Little Creatures Outline

Big Idea Fields, forests and aquatic habitats host specially adapted organisms. Essential Questions • How are little creatures adapted for their specific environment? • Why are little creatures important in an ecosystem? • In what ways can food webs be affected by exotic, invasive species?

Vocabulary • Adaptation—a change by which a plant or animal becomes better suited to its environment • Amphibian—a cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate of the class amphibia, such as a frog or salamander, that characteristically hatches as an aquatic larva with gills. The larva then transforms into an adult having air-breathing lungs. • Asexual reproduction—plant or animal that can reproduce without opposite sex pro- viding genetic material • Bio-diversity—the variety of living organisms on earth. Often a measure of the health of an ecosystem. • Carnivore—animal that eats only meat • Ecosystem—an ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit • Exotic—a plant or animal that has been introduced from another place or region—not native to a place or region • Food web—a complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community habitat—the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs • Habitat—the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs • Herbivore—animal that only eats plants • Insect—any of numerous usually small arthropod animals of the class insecta, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having two pairs of wings. Insects include the flies, crickets, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and bees. • Invasive—plants or animals that grow and/or reproduce quickly and stifle out the native plants or animals • Invertebrate—an organism that lacks a spinal column (includes over 97% of all species)

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• Native—a person, plant or animal that is indigenous or belonging to a specific region or place • Niche—ecologically speaking, a position or role taken by a kind of organism within its community • Omnivore—animals that eats plants and animals • Reptile—any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates of the class rep- tilia, such as a snake, lizard, crocodile, turtle, or dinosaur, having an external covering of scales or horny plates and breathing by means of lungs • Vertebrate—having a backbone or spinal column

Lesson Outline • Introduction: What’s It All About? • Habitat Relay • Meet a Creature • On the Move • Field Exploration • Forest Exploration • Wetland Exploration • Microscope Investigation • Conclusion: Web of Life

Optional Activities • Create a Creature • Individual Animal Dramatics • Bat and Moth • Who Lives Here? • Optional Conclusion: Habitat Conclusion

Teacher’s Note: Due to overlap of information, this lesson should not be scheduled with Stream Ecology or Stream Life.

(Caution: Please caution students against touching poison ivy or sticking their hands where they cannot see. When lifting rocks or logs, they should carefully use a stick instead of their hands. Snakes may live in these habitats.)

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INTRODUCTION: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? 10 Minutes

Lead In Gather the group and walk together to the area where you will be introducing the day’s adventure.

Procedures Tell the students that for the next couple of hours the group will be exploring three different habitats: a field, a forest, and a wetland; and searching for the little creatures that live in these areas. Ask the group for a definition of the word habitat. (the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs) Ask the students to give examples of some little creatures they might expect to find during the day’s exploration. Creatures may include insects, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and birds. (e.g., moths, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies, dragonflies, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, squirrels, mice, chipmunks, rabbits, grouse, wrens, woodpeckers, warblers) Ask what types of evidence they might find that would suggest that these animals have been in an area. (e.g., scat, chewed plants, holes in trees or in the ground, insect trails on plants or on the ground, nests, animal trails) Tell the group that during the habitat exploration they will be observing and handling many little creatures they find in order to determine the creatures’ habitat, food needs, water needs, shelter needs, and survival needs. They must, however, explore safely for the benefit of both themselves and the little creatures. Tell the students that there are a few precautions of which they must be aware, and you will explain these once you arrive at your first activity area (the field). All of the information that is gathered will be put together so that the group can begin to understand why the creatures are here in this habitat, on this planet, and what they might do for the rest of the planet. Explain to the students that in order for them to look for these little creatures effectively, they all must use their imaginations and change from ordinary school students into “Nature Detectives!”

Wrap Up Explain that you are going to read the following Code of Ethics and that they should repeat what you say when you pause.

