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My Place, Your Place, OUR Place! The Gobi Bear’s place in

Teacher Edition 1 The goal of this book is to provide information about the natural history and cultural significance of the Gobi Bear.

This booklet provides teachers with lesson ideas to incorporate “My Place, Your Place, Our Place” into the existing curriculum.

Some lessons rely heavily on teachers guiding students in their learning and others allow for more open-ended exploration. 2I Table of Contents Introduction...... I

Section A: My Place • About You...... 2 - My Place (Observations)...... 5

Section B: Learning about Ecosystems • Living (Biotic) and Non-Living (Abiotic) Parts of an Ecosystem...... 9 Earth Systems Science, Global Change, Conservation Considerations ...... 12 • Individuals, Populations, Communities and Ecosystems...... 14 Prairie Dog Worksheet ...... 17 • An Ecosystem...... 21 Assemble an Ecosystem ...... 21 • Food Chain within an Ecosystem...... 22 • Your Food Chain ...... 25 • Poem: Links in a Food Chain ...... 26 • Foo d Web...... 28 Yellowstone National Park Ecosystem Comparison...... 29

Section C: The Gobi Bear • Ecosystem of the Gobi Bear ...... 30 Biotic and Abiotic Threats ...... 31 • The Gobi ...... 33 • of the ...... 34 Explanation of Adapations ...... 34 & 36 - Dressed for Success ...... 35 • Gobi Bear Distribution...... 38 • Concept Map of Threats to the Gobi Bear...... 40 • Gobi Bear ...... 43 • Reflections...... 44 Creating a Velcro Ecosystem ...... 46 Community Mural Activity ...... 47

Glossary of Terms...... 49 References...... 54 1 Activity: Have the students fill out the following to create their own version of “My Place, Your Place, About You Our Place.” It is meant to be a place to develop their questions Name and understandings of biological concepts.

Extension: Encourage students to research what types of animals live in other Age parts of Mongolia.

Why it Matters: • Animals have become successful due to their ability to adapt to changes or to move. • The Gobi is home to many Class rare and globally threatened ; Bactrian , Asiatic wild ass, black-tailed , Argali sheep and . • Species at risk by poachers include: Village -musk : poached for its valuable scent glands -brown bears: killed for their gall bladders -: hunted Number of people in your illegally for their antlers and family antler velvet -snow leopards: killed for their pelts and bones.

What are your hobbies?

2 Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area- A

This is your country!

Mark where you live.

Mark where all of the members of your family live.

Who lives farthest from where you live?

Where are the places you have visited?

What part of Mongolia do you want to visit most?

What interests you in that part of Mongolia?

3 This portion of the student book is This is our . It is made up of to explain where one is located in and oceans. the world and to understand how we all share our resources: air, Match the names to their place on the map. water and energy.

Have the students write the proper Continents Oceans name of the continents and oceans Atlantic in the boxes on the map. Pacific Indian Extension: Southern • Encourage students to research animals in different parts of the world. • As a group, make a large map and place the students’ animals where each lives.

Arctic

Europe North America Asia Atlantic

Pacific Indian Africa

South America Australia

Southern

Antarctica

4 Activity: My PLACE In this part of the lesson, each student is directed to find a piece Find a piece of land that is one-meter square. of land that they think is special; Make it special. they then call it their ‘place’, or Mark it with flags. they can personally name it. This is your ‘place!’ As a first step, perhaps the teacher can find their own ‘place’ near to school, so that you may walk there and show the students your ground. Mark out 1 meter square with sticks or flags. The 1 meter plot is to focus the students’ observation. Do a descriptive drawing of your ‘place’ in relation to the surrounding countryside so that when you show the students your land, you can also show them how you’ve drawn your land in the journal.

MAP: Make a large wall map to show students ‘places,’ the school, village, roads, and etc.

1 m.

5 Activity: Sit quietly, listen and watch all of the To begin their inquiry, students might find it helpful to fill in: things that happen in your ‘place.’ Observe I see.... the insects, birds, plants, water, and I hear.... animals. I smell.... I have observed.... I feel.... Take notes to share with your classmates. When I touched it, it felt...

