Our High Island Home / Created by Island Research & Education Initiative in Collaboration with Paci"C Resources for Education and Learning
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USP Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Our high island home / created by Island Research & Education Initiative in collaboration with Paci"c Resources for Education and Learning. -- Palikir, Pohnpei : Island Research & Education Initiative, 2014. 36 p. : col. ill. ; 29 cm. ISBN 978-982-9123-86-2 1. Physical geography--Oceania--Juvenile literature. I. Island Research & Education Initiative. II. Paci"c Resources for Education and Learning. GB391.O97 2014 910.021--dc23 Paci!c Islands Climate Education Partnership (PCEP) Author: Danko Taboroši Editors: Marylin Low and Art Sussman Vector illustrations: Sevuloni Tora Photography: please see page 34 for image credits Design, layout, and image processing: Jyrgalism Design Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1239733 Published by Island Research & Education Initiative (iREi) i REi PO Box PS 303, Palikir, Pohnpei, FM 96941 Federated States of Micronesia $is book is one in a series of environmental and climate education books prepared for schools in the Paci"c Islands. $is and the other titles in the series can be obtained from iREi and PREL. For more information, please visit PCEP at pcep.prel.org or contact iREi at [email protected] or PREL at [email protected]. Citation: Taboroši, Danko. Our High Island Home. Paci"c islands Climate Education Partnership (PCEP), Place-based resources for Paci"c Island schools. Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia: Island Research & Education Initiative, 2014. © 2014 iREi and PREL. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the iREi and PREL. Note: We hereby grant permission to the employees and volunteers of PREL, iREi, WestEd, College of the Marshall Islands, and the University of Hawai‘i, as well as employees and volunteers of government education authorities in American Sāmoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam, Hawai‘i, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau (ROP) to reproduce and/or modify parts of this publication for direct teaching purposes provided that this book is cited as the source and reproduced and/or modi"ed material is less than 50% of the total. Disclaimer: $is work has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant #1239733 to Paci"c Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) in partnership with WestEd, University of Hawaii, and the OUR HIGH ISLAND HOME College of the Marshall Islands. $e "ndings and opinions expressed here are those of Island Research & Education Initiative (iREi) and do not necessarily re%ect the views of the funding agency. Place-based resources for Pacific Island schools DEDICATION TABLE OF CONTENTS For students, teachers and communities 4 INTRODUCTION living in tropical Paci!c island environments. 6 WHO LIVES WHERE ON OUR ISLAND? 8 TREE GARDEN 10 FOREST 12 GRASSLAND 14 WETLAND 16 RIVER 18 SEAGRASS BED 20 MANGROVE SWAMP 22 REEF 24 LAGOON 26 GLOSSARY 28 TEACHING TIPS 34 ILLUSTRATION CREDITS 2 3 t INTRODUCTION There are low and This book describes Many of the plants This book has high islands in di&erent environments and animals live in pictures of plants the Paci"c Ocean. on Paci"c high islands. this warm climate. and animals that All islands have Pictures show these $ey are di&erent live on high islands. some of the same environments, and from the plants and Which ones do you environments (kinds the plants and animals animals that live in know? Talk with your of places such as coral that live there. colder parts of the friends, family and reef, open ocean, and planet. teachers to "nd out forest). Some islands what they know about hese islands are in have places not found T the environments, the Paci"c Ocean near he words that are on the other islands. T plants and animals on the equator. Because in blue might be your island home. of this location, the new words for you islands have a warm to know. Check out climate. It is warm the Glossary near the for the whole year. It is back of the book. You warm during the day can learn what each and during the night. of these words mean. $e ocean is warm all We write these words year. in blue the "rst time they are in the book. 4 5 WHO LIVES WHERE We call a home for a plant or animal a habitat. t ON OUR ISLAND? In this book, we explore di&erent habitats on high islands. We learn about the plants and People live on our island. Plants and animals animals that live there. do, too. $ey live where there is food and water. Plants grow and produce new plants there. Animals raise their young there. Di&erent