Nature Detective Code of Ethics I (state your name) do solemnly promise (PAUSE) that for the next three hours (PAUSE) I will search for and find (PAUSE) as many little creatures as I possibly can. (PAUSE) I promise to catch and handle these creatures

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(PAUSE) with the utmost care (PAUSE) so as to not hurt the little critters. (PAUSE) I promise to use such skills as (PAUSE) a good ear, to help me hear sounds I might not normally hear;* (PAUSE) a sharp sense of smell (PAUSE) which will help me smell the smells there are to smell; (PAUSE) and I will use my eagle-like vision to the fullest.

*At this point show the students how to do “deer ears” by cupping your hands behind your ears and pushing your ears slightly forward. This helps people to hear better by increasing the sound-receiving area of the ear. HABITAT RELAY 30 Minutes

Lead In Now that the students have thought of some of the creatures that might live in these different habitats, we’re going to play a game about habitats and adaptations. Ask the students to explain what an adaptation does for a plant or animal. Explain that adaptations are changes that help the plant or animal become better suited for their environment. Ask the students how you might adapt if you were going on a trip to Hawaii. Would you pack a parka or a bathing suit? Animals and plants need to be prepared to live in their habitat. Explain that we are going to play a game where they need to try and determine what habitat an animal is best prepared or adapted to live in.

Procedures Divide students into two groups and have each team form a single file line. Show the students the three habitat cards. Put the habitat cards down at least 20 feet in front of the two teams. Place a pile of creature cards upside down in front of each team. When the instructor says, ‘Go!’, the front person on each team will pick up the top card and run to the habitat in which it belongs. After the student puts the creature card on the habitat card, they should run back to their team and high five the next person in line to start their turn. Continue until all the creature cards are at the habitats. Encourage the students to make observations about the creature and its adaptations. They may not know what a creature is, but they can consult their teammates and make their best guess as to which habitat it may live in. Emphasize accuracy not speed in this activity!

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Wrap Up Review all the creature cards and their habitats with the students. Emphasize the visible adaptations that would help them decide where that creature may live. MEET A CREATURE 20 Minutes

Lead In Tell the students that in order to be good detectives they must develop excellent skills of observation.

Procedures Explain to the students that soon they will be spreading out to search for some little creatures and this will be their first challenge. Tell them that they are to find one little creature and closely follow its movements for five to ten minutes. During this time they are to take careful notes about their observations, including: • What it looks like; how it moves; • Where it goes; how it gets there (running across logs, crawling along a fallen twig, stumbling over rocks, etc.); • What it meets and its reaction to the meeting.

Rules: Do not harm the little creature; if the little creature crawls under a rock or a leaf to hide, take note of it, then carefully and gently lift the object away and continue making observations. Remind them to replace the object when they are finished observing. Stress that the students should take good notes. Encourage students to be good observers, set reasonable boundaries, and send them out. You will most likely have to help some students find their little creatures. Help them, but encourage them to look with you. Suggest good places (i.e., under rocks and logs, on tree trunks, in piles of leaves, etc.).

Wrap Up Gather the students back together and ask them to tell you about their little creatures. Now explain that you want them to imagine that they are their little creature. What does it feel like?

Creative Writing: Encourage the students to write about their little creature’s journey from its point of view, using their notes and memory as guidelines. Where was it going? Why? What did it see? What was it “thinking”? Encourage students to share their stories. Remind them to remember the little creatures’ perspectives in future searching.

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ON THE MOVE 10 Minutes

Lead In As the group leader, you should escort the group of detectives from the nature trail to the first area of study; the field, then on to the forest, and finally to the last area, the wetland habitat. Throughout the lesson, move from one activity area to the next using the following tasks to focus attention during the walk.

Procedures Tell the students that they are now going to the first of several areas they will investigate: the field. On the way, they should look for evidence of living creatures at eye level. If they find something, encourage them to stop the group and share it. (Some examples include birds, nests, insects, insect homes or galls, and plants.)

Wrap Up When you arrive at the habitat study area, gather the group together in a circle and review some of the things they found along the way. FIELD EXPLORATION 20 Minutes The following activity area outline is to be used for all three habitats: field, forest, and wetland.

Lead In Once you arrive at the habitat study area, carry out the exploration in the following way.