Why it matters: • Observation is key to understanding the world around us. • All things are interconnected. • It takes practice to become a good observer. • It helps to organize your observation into categories.

Example: Observe and compare versus insects. Also notice how insects interact with the living and non-living (to be introduced following).

Activity: Generate curiosity by having students come up with ‘30 questions.’

6 Discuss your ‘place’ with your classmates. Extension: Cut a variety of different shapes Think about how your ‘place’ is different out of colored paper or recycled from your classmates’ places. materials. How is it similar? Have the students assemble the shapes to create a representation of plants, animals or insects that Now, go back to your ‘place’ and draw they have observed in their ‘place.’ what you see in your ‘place.’ *Use sticks, leaves, fabric, string and grass to represent ecosystem parts.

7 8 Connections: Provide a description of the Gobi desert as an example of another environment where there are a unique variety of living and non-living organisms.

Highlight the harsh environment of the Gobi desert and how this determines many of the plants and animals that live there. Refer to Living and Non-Living the glossary for images of a few of the plants and animals found in the Parts of an Ecosystem Gobi desert.

Note: Our world is made up of living and non-living Organic and inorganic are parts. Living organisms eat, grow, produce interchangable with biotic and waste and reproduce. Anything that was or abiotic. is living is considered biotic. Non-living, or Examples include: abiotic examples include sunlight (energy), • Soil or rock erosion is inorganic. rocks (soil), air and water. Biotic and abiotic • The process of plant and growth is organic. elements interact with each other creating a functional ecosystem.

Objects that humans create from combining living or non-living things are considered man- made. For example: clothes, houses, or blankets.

Notice all of the living and non-living parts of the ecosystem in the picture to the left. What other things, living or non-living, might be in your ‘place’? How do you think they interact?

9 Non-Living (Abiotic)

Living (Biotic)

10 Additional Abiotic Examples:

• Fire (Energy) • Rocks • Minerals (Gold & Salt) • Oil •

List the non-living and living things you see in your ‘place.’ Additional Biotic Examples:

• Scorpions Non-Living (Abiotic): • 1.) Sand • Bears 2.) Sunlight • Snakes 3.) Air 4.) Water Note: Ecology is the sum of the biotic Living (Biotic): and abiotic interactions including animals, plants and 1.) Flowers bacteria with water, minerals, 2.) Trees sun and sand. 3.) Grass 4.) Insects 5.) 6.)

11 Extensions for : Ecosystems are also affected by , geological and geothermal transformations (volcanoes, earthquakes), glacial movements, water availability and human activities.

On Global Climate Change: (From NASA scientist Jim Hansen)

1. Mountain glaciers are receding worldwide and will disappear within 50 years if CO2 emissions continue to increase. This threatens the fresh water supply for billions of people, as rivers originating in the , and Rocky Mountains will begin to run dry in the summer and fall.

2. Coral reefs, home to a quarter of biological species in the ocean, could be destroyed by rising temperature and other human caused changes in the oceans’ makeup.

3. Dry subtropics are expanding poleward affecting the , the Mediterranean , and Australia with increasing drought and fires.

4. Arctic sea ice will disappear entirely in the summer if CO2 continues to increase with devastating effects on wildlife and indigenous people.

5. Heavy , storms, floods, droughts and fires are increasing globally. 12 Considerations: Essential resources for wildlife and are often limited. These resources can include grass and water.

-who gets these scarce resources (the domestic camel or the wild camel)? -wildlife species requirements -habitat improvement and/or deterioration -multi-species grazing -human interactions -how does mining impact culture? -nutrient cycling -refer to page 29 for cascading ecosystems

13 The glossary has the best Parts of an Ecosystem description of these words. Use pictures and allow the students to practice using these words in different ways.

Why it matters: • Many organisms benefit from An example of an individual: living in groups. one . • For example: organism -By forming a V, geese can reduce the amount of energy needed to migrate. They take turns at being the lead bird. -A flock of sand grouse stay together to confuse an eagle or falcon. -Groups of zebras and graze together in open grasslands near wildebeast An example of a population: for additional security from these organisms are the same predators. species and live together.