plants WHERE DO and animals live in di&erent places on our island. PEOPLE LIVE? Coconut palms live near the shore. Fish live in the ocean. People live in villages. ISLAND People live in a village. Where is the village on the island to the le'? LAGOON Where do plants and animals live? Turn the page to "nd out. REEF 6 OCEAN 7 t TREE GARDEN THE TREE GARDEN IS OUR HOME Many people brought breadfruit, coconut, taro, and pandanus plants to the islands. Today, these trees and plants grow in gardens in our villages. Tree gardens are habitats for plants. $ey give us fruit, root crops and other vegetables to eat. SWEET POTATO SKINK Tree gardens are also home to insects, lizards, wild birds, chickens and pigs. BANANA HONEYEATER COCONUT CHICKEN BREADFRUIT WATER BUFFALO 8 9 t FOREST THE FOREST IS OUR HOME Forests on high islands have wild trees, bushes, and herbs. A forest habitat has many di&erent trees and other plants. $ey have insects, lizards, birds, and bats, too. Some plants and animals live only in high island habitats. $ese MOSS CENTIPEDE special plants and animals do not live anywhere else in the world. Scientists say that they are endemic to our islands. FERN FLYCATCHER BANYAN WHITEYE TERMINALIA BAT 10 11 t GRASSLAND THE GRASSLAND IS OUR HOME Some parts of our islands are covered with grass and other small plants. $ese grasslands are open with lots of sunlight. Sun-loving plants such as grasses, ferns, bushes, and %owers grow there. Hiding in the grass are CLUBMOSS WASP many kinds of insects, spiders, lizards, and birds. MANA FERN SPIDER SWORDGRASS SKINK WILDCANE YELLOW BITTERN 12 13 t WETLAND THE WETLAND IS OUR HOME Some low-lying island areas are covered with water most of the time. $ese wetland habitats have a lot of water. Various grasses, reeds, and trees grow well in wetlands. Hiding in shallow water ponds are freshwater "sh, shrimp, crabs, SEDGE LAND CRAB and many water insects. Birds that feed on these animals also live in wetland habitats. People grow taro in the wetlands. REED TOAD PARA GRASS MOORHEN TARO EGRET 14 15 t RIVER THE RIVER IS OUR HOME When it rains, water runs downhill across the land. $is water joins to make streams. Streams come together and form larger streams called rivers. Plants that like lots of water grow along the rivers. Snails, shrimp, and "sh live in these WILD HIBISCUS SHRIMP freshwater rivers. Some animals live only in fresh water. Some also live in water that is salty. POWDER-PUFF TREE FLAGTAIL BAMBOO GOBY FRESHWATER SNAIL EELS 16 17 t SEAGRASS BED SEAGRASS BED IS OUR HOME Seagrasses are kinds of grass that grow in seawater. $ey cover shallow parts of the reef and lagoon. Seagrass beds look like underwater grasslands. Worms, clams, snails, sea cucumbers, and "sh have habitats in seagrass beds. Some GREEN ALGAE EMERALD SNAIL kinds of young "sh grow up in seagrass. $ey hide to escape the bigger "sh that eat them. When these young "sh get bigger, they move to other places. SMALL SEAGRASS SEA CUCUMBER TAPE SEAGRASS PIPEFISH NARROWLEAF SEAGRASS PUFFERFISH 18 19 t MANGROVE SWAMP MANGROVE SWAMP IS OUR HOME Mangroves are special trees that grow where fresh water and ocean water mix. $ey form %ooded forests or swamps between the land and the ocean. Mangrove roots are very strong. Mangroves protect the land from waves and MANGROVE FERN MANGROVE SNAIL storms. $e mangrove swamp habitat is home to crabs, "sh, birds, and many other animals. WHITE MANGROVE FIDDLER CRAB RED MANGROVE MUDSKIPPER NYPA MULLET 20 21 t REEF THE REEF IS OUR HOME Reefs are large structures in shallow waters. $ey are built mostly by corals but also by some kinds of algae. Reefs are home to lots of sea life: sponges, sea anemones, worms, clams, snails, sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, shrimp, FIRE CORAL LOBSTER crabs, and many kinds of "sh. Coral reefs are very important. $ey have more kinds of animals living there than in any other place in the ocean. STAGHORN CORAL SEA URCHIN BRAIN CORAL DAMSELFISH COWRY LIONFISH 22 23 t LAGOON THE LAGOON IS OUR HOME Coral reefs and islands surround a lagoon. $ey protect it from the open ocean. $e lagoon has many di&erent types of habitats: muddy areas, sandy areas, seagrass, and coral. It is home to sea plants and animals: algae, sponges, corals, SPONGE BOX CRAB sea anemones, jelly"sh, worms, clams, snails, sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, shrimp, crabs, and many kinds of "sh. $e lagoon has many living things. WORMS SEA STAR GIANT CLAM PARROTFISH CONCH SNAIL MORAY EEL 24 25 GLOSSARY Algae – plants that Environment – a live in water and kind of place and do not have roots. its land, air and Some algae have water. shells and help build very strong Habitat – a natural reefs.