Procedures Tell the detectives that they are now in the field habitat. Ask them to look around and tell what characterizes a field. Ask the detectives to give examples of little creatures that might inhabit that particular habitat. (e.g., insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, flies, also spiders, mice, snakes) Tell the detectives that there are a few things that they need to be careful of when they search. One is the plant called poison ivy. The others are the two fanged venomous creatures called the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. For these reasons they should not put their fingers into places they cannot see. When lifting rocks or logs, they should carefully use a stick instead of their hands! Do ease their minds by mentioning that not very many snakes have been seen in the Tremont area. Set boundaries you are comfortable with in the habitat area which also give them room to explore individually. Show them the field guides and other resource sheets available to the whole group for identification purposes.

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Let the detectives go to work in the habitat! The students may carefully collect smaller creatures (ants, worms, beetles, insects) in the bug boxes. Other creatures like salamanders and crickets can probably be collected in the jars. However, remind the students that some of the best learning about little creatures is accomplished by observing them in their habitat doing what they do best. Your job during the exploration is to go from group to group, an- swering questions and reinforcing excitement and curiosity about what they are doing. When you feel some detectives have explored and found a little creature that they are very excited about, give them a case study sheet (provided in your lesson materials packet) to fill out on that creature. Once the students have explored and completed a case study on at least one creature, gather the group together with their little creatures and case study sheets.

Wrap Up Pass all the creatures around so that everyone can look at each one. Ask several detectives to explain one or more of their creature case stud- ies to the rest of the group, using the case study sheets as a format. Ask each detective how he or she thinks these creatures affect, or what relationship they have to, their environment, the Smokies, and people. (i.e., Are they helpful? Are they important to humans? To other creatures? Are they harmful? Why?) This is a good place to mention early successional invasive plants and their impact on a field. Tell the detectives to carefully return their creatures to the places where they were found. FOREST EXPLORATION 30 Minutes

Lead In Explain to the detectives that they will now walk to a forest habitat. While moving from the field habitat to the forest, the detectives should look for evidence of little creatures above their heads. (Some examples are birds, squirrels, squirrel leaf homes, bird nests, homes in trees, etc.) When you arrive at the habitat study area, gather the group together and share some of the things they found along the way.

Procedures Tell the detectives that they are now in the forest habitat. Ask them what makes a forest different than a field. (trees, temperature, amount of light, moisture, etc.) Ask the detectives to give examples of little creatures that might inhabit this particular habitat. (e.g., snails, spiders, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, turtles, earthworms, insects, etc.) Hemlock woolly adelgids

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are having an impact on the forest habitat in the Smokies. Ask the students how a little creature like this adelgid can impact a whole forest. Make sure to mention that light levels will change throughout the forest as the hemlock trees die.

Wrap Up Pass all the creatures around so that everyone can look at each one. Ask several detectives to explain one or more of their creature case stud- ies to the rest of the group, using the case study sheets as a format. Ask each detective how she or he thinks these creatures affect, or what relationship they have to, their environment, the Smokies, and people. (i.e., Are they helpful? Are they important to humans? To other creatures? Are they harmful? Why?) This is a good place to mention invasive plants and their impact on a forest. Work together to put all of the creatures into several groups accord- ing to their individual similarities and differences. Have each detective write the group of his or her creature on their case study sheet. Tell the detectives to carefully return their creatures to the places where they were found.

Teacher’s Note: Follow the same exploration procedures as in the field exploration. WETLAND EXPLORATION 30 Minutes

Lead In Explain to the detectives that they will now walk to a wetland habitat. As they travel from the forest to the wetland habitat, have the detectives look for evidence of little creatures from below eye level to the ground. (Some examples are insects on plants, insect homes in plants, chewed plants, holes in the ground, anthills, living animals, scat drop- pings, etc.)

Teacher’s Note: In the wetlands, detectives may explore the stream if weather permits. Explain the importance of safety: be careful on slip- pery rocks, no running, and move slowly. Remind them to replace rocks after they’ve looked under them.

When you arrive at the habitat study area, gather the group together in a circle and share some of the things they found along the way.