An example of a community: more than one species of organisms all living together in the same area. 14 An example of an ecosystem: many populations of species and non-living things interacting and existing in one place. These can range from large to small places, such as the , valleys or oases. Organisms in an ecosystem all share resources, such as water, air and food.

15 Ecosystem Worksheet

Organism Population

Community

Ecosystem A Ecosystem 16 C Community

B Habitat D Population

Choose the most appropriate vocabulary term from the list above

1 ______All the living and non living things in an area

2 ______All the ants in an anthill

3 ______An area that provides food and shelter

4 ______Fish, frogs, turtles, lily pads and dragonflies are all members of the same what?

5 ______All the blackbirds in your neighborhood

6 ______A forest

7 ______The damp soil within a forest in which a mushroom grows

8 ______Different populations that live together in a particular area

9 ______A prairie dog, a hawk, and a badger all members of the same what?

10 ______The rainbow trout in a stream Choose the most appropriate vocabulary term from the list.

a. Organism c. Community b. Population d. Ecosystem

d 1. ____ All the biotic and abiotic features in an area. b 2. ____ All the ants in an anthill.

3. ____d The grasslands and animals around a yurt.

4. ____c All the fish, frogs, turtles, lily pads and dragonflies. b 5. ____ All of the goats in a herd.

6. ____d A forest.

7. ____d The damp soil next to a stream where grasses grow.

8. ____c Different populations that live together in one area.

9. ____c A hedgehog, a hawk and a fox.

10. ____a A fly flying.

17 A population of wildebeasts makes their way across the grasslands of western Africa. 18 In the ocean, many populations make up the community of a coral reef. 19 A community of Caribou, Murrelets, Mosquitos and Walrus sharing resources.

20 An Ecosystem

Activity: Assemble an Ecosystem

Skills Used: Observing, Classifying, Communicating

Key Vocabulary: Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem

Lesson Time: 60 minutes

Conceptual Objective: Students will be able to distinguish between the characteristics that make-up an individual, a population, a community and an ecosystem.

Process Objective: Students will make a poster showing the relationship between an individual of a species, a population of that species, a community that includes that population, and the ecosystem that includes the non-living parts of the environment.

Materials: • Magazines • Scissors • Poster boards (3ft. x 2ft.) • Glue • Markers • Chalkboard Procedure: 1. Make four columns on the chalkboard with the headings: Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem. 2. Re-introduce these terms to the class and have the students give examples of each. 3. Explain to the class how individuals make up populations, how populations make up communities, how communities make up ecosystems. 4. Pass out supplies and have children draw or use magazine cut-outs to illustrate the relationships starting with an individual and finishing with an ecosystem. It might be easiest to draw arrows from one to the next.

Photograph: The Caribou are taking refuge from the mosquitos on the . The Murrelets are feeding on marine organisms. The Walrus uses the beach to warm himself and feeds on the deep water clams.

21 Food Chain within an Ecosystem All organisms (including you!) require food for survival. Whether a worm or a bear, food is a necessity! Many different types of animals share habitats and live in communities together. In a community, an organism will be a source of food for others. In a food chain, organisms are producers, consumers, or decomposers. Plants are producers that make their own food using sunlight, soil and other elements. Animals are consumers because they eat other animals and plants. Fungi are decomposers using dead organisms and non-living compounds as food. Both producers and consumers die providing food for the decomposers who recycle the material back into the ecosystem.

Herbivores are consumers that only eat plants, carnivores only eat other animals and omnivores feed on both plants and animals. Scavengers are carnivores that eat dead animals. Detritivores are organisms that eat dead and decomposing organic matte r. 22 Consumers

North American Brown Bear 23 Sun

Vegetation

Soil

Decomposers

Water

An example of a food chain. Notice how individuals are connected to each other. Think about where other biotic and abiotic features would fit into the food chain.

