics / Usually 15 pairs of legs, one pair on each segment; 2 antennae; flattened appearance; chewing mouthpart; some have compound eyes, some clusters of simple eyes, some no eyes; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult
Color / Orange-brown
Lives / Leaf litter, soil, wood, moist habitat
Eats / slugs, worms, insects, spiders, pillbugs
Adaptations / Poisonous claws behind head to paralyze prey (like bee sting to humans); some make cuts with claws on legs and inject poison from a leg joint; exoskeleton; many legs for speed; some live up to 6 years
Winter / Overwinter as adults and lay eggs in summer
Photo Source / Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, http://entomology.unl.edu/images/centipedes/centipedes.htm, 03-14-09.
Centipede, Soil
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Chilopod
Characteristics / Usually 31 to 177 pairs of legs (always odd number), one pair on each segment; 2 antennae; flattened appearance; chewing mouthpart; no eyes; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult
Color / Orange-yellow
Lives / Soil, moist habitat
Eats / worms, insect larva, insects, pillbugs
Adaptations / Poisonous claws behind head to paralyze prey (like bee sting to humans); some make cuts with claws on legs and inject poison from a leg joint; exoskeleton; many legs for speed; some live up to 6 years
Winter / Overwinter as adults and lay eggs in summer
Photo Source / The Backyard Arthropod Project, http://somethingscrawlinginmyhair.com/2008/07/12/soil-centipede/, 03-23-09.
Daddy Long Legs (or Harvestman)
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Arachnid but not a spider
Characteristics / Cephalothorax and abdomen are fused into one part; no spinnerets; two eyes; four pairs of legs; fang-like mouthparts with no venom glands; two pedipalps near mouth to taste/sense; shed exoskeleton during growth stage including legs; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult
Color / Brown, gray
Lives / Garden, field, forest, most prefer moist, shady environment
Eats / Plants, decaying material, soft-bodied invertebrates, dead insects
Adaptations / Do not sting or have venom; can release a leg to escape predators; feet used for smell and taste; color; secretes bad-tasting, bad-smelling fluid
Winter / Overwinters as egg; adults do not live more than a year
Photo Source / by R. Bessin 2000, http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/relatives/
daddy/daddy.htm#leio, 09-28-09
Earthworm
/ Phylum/Class / Annelid/Oligochaeta
Characteristics / Segmented; slimy skin; 4 pairs of bristles called setae on underside of each segment for movement; 5 hearts; mouth; no skeleton; no lungs; no eyes; no ears; no teeth; cells near head sense light; clitellum is band near head where eggs are; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult.
Color / Commonly brown, red-brown, black-brown; other countries red, yellow, blue
Lives / Soil, moist environment
Eats / Dead plants and animals
Adaptations / long, thin body can burrow; muscles in segments for movement; bristles for movement; clitellum creates band of sticky liquid that becomes cocoon for eggs; takes in oxygen through slimy skin; slime contains nitrogen for plants; mouth sucks in food; sense vibrations
Winter / Burrow in winter, less active
Photo Source / Melanie Lee, Pics4Learning, http://www.pics4learning.com/
details.php?img=earthwormonruler.jpg, 02-12-10
Earwig
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Insect
Characteristics / Flattened look to body; forceps (cerci) are straight-sided in females and curved in males; chewing mouthpart; two antennae; six legs; three body parts; two pairs of wings (one pair hard, one membrane-like); some wingless; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult.
Color / Black, red-brown
Lives / Moist, shady places in gardens and forests
Eats / Live plants, moss, lichen, fungi, insects, aphids, spiders, mites, dead plants and animals
Adaptations / Secretes bad-smelling liquid; can pinch animals/humans with forceps; fast; forceps for defense, capturing prey, probing crevices; active at night; attracted to lights
Winter / Overwinters as egg or adult; adults burrow
Photo Source / Western Australian Department of Agriculture – Entomology, http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/ento/
pestweb/Images/earwig1.gif, 02-19-10
Fly, House
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Insect
Characteristics / Sponging mouthpart; 6 legs; 3 body parts; 1 set of wings; compound eyes; soft body; complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, adult; can smell
Color / Black
Lives / Garden, field, forest
Eats / Nectar, dry food
Adaptations / Liquefies food with saliva; sponging mouthparts; spit on food and suck it up; large eyes – dependent on vision; taste buds on feet; wings beat so fast they buzz
Winter / Overwinters as adult; inactive except when warm; overwinters in cracks in trees and buildings
Photo Source / Jon Sullivan, Public-Domain-Photos.Com, http://www.public-domain-photos.com/insects/fly-4.htm, 02-12-10
Millipede
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Diplopod
Characteristics / Over 30 pairs of legs (usually 100 to 300, some 750), two pairs on each segment; 2 antennae for sensing; rounded appearance; chewing mouthpart; cluster of simple eyes; simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph resembling adult, and adult
Color / Black-brown, lighter color when young
Lives / Leaf litter, soil, wood, moist habitat
Eats / Scavenger - leaf litter, dead insects, worms, snails
Adaptations / camouflage; exoskeleton long and thin to move quickly; curls into coil; many legs for speed; expels a fluid which can be irritating and stinky – can be dangerous to eyes; eat their molted exoskeleton which has calcium that hardens the new exoskeleton; lives many years
Winter / Overwinter as adults or young in organic matter
Photo Source / Rottler Pest and Lawn Solutions, http://www.rottler.com/pest-library/pestlibrary_millipedes.htm, 9-27-09.
Pillbug
/ Phylum/Class / Arthropod/Crustacean