Procedures Tell the detectives that they are now in the wetland habitat. How is it different from the other habitats they have explored? Ask the detectives to give examples of little creatures that might

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inhabit this particular habitat. (e.g., turtles, snakes, insects, spiders, toads, frogs, birds, small mammals, etc.) What happens as wetlands across the country disappear? Why are wetlands disappearing? Vernal pools are wetlands that have water for only a portion of the year. What role can this sort of pool play?

Wrap Up Pass all the creatures around so that everyone can look at each one. Ask several detectives to explain one or more of their creature case stud- ies to the rest of the group, using the case study sheets as a format. Ask each detective how she or he thinks these creatures affect, or what relationship they have to, their environment, the Smokies, and people. (i.e., Are they helpful? Are they important to humans? To other creatures? Are they harmful? Why?) This is a good place to mention aquatic invasive plants and their impact on streams and lakes. Work together to put all of the creatures into several groups accord- ing to their individual similarities and differences. Have each detective write the group of his or her creature on their case study sheet. Tell the detectives to carefully return their creatures to the places where they were found.

Teacher’s Note: Follow the same exploration procedures as with the previous explorations. MICROSCOPE INVESTIGATION 30 Minutes

The students will take their creatures from the three different habitats and head to the science room. While looking at the microscope that is hooked up to the television, compare body characteristics of various creatures. Ask the students how the creatures are adapted to their habitat. What would it eat? This activity is a good tie in with the Habitat Conclusion. Make sure to release the creatures after examining, and tell the students that everything in the national park is protected and must be returned to its home. CONCLUSION: WEB OF LIFE 15 Minutes

Lead In Find a flat, open area and have the students sit in a circle (in uncom- fortable weather you may wish to go inside). Restate that they have seen and learned a lot about little creatures, and ask, “But how do little creatures fit into the whole of nature? What is their niche? Do they help or hinder growth in the forest? The field?

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The wetland? Are they really needed?” (Do not elicit answers to these questions, just let the students ponder them. If a student has something he or she desperately wants to say, let him or her speak, but try to let the activity itself answer the questions.) Explain to the students that this activity may provide the answers.

Procedures Ask the students, “What is the primary source of energy for our planet?” (sun) Accept answers until someone gets the right one, then give that student the ball of yarn. Have the student wrap the end of the yarn once around his or her wrist. Ask the students, “What is something that derives its energy directly from the sun?” (plants) Again, accept responses: if a student answers, “plant,” have the “sun” gently pass the ball of yarn across to the “plant.” Next, have the “plant” decide what kind of plant; no need to get too specific, but fern, grass, oak tree, algae, etc., work better than “plant.” Have the “blueberry bush” (or whatever specific plant has been men- tioned) wrap the yarn once around his or her hand, forming a sort of bridge between the “sun” and the “blueberry bush.” The bridge should be fairly taut, but be careful with those hands! Ask the students, “What might get its food or energy from a blueberry bush?” (Birds eat berries, bees eat the nectar from flowers, aphids feed on plant juices, etc.) Again, have the ball of yarn passed on to the next feasible answer. Repeat this until everyone is connected. After the last person receives the yarn, ask, “Now, what was it that got all this energy flow in motion?” (sun) Return the ball of yarn to the “sun.” The web is complete.

Teacher’s Note: A few tips to help it work best: • Try to supervise the activity so that the ball of yarn is being passed across the circle as often as possible; this helps bring out the web idea. • This is a lesson on little creatures, so encourage the students to be little creatures as often as possible (at least a third of your circle should be little creatures). Also, include a human. • Do not get discouraged. There are no dead ends. Remember: things die, and scavengers, fungi, and bacteria are there to gain energy from the dead critters and plants. • Have fun!