24 Activity: Using your understanding of the food chain, Ask your students to think about write about where your family’s food comes where their food originates and from. Where do you get all the ingredients for how it eventually comes to them. your meal? What are the abiotic factors needed to grow the food for your meal? How does the Remind students that interactions food get to you? within a food chain can be simple, such as a plant needing sun, soil and water to live or more complex such as an insect eating the leaf of a plant, a spider eating the insect, a sparrow eating the spider, a hawk eating the sparrow, the hawk dies and is eaten by a vulture, the vulture dies and is eaten by bacteria.

25 Links in a Food Chain Anonymous Author There once was a flower that grew on the plain. Where the sun helped it grow, and so did the -- Links in a food chain.

There once was a bug who nibbled on flowers, Nibbled on flowers for hours and hours! The bug ate the flower that grew on the plain, Where the sun helped it grow, and so did the rain-- Links in a food chain.

There once was a bird who gobbled up bugs, And creepies and crawlies, and slimies and slugs. The bird ate the bug, who nibbled on flowers, Nibbled on flowers for hours and hours! The bug ate the flower that grew on the plain, Where the sun helped it grow, and so did the rain-- Links in a food chain.

There once was a snake who often grabbed birds, And swallowed them whole, or so I have heard. The snake ate the bird, who gobbled up bugs, And creepies and crawlies, and slimies and slugs. The bird ate the bug, who nibbled on flowers, 26 Nibbled on flowers for hours and hours! The bug ate the flower that grew on the plain, Where the sun helped it grow, and so did the rain-- Links in a food chain.

There once was a fox, and I’ll make a bet: He’d eat anything he could possibly get. The fox ate the snake, who often grabbed birds, and swallowed the whole, or so I have heard. The snake ate the bird, who gobbled up bugs, And creepies and crawlies, and slimies and slugs. The bird ate the bug, who nibbled on flowers, Nibbled on flowers for hours and hours! The bug ate the flower that grew on the plain, Where the sun helped it grow, and so did the rain-- Links in a food chain.

The fox, he grew older and died one spring day, But he made the soil rich, when he rotted away. A new flower grew where he died on the plain. And the sun helped it grow, and so did the rain-- LINKS IN A FOOD CHAIN.

27 The Gobi bear is part of many food chains called a food web. Can you create more connections in this web? Discussion: Ask your students to discuss what would happen when one or more elements were completely removed from or added to the food web. This could get complex, so it might be nice to give the students examples when they start out.

Resource: Use the Przewalski Horse as an example of the successful reintroduction into the Mongolian landscape.

Reference: “Mammals of Mongolia” by N. Batsaikhan et al. 28 This is a flow chart of what happened to the food web in Yellowstone National Park when wolves were removed from the landscape by trappers. The food web became simpler. Without wolves, elk populations increased and over grazed their habitat which in turn removed necessary resources for other animals. When the wolves were returned, the ecosystem became more complex and balanced. Pre wolf re-introduction in Yellowstone National Park: (1926-1995) ELK

In the winter, In the summer, the elk browse elk graze in in the willows the grasses Grasses and and riparian Upland and shrubs. shrubs Willows areas.

Riparian Area Plants Post wolf re-introduction in Yellowstone National Park: (1995-present) WOLVES

preyÊon

winterÊbrowsingÊin ELK

UplandÊWillowsÊ summerÊgrazingÊon (insteadÊofÊriskyÊ riparian) GrassesÊandÊ shrubs resultingÊin

AnÊÊÊÊÊÊinÊ riparianÊ provideÊhomeÊto numberÊandÊ sizeÊofÊplants. provide Beavers provideÊsourceÊof HealthyÊ creates HealthyÊfishÊ streamsÊandÊ HomeÊandÊshelterÊ habitat banks forÊmigratoryÊbirdsÊ 29 The Gobi bear lives in the harsh environment of the Gobi Desert.

Ecosystem of the Gobi Bear

The Gobi Bear is listed as Very Rare in the Red Book of Mongolia. Gobi bears are found only in the Gobi Desert. The population has been observed to fluctuate and the most recent estimate is 22-31 individuals remaining.