Ask the students, “Now that you have formed this web of life, can anyone think of any animal or plant represented in the web that we

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would be better off without?” Take any responses. If no one speaks up, choose one of the less likable creatures (preferably a little creature such as a mosquito, gnat, mouse, etc.) and ask the students if any of them would be happier if that creature were not around. To demonstrate the effect, have the students close their eyes. Ask the student who is representing the undesirable creature to give a slight tug with his or her hand. Instruct the other students to tug back if they feel a tug on their hand. After a few seconds, ask the students, “Who felt a tug?” (Everyone should have.) “What does that tell you?” (Even the smallest, most insig- nificant creatures are important to the well-being of life on Earth; everything is connected.) “Does that include little creatures?” (Yes, of course.) “Does that include us?” (Yes.) “You mean we need little creatures?” (Yes!) As a way of releasing the web, ask the students what would happen if our primary source of energy (sun) were to disappear? (Most students will guess right: everything would die.) To demonstrate, ask the “sun” to drop the ball of yarn and unwrap the yarn from his or her hand, letting it fall. Tell the other students that if they lose the bridge which connects them to any other component, they should also unwrap their hand and let the yarn fall. (Everyone should eventually drop the yarn.) Ask them, “What happened?” (Everyone died.) “What does that mean?” (We all need the sun and all the other creatures in order to survive on this planet.)

Wrap Up Thank the students for cooperating, and ask them if they know more about little creatures than they did before class. How many types of little creatures did they find during the lesson? How many more do they think could be found if they searched for a week? A month? What role do the little creatures they found play in the ecological communities which were investigated? Re-emphasize that little creatures are a vital part of life on Earth and fascinating to study. Encourage the students to continue learning about little creatures. They will be amazed at what they find. Ask a volunteer to help wrap up the ball of yarn, and dismiss the students by congratulating them on their excellent detective work.

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont 11 Little Creatures Activities OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES CREATE A CREATURE 30 Minutes

Lead In Explain that they must draw a creature using their imagination that would live in one of the habitats studied today.

Procedures Each student is to create his or her own creature and adapt it for a specified habitat. Students should also name their creature. Ask the students to keep a few questions in mind as they design their creatures: • What kind of food does the creature eat, and how is it adapted for gathering and eating that food? • How does the creature move around? • How does the creature defend itself and avoid predators? • Is the creature an herbivore, carnivore, or a decomposer/scaven- ger?

Pass out drawing paper (If you prefer that they keep their drawings, have them use their notebooks instead.) and crayons. Give students 15 minutes to complete their drawings. Students may use the Scientific Naming sheet to help with naming their creature.

Wrap Up Call students back together and ask each to share his or her creature. Encourage and support every student. Every adaptation is valid, as long as it helps the creature in some way.

INDIVIDUAL ANIMAL DRAMATICS 15 Minutes

Lead In Tell the students that they will be taking a close look at some of the individuals they have found, or might find, in their searching. Use the animal dramatics cards, upon which are written the names of individual animals, for this activity.

Procedures Divide the group into small groups of three people. Explain that they will be handed a card upon which will be the name of an animal. Their job is as follows: the group members are to “become” (act out) the animal and portray it as one unit, using only actions and sound effects. NO WORDS! (e.g., BEE = all three people use their legs as the legs of the bee, while one person shapes his or her body to be the head, another

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the midsection where the wings are, and the third person becomes the abdomen where the stinger is located.) Give the group three minutes to “get their act together.” When the students are ready, have each group take a turn presenting its skit while the other groups watch until the performers are done and then guess what they are portraying. Have the groups explain to which animal group (birds, insects, mammals, etc.) this animal belongs and what characteristics it has.

Wrap Up Ask the detectives how they determined which animal each group was acting out. (e.g., it had wings, there were eight legs, etc.) Encourage them to continue looking closely at the different characteristics of the small creatures they find in their searching.

BAT AND MOTH 20 Minutes

Lead In Remind the students that not all little creatures can be found during the day. Ask the students for examples of little creatures that are active at night. (e.g. bats, moths and other insects, nightcrawlers, some mice and other rodents) How does a bat find its food? (Through the use of sonar: the bat sends out a high-pitched sound as it flies. If the sound waves hit something like a moth or another obstacle, they bounce back to the bat. Through this use of sonar, a little brown bat can catch and eat up to 3,000 insects in one night.)

Procedures Gather the group in a circle with students an arm’s-length apart from each other. Choose one student to be the bat and another student to be the moth. Explain that the bat and moth will be blindfolded to simulate dark- ness. The bat will try to catch the moth using “sonar.” (Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. In fact, their eyesight is quite good.) The students who make up the circle act as spotters, ensuring the blindfolded bat and moth do not leave the safety of the circle. On the teacher’s signal the game begins. The bat calls out “BAT,” to which the moth must immediately reply “MOTH.” Both bat and moth may walk inside the circle, but neither may run. The bat calls out as often as needed, and walks in the direction of the moth’s response. This is done until the bat catches the moth. When this happens, allow other students to play the parts. If a bat is having trouble catching the moth, stop the game and re-

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duce the circle size. What does this signify? (loss of moth habitat) Re- sume play. After playing a few times, try a few variations using one bat and several moths or one moth and several bats.

Wrap Up Discuss the niche that bats have in the ecosystem. (A niche is the “job” of an animal or plant.) Suppose that people decide to kill all the bats in the Smokies. What effects might that have on humans? (There may be a huge problem with mosquitoes and other insects.) What effects might there be on other plants and animals? (Different plants might be killed or injured by the increased number of insects. This in turn would affect the animals that use these plants as food or shelter.)

WHO LIVES HERE? 15 Minutes

Lead In Hike with the group to an open area with running space. Tell the students that all the animals they have seen so far are native species. The park has some little creatures that are exotic or non-native, which can and do cause a lot of destruction. Ask the students if they know of any exotic little creatures. (gypsy moth, starling, balsam woolly adelgid, cowbird) Have one or more students read aloud the fact sheet. (Teacher’s Note: They may read all or just a few, depending on time.) Tell students they will now play a game while learning more about the native and exotic creatures in the park.

Procedures Divide the group in half and line them up facing each other approximately three feet apart. Assign one group as “TRUE” and the other as “FALSE.” Ten feet behind each group is their ‘safe’ zone. Explain that you will read a statement (from the enclosed list); if the statement is true, then the “TRUE” team runs to their safe zone while the “FALSE” team tries to tag them. If the statement is false, the “FALSE” team runs and is chased by the “TRUE” team. If anyone is tagged, that person switches to the opposite side. Discuss any new or questioned statements. Repeat for as many statements as warranted.

Wrap Up Review each animal and the information revealed in the game. Dis- cuss native versus exotic creatures. Ask students what niche, if any, they fill in the ecosystem of the Smokies.

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OPTIONAL CONCLUSION: HABITAT CONCLUSION 5 Minutes

Lead In Tell the detectives that they will now put all the information from each of the three habitats together to see what they have discovered.

Procedures Review all three habitats, the little creatures found in each, their groups, and their relationship to each other, people, and the planet. You may use the Venn Diagram worksheet for students to organize their thoughts. Areas to cover during Habitat Conclusion should include the following: • What it eats. • What eats it. • Whether the animal was easy to find in its habitat or not, and why protective coloration/camouflage helps it to blend into its surroundings, thus helping to protect it from predators or hide from its prey. • Things that this animal might do to survive: behaviors such as building a home, flying, migrating, hibernating, etc.

Wrap Up Explain to the detectives that as they walk to the field near the black- top, they must look at all three levels: eye level, above their heads, and below eye level to the ground, in search of little creatures. Once at the field, gather together in a circle and share discoveries.

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Habitat Relay Cards

Wetland Habitat Card

Found in wetland habitat: snapping turtle, stonefly larva, caddisfly larva, hogsucker (fish), water penny larva

Found in all three habitats: coyote, deer

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Habitat Relay Cards

Field Habitat Card

Found in field habitat: jumping mouse, killdeer, eastern bluebird, grasshopper

Found in all three habitats: coyote, deer

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Habitat Relay Cards

Forest Habitat

Found in forest habitat: millipede, carpenter bee, water bear (tardigrade), black bear