The shy brown bear’s habitat is shared by other wildlife (wild ass, agali, ibex, wolves, fox, and gazelle) in hilly and rocky desert areas often near water sources called oases. The Gobi bear is an omnivore feeding on leaves, roots and berries of plants, and insects and small mammals.

Village elders say that before the 1970’s the bears ranged from Edrengiyn Nuruu Mountains to the north and the Tost Range to the east; an area three times greater than its present range.

30 Biotic Threats: Ecological: • Very little is known about the Gobi bear (one of the biggest threats) • Poor nutrition due to drought • Present density of bears in the Gobi Strictly Protected Area A (of the 10 bears collared they occupy 10,400 sq. km.) Biological: • Competition for water resources by other wildlife • Loss of genetic diversity • Parasites, such as ticks Abiotic Threats: Climatic: • Harsh conditions of the desert environment • Average temperature is 38 degrees Celsius in the summer and -27 degrees Celsius in the winter • Wind speeds average 16-18 meters/second when the bears are emerging from hybernation • Annual has declined over the last 50 years Social: • Increases in human populations • Livestock grazing near areas important to bears (inability for bears to raise cubs) • Mining industry competing for water sources • Continued support for protected areas

The range of the Gobi bear has decreased over the years. It is believed that human presence is one of the reasons for the reduction in the land area used by Gobi Bears since 1970, but there is no way to prove that yet. Presently, it’s just a hypothesis that needs more research and managment action to test. As the range of the bears is getting smaller, fewer bears can survive off of what the land can produce. This is called the carrying capacity. Each ecosystem has a different carrying capacity for the number of individuals, populations and communities. As vegetation, water, or other resources decline, the carrying capacity of the bear’s habitat can be expected to decrease and the bear may become extinct unless humans take action.

31 32 The Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert lies along the southeastern Discussion: boarder of Mongolia extending 1600 kilometers Drawing on the experience of the class, discuss what makes east to west and 800 kilometers north to south. the Gobi Desert a difficult place The Gobi desert is the fifth largest desert in the to live. Do the Gobi bears have world and is comprised of rock, with very little to accomodate to these same soil and water for plants to grow. The weather difficulties? Are there additional is also very harsh. Unlike other around challenges for the Gobi bear? the world, it is not uncommon for snow and frost to be seen in the Gobi. The temperatures range Resources: from -40 degrees C to +40 degrees C throughout http://www.beringiasouth.com the year. Even within one day, the temperature can change as much as 32 degrees C.

Despite the harsh environment of the desert, the Gobi is home to 410 species of plants, 49 different mammals, 150 different species of birds and 15 different reptiles and amphibians. All of these living organisms depend on each other to survive. In recent years, the Gobi desert has seen a decrease in rain. This makes it more difficult for the plants to grow and the animals to find drinking water.

When an environment is extremely harsh, the smallest change can ripple through the ecosystem and affect all of the communities, populations and individuals.

33 Adaptations for the desert: : • Three rows of long eyelashes to Animals That Survive The protect their eyes from blowing wind and the sun. Extreme Conditions Of • Fat stored in its humps to help survive long periods without food. The Gobi Desert • Long legs keep its body further away from the hot ground. • Large flat hooves help to walk on These animals have special traits which soft desert sand. make it possible for them to survive Sand Boa: in the Gobi Desert. These traits are • Eyes positioned on top of their called . What adaptation head allows them to see out of the adaptations sand without having their heads might these animals have that help exposed. them live in their desert habitat?

Scorpion: Camel Insects • Has a stinger to kill its prey and protect itself by injecting a toxin. Sand Boa Red Fox • Claws to catch and hold its prey. • Strong sticky legs help the Scorpion Eagle scorpion to climb trees and hold on when windy. Lizard Wolf • 6-12 eyes help it see in the dark. • Fine sensory hairs can feel small vibrations in the air. • Tips of legs can sense vibrations The Gobi Desert is home to many in the ground. . Endangered plants and animals are at risk of dying Lizard: • Small eyes, narrow head, off completely or becoming extinct. countersunk lower jaws, smooth scales help the lizard to travel and breathe in loose sand. Snow Leopard • Thin skin dissipates heat. Khulan (Wild Ass) Jackrabbits: • Large ears with many blood Wild vessels release excess heat and help keep the rabbit cool. Gobi Bear

See next page for more adaptations 34 This African Little Bee Eater has adapted to blend into the vegetation to hide from predators as well as having beautiful colors to attract a mate. Dressed for Success

Using the costumes provided by your teacher and classmates dress like an animal of your choice. Think about what special adaptations you can dress for to help your animal survive in its environment. For example: a wolf has a thick fur coat to stay warm in the winter and an eagle has sharp talons to catch its prey.

35 Eagles: • Eyes have 3 eyelids; the 3rd eyelid (nictitating membrane) cleans, moistens and protects Here are some pictures of the Gobi bear. Answer the the eyes. • Eyesight is 8 to 10 times questions about each picture. better than human eyesight for detecting prey. •Strong beaks and talons are curved to catch and hold their prey. Why does this animal have fur all over its Bears: • Winter torpor (hibernation) body? slows down metabolism and body temperature to conserve energy during the winter when food is scarce.

Birds: • Hollow bones make the body lighter for flight. • Feathers are curved and tapered for gliding and lift. • While flying, some birds can shut down one half of their brain to save energy while the other half of their brain is alert (dolphins, seals, Why are the claws lizards, manatees are other examples). longer than your fingernails? Plant adaptations in the desert: • Many desert plants grow compactly and close to the ground and have small leaves that can be covered in wax or hair to reduce evaporation. • Desert plants may also have spines and prickles to deter animals from eating them.

36 Why is the animals nose bigger than yours?

Why does the bear have large k-9 teeth?

37 Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area A and the Distribution of the Gobi Bear

Gobi Bear Distribution Historic range 1940-1960 1960-1970 Present

MONGOLIA

GGSPA-A

Above: The Gobi bears’ current home range has decreased greatly from their historic range. The current Gobi bear range encompasses three mountainous occupying 25% of the protected area. The remaining terrain is primarily arid desert flats covered with sparse vegetation.

Next Page (39): The Gobi Bear Project biologists have successfully captured and placed GPS (Global Positioning System) collars on Gobi bears since 2005. The colored dots represent bear locations downloaded from GPS collars. The colored outlines show each of the Gobi bears home range. GPS tracking helps biologists to understand the bears’ use of the landscape.

38 Satellite Photograph of the GGSPA-A

Collared Gobi Bears

Noname 9 Alaska Noname 9 Home Range Alaska Home Range Monduhai Tsagen Monduhai Home Range Tsagen Home Range Mother Yokozuna Mother Home Range Yokozuna Home Range Noname 8 Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area Noname 8 Home Range

39 Note: Animal husbandry or raising livestock in balance with the land, has been the foundation of the Mongolian economy for centuries. Approximately 30% of the Mongolian population still lives as semi-nomadic herders on the county’s vast and sparsely populated mountains, and deserts. As long as these areas are taken care of and not spoiled, they will provide the resources to guarantee a stable, rural lifestyle.

Concept Map of Biotic and Abiotic Threats to the Gobi Bear

Fragmented Separates the Human Disturbance Landscape population

Arid Conditions Isolated population (Draught) Density Habitat Reduced Declines Availability

Competition for food and water Ground from other wildlife Water Levels Nutritive value Bottleneck cover for reducing genetic natural nesting diversity and denning sites Oases water supply Supplemental Feeding

Bear Collapse Change in bear behavior and number of dependency on individuals in a food supplies population

40 Some Suggested Conservation Measures and Possible Problems: Some conservation measures may help save Gobi bears from extinction. At the same time, some well-meaning conservation actions could cause other problems and not help Gobi bears.