Found in all three habitats: coyote, deer

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Habitat Relay Cards

Snapping Turtle

Stonefly Larva

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Habitat Relay Cards

Caddisfly Larva

Water Penny Larva

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Habitat Relay Cards

Hogsucker

Jumping Mouse

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Habitat Relay Cards

Killdeer

Eastern Bluebird

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Habitat Relay Cards

Grasshopper

Millipede

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Habitat Relay Cards

Carpenter Bee

Water Bear

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Habitat Relay Cards

Black Bear

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Habitat Relay Cards

Coyote

Deer

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Meet a Creature Observation Worksheet

Directions: Choose a location to find a little creature; this location needs to have an area approximately two feet square. Rope this area off by inserting stakes at all four corners and tying string to the stakes. Then observe this area and look for a little creature to answer the following questions. If you do not find a little creature after observing your area for five minutes, scrape the ground with a spade or trowel to find a creature under the surface. Once you have found your creature, take notes on the following questions.

1. What does the little creature look like?

2. Draw the creature in the box.

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3. How does the little creature move?

4. Where does the creature go? How does it get there? (running across logs, digging tunnels)

5. What do you think the creature eats?

6. What do you observe the creature doing when it meets other things like blades of grass, other creatures, rocks, etc.?

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CASE STUDY SHEET

Name given to creature:

Description of habitat where it was found:

Creature description: • Number of legs ______Number of eyes ______• Number of body parts (sections) ______• Description of body covering:

Special characteristics or behaviors:

What does it eat?

What eats it?

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Was the creature easy to find in its habitat? Was it camouflaged?

What might this creature do to survive? Consider factors such as building a home, flying, migrating, hibernating, etc.

What relationship does this creature have to:

Its environment?

People? (i.e., Is it helpful to its environment? If so, how? Is it harmful or helpful to humans?

Is it harmful or helpful to other creatures? Why?)

Names of detectives present when found:

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Scientific Naming Use the prefixes and suffixes below to help come up with a scientific name for your new creature!

Prefis or Suffix Meaning Prefix or Suffix Meaning

Acantha Thorn Nektos Swimming Actinos Ray Nema Thread Anellus Little Ring Nidus Nest Angio Little Case Nuro Tail Ankylo Crooked Onycho Claw Archae Old Opsis Appearance Arthron Joint Orthos Straight Bacillus Little Stick Pachy Thick Brachio Arm Philos Loving (example: water-loving) Bronto Thunder Phyta Plant Bryo Moss Phykos Algae Cephalo Head Placo Flat Cero Wax Pod Foot Ceros Horn Pogon Beard Chaite Hair Porus Pore Coel Hollow Pseudo False Compso Pretty Psilo Bare or smooth Crania Brain Pteridion Wing or feather Crustaceus Having a shell or hard outer Rex King covering Cryptos Hidden Rhombus A spinning top Cutis Skin Rota Wheel Dino Terrible Rynchos Snout Enteron Intestine or gut Sapros Rotten Firmus Strong or durable Saur Lizard Gnathos Jaw Spira Coil or twist Helmis Worm Spora Seed or spore Hemi Half Stoma Mouth Hyphos Web Tener Soft Micro Small Thermo Hot Morph Form or shape Trophos Eater (example: plant-eater) Myxa Mucus Veloci Speedy Xenos Stranger (more on back)

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Scientific Naming (continued)

Prefis or Suffix Meaning

Mono One Di Two Tri Three Quad Four Penta Five Hex Six Hept Seven Octo Eight Non Nine Deca Ten Centi Hundred Milli Thousand

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ANIMAL DRAMATICS CARDS

Salamander Toad

Spider Turtle

Grasshopper Bee

Mosquito Mouse

Snake Centipede

Earthworm Slug

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WHO LIVES HERE? GAME STATEMENTS

The balsam woolly adelgid is a native U.S. species. F

The gypsy moth came from France. T

Spiders are not insects. T

Non-native species affect other animals. T

The balsam woolly adelgid kills spruce trees. F

Cowbirds lay eggs in other birds’ nests. T

Spiders eat insects. T

The gypsy moth caterpillars cause damage T by eating all the leaves off of trees.

There are no endangered little creatures in the park. F

The balsam woolly adelgid came from Europe. T

The Starling came from Europe. T

The spruce-fir moss spider is found only in the Smokies. T

Birds, shrews, and white-footed mice eat gypsy moths. T

The gypsy moth mainly eats tuliptrees. F

Exotic species are easy to control. F

The hemlock woolly adelgid came from Africa. F

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VENN DIAGRAM

Compare and contrast the adaptations of creatures found in the field, wetland, and forest habitats.

Field Habitat Wetland Habitat Creatures Creatures

Forest Habitat Creatures

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Smokies Little Creatures Fact Sheet Balsam Woolly Adelgid The balsam woolly adelgid is a tiny insect (about one mm long) brought over from Eu- rope on tree seedlings in the late 1800s. It was discovered in the park in 1957. The Fraser fir trees, found in the upper elevations of the park, do not have any resistance to this insect, and there are no natural predators present in the park. The adelgids can move only in the first larvae stage. The adelgid spreads out to find food either by crawling around the tree where they were born or being carried by the wind. They insert their stylet (a long, thread-like tube) into a tree, searching for sap. In doing so, a substance is secreted into the inner tissues of the tree, which aids in the uptake of the sap by the adelgid. This substance also causes enlarge- ment of cells in the bark tissues, resulting in the restriction of the upward flow of nutrients. At this point, the larva begins to produce the “wool” covering for which it is named. After two more larval stages, it becomes an adult. Adults are always female and reproduce asexu- ally. During the next five weeks, 100-200 eggs are laid, and then the adelgid dies. One adelgid is not fatal to a tree, but hundreds or more are. The tree’s reaction to the adelgid results in starvation and suffocation of the tree within 20 years.

Gypsy Moth The gypsy moth is a native of France. They escaped from a silkworm experiment in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. They are slowly spreading southward toward the Smokies. A few male moths have been found inside the park borders. They are a threat here because their preferred foods are oak leaves (the predominant tree in the Smokies now that the chest- nut is gone) and hickory leaves. After a couple of years of defoliation, the trees will die, thus depleting the acorn crop which the deer and bear rely on to survive the winter. Gypsy moth eggs usually hatch in early May. The young trail silken threads and are spread by the wind, as well as by crawling around the tree where they were born. By July, the hairy caterpillars are two to three inches long, with five pairs of blue spots and six pairs of red spots along their side. They pupate for two weeks and emerge as adults: males are brown with dark waves across their wings; females are white with dark “V” patterns and cannot fly. They release a sex attractant, and after mating lay a mass of 75-1,000 eggs.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid The hemlock woolly adelgid is a relative of the balsam woolly adelgid. It is native to Asia. Its main food source is the eastern hemlock. Birds and wind disperse this insect. It feeds at the base of the tree’s needles, attacking it en masse and sometimes causing death in as little as one year.

Cowbird The cowbird is native to the Great Plains area, and has slowly spread eastward as the forests have been cleared for farming. It is an obligate brood parasite: it cannot build a nest of its own and must use other birds’ nests. The eowbird lays its eggs in another bird’s nest and leaves them to be cared for by that bird. Although the cowbird’s eggs do not closely re- semble the other eggs in the nest, the host birds do not remove them. The cowbird’s method

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of parenting is successful because it hatches earlier, grows faster and tends to reduce the food intake of the host bird’s offspring.

Starling The starling was introduced from Europe into New York City’s Central Park in 1890. They feed on grains and insects. Because of food availability, mild winters, and reproductive success, the starling population has escalated to two hundred million from the original 60 birds. Although useful in insect control, the aggregations of up to ten million birds call for starling control. They out-compete other cavity nesters such as eastern bluebirds, red-headed woodpeckers, and northern flickers. Their numbers continue to grow, putting pressure on all native species.

Spruce-Fir Moss Spider The spruce-fir moss spider is an endemic species. It is found only here in the Smokies. Because of the pressures put on the higher elevations by the balsam woolly adelgid, acid rain, and ozone pollution, the ecosystem is changing. The moisture level is reduced because of reduced canopy. The mosses that the spider lives under are therefore dying, and the spider’s numbers are drastically reduced. Very few have been found, even with careful searching.

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