Biological: • Scientists propose to bring bears into captivity to increase cub survival. Cubs will be released back into their habitat in the future. Presently, there are no bears in captivity. Problems: 1) In other places in the world, bears in captivity have fewer cubs than if they were born in the wild, and those cubs that are born are more likely to die. 2) Bear cubs need to stay with their mothers for 2 or 3 years, so that they can learn how and where to find food in their natural wild environment during different seasons of the year. If they grow up in a cage they cannont learn these things. 3) If bears get used to being fed by humans, it is much less likely that they will be shy around people and livestock herds if released into the wild. • With just 22-31 remaining, translocating Gobi bears into former ranges is not an option. Augmenting the Gobi bear population with bears from other regions closeby is an option but dilutes the genetic integrity. • After determining bear plant foods, develop experimental programs to collect seeds and grow more of these plants throughout the area. • Providing supplemental feed at some locations in the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area has probably helped the bears survive. This has been especially true during periods of drought when food plants fail to grow. Improving the quality of the supplemental feed to make it more nutritious may also help the bears. Social: • Provide incentives and perhaps compensation for herders who manage their grazing land in ways to encourage bears to use the land. This might require restricting use on fragile land. • Return to the nomadic practice of rest-rotation grazing that allowed the land to recover between periods of livestock use. This can result in increased weight and physical well-being of herds.

41 The Gobi desert during a . 42 Gobi Bear Ecology

Let’s think about what we have learned.

Individuals, populations and communities all play a role in the health of the ecosystem. Change anywhere in the food chain will affect all of the individuals in the ecosystem.

The Gobi Desert region has seen a lot of change over the past few years. These changes have affected the survival of many living organisms in the region.

One of the animals struggling is the Gobi bear. Decreasing precipitation has made it harder for the Gobi bear to find food. This is an example of how one change affects many populations in the ecosystem.

43 Reflections Using your knowledge of ecosystems, what could be done to help the Gobi bear survive and what might happen to the rest of the ecosystem if the bear were to disappear?

As a class discuss what would happen to your ecosystem and culture if the Gobi bear were to disappear. What would change?

Record your thoughts, questions and theories.

44 45 The Gobi bears live inside the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area (GGSPA). As a class, discuss what Velcro Ecosystem would change for the Gobi bear Together with your classmates create a if new roads were built into this protected area. pin board or velcro wall of interacting organisms. For example: goats, grasses, Think about the important water, birds, insects, wolves, bears, lizards, resources that this bear needs to worms, rabbits and snakes, camel, horses survive. and the sun. Take turns removing or adding different parts to the ecosystem. What happens to the rest of the abiotic features and biotic organisms when pieces are removed or added? Use the following page to record your thoughts and questions.

46 Field Notes

Activity: Community Mural

As a class, design and create a mural of the ecosystem of the Gobi Bear. Encourage students to incorporate both abiotic and biotic parts of the ecosystem as well as the threats to the habitat discussed previously. This mural will tell a story of the ecosystem and illustrate how fragile it is. Students can also include imagery of potential conservation measures. If possible, include the community at large in this activity.

47 48 Glossary of Terms

Adaptations: The progression over time of physical attributes and behaviors that aids the organism in its environment.

Atmosphere or Air: The gaseous envelope that surrounds earth.

Biology: The study of living things.

Classification: The process of giving names to groups of living things that share common traits. Called a taxonomic group. These traits can be how they look, what they eat and where they live.

Community: More than one species living together in an area.

Conservation: The process of protecting Earth from damage or death.

Consumers: Organisms that eat producers to grow.

Cultural Artifacts: Any object created by humans. For example: cooking pots, clothing or woodcarvings. 49 Cycle: A repeating event over a given amount of time, such as snow falling during the winter season. (The oxygen cycle is the conversion of oxygen to carbon dioxide in animal respiration and then regenerated by green plants in photosynthesis).

Data: The information that you collect while conducting research.

Decomposers: Organisms that break down dead plants and animals, such as fungi and bacteria.

Ecosystem: A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms (biotic) with their physical environment (abiotic). These can range from huge places, such as the steppe, or small places such as a farm or a water spring. The key to an ecosystem is that the organisms that live there share resources, such as water, air and food.

Endangered: When there are so few individuals of a species that they are at risk of dying off completely.

Energy: The ability to do work or produce change. For animals, food provides energy for growth. For plants, sunlight provides energy for growth.

Environment: The area that surrounds you; natural features, manmade features and the surrounding conditions.

Erosion: The process of rocks and soil being broken down into smaller pieces by the action of wind and water.

Extinct: When all of the species of a certain plant or animal die off completely. They can never return, as there are no individuals left to reproduce.

Food Chain: The process of one species characteristically feeding on another within a community of plants and animals.

Food Web: A diagram or description of the complex nature of all possible food chains within a community. 50 GIS (Geographic Information System): A computer mapping program that helps to visualize geographic information and let’s people map the specific features of interest. For example, we could map the home range of a Gobi bear in relation to springs, villages and roads together on one map.

Glaciers: A large body of ice that moves very slowly downhill.

Habitat: The place or environment where a plant, animal or organism grows and lives.

Home Range: The area that an animal might use while looking for food, water and shelter.

Individual: One organism; one person, one animal or one plant.

Living (Biotic): Referring to living organisms; having life. Organisms need food, water and air to be alive.

Mongolian Red Book: This book is made by Mongolian experts and lists the species in Mongolia that are endangered, rare, or at risk of becoming extinct.

Non-Living (Abiotic): Not living, such as sunlight, rocks, soil, water and air.

Organism: Any living individual; a single independent plant, animal, fungus or microorganism.

Population: A group of individuals of the same species who live in the same area.

Precipitation: The process of rain, snow or moisture falling from the sky.

Producers: Organisms that make food from sunlight, such as plants.

Radio Collar: A collar with a radio transmitter placed around an animal’s neck. A radio receiver allows scientists to follow, record and map the animal’s movements. 51 Reproduce: When animals and plants create offspring or a copy of themselves.

Research: The process of examining and gathering information to better understand the world around us. An example would be to find an answer to the question: what is the population of Gobi bears in Mongolia?

Resources: The things that one might need to live, such as water, food, minerals and air.

Science: The system of acquiring knowledge by using observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural facts or events.

Soil: Formed when rocks break down into sand and dust. One of its components are minerals which are a necessary part of an organisms diet. Soil may become mixed with biotic debris from decomposition forming a fertile place for plants to grow.

Species: A group of organisms that have the same body, appearance and genetic makeup. These organisms can reproduce together.

Threatened: A species that is vulnerable to becoming endangered.

Water: A very important component (molecule) of our planet. All biotic organisms need water to grow and survive. Depending on the temperature, water may be a gas, liquid or a solid.

Water Spring (U.S.): A natural area where freshwater comes up from the ground. It then becomes available for animals and plants to use.

52 Field Notes

53 Gobi Bear Food Plants

Wild Rhubarb

Wild Onion Rhubarb Root

Gobi bear’s foraging for food 54 Animal Identification

Long-eared Bactrian Camel Hedgehog

Kulan, Asiatic wild ass Red Fox

Mongolian Gerbil Eagle Owl

Bearded Vulture Gobi Racerunner 55 Map of the World

56 Biomes of the World

Tun dra Grassland Taiga Desert-scrub

Alpine Desert

Deciduous Forest Chaparral

Temperate Rainforest Rainforest

Savanna Montaine

57 History of The Gobi Bear Project

This book was created by Craighead South and the Gobi Bear Project. The Gobi Bear Project started in 2005 by a team of bear specialists. The goal of the project is to save the Gobi bear from extinction. Today there are only 22-31 Gobi bears left in the world.

There have been many changes to the bears’ environment over the years. Decreased precipitation has caused desert springs to dry up. This makes it more difficult for the bears to find water. Less water also means fewer plants for the bears to eat. Human activity has reduced the bears usable habitat. Since the study started in 2005, the team has learned the bear’s estimated population size, its current range and identified plants that are the source of food for the bears.

The Gobi Bear Project will continue to monitor the Gobi bear population and try to find ways to help this unique bear to survive into the future.

58 Field Notes

59 Field Notes

60 Field Notes

61 Produced by:

Reynolds Alaska Wildlife Institute International Association for Bear Research and Management B i r c h d a l e E c o l o g i c a l

The Tributary Fund 2013 62