TEACHER INFORMATION PACKET with PRE- and POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES for a SELF-GUIDED VISIT High School Level Grades 9-12
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Baja California's Sonoran Desert
Baja California’s Sonoran Desert By Debra Valov What is a Desert? It would be difficult to find any one description that scarce and sporadic, with an would fit all of the twenty or so deserts found on our annual average of 12-30 cm (4.7- planet because each one is a unique landscape. 12 inches). There are two rainy seasons, December- While an expanse of scorching hot sand dunes with March and July-September, with the northern the occasional palm oasis is the image that often peninsula dominated by winter rains and the south comes to mind for the word desert, in fact, only by summer rains. Some areas experience both about 10% of the world’s deserts are covered by seasons, while in other areas, such as parts of the sand dunes. The other 90% comprise a wide variety Gulf coast region, rain may fail for years on end. of landscapes, among these cactus covered plains, Permanent above-ground water reserves are scarce foggy coastal slopes, barren salt flats, and high- throughout most of the peninsula but ephemeral, altitude, snow-covered plateaus. However, one seasonal pools and rivers do appear after winter characteristic that all deserts share is aridity—any storms in the north or summer storms (hurricanes place that receives less than 10 inches (25 and thunderstorms—chubascos) in the south. There centimeters) of rain per year is generally considered are also a number of permanent oases, most often to be a desert and the world’s driest deserts average formed where aquifers (subterranean water) rise to less than 10 mm (3/8 in.) annually. -
The Sonoran Desert Borderlands
Geographic Area Information The Sonoran Desert Borderlands Photograph by CampPhoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus ABOUT The United States-Mexico border is roughly 3,219 kilometers (2,000 miles) long, stretching from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The Sonoran Desert is located on both sides of the border and covers more than 258,999 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) in the U.S. states of California and Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. The Sororan Desert is a rich, diverse, and delicate ecosystem, home to a highly diverse array of plant and animal species, some of which are critically endangered. Conservation efforts in the Sonoran Desert have involved organizations in both Mexico and the United States working together to connect habitat and migrations paths for animals. HUMAN IMPACTS In this fragile and diverse borderlands ecosystem, one of the most sever human impacts is the existing barrier (a combination of wall and fencing) that marks the U.S.-Mexico border. There is currently no continuous wall or fence marking the border, but there are segments of the border where there is a near-continuous barrier; one such area is the Sonoran Desert. Construction of a border barrier is ongoing, posing additional ecological concerns for the region. But it is not only the wall that impacts the region; the wall brings with it other human impacts, such as light pollution from stadium security flood-lights that illuminate the border at night and destruction of ecosystems as a result of construction, traffic, and patrolling of the border. -
Sonoran Desert GEORGE GENTRY/FWSGEORGE the Sonoran Desert Has 2,000 Endemic Plant Species—More Than Anywhere Else in North America
in the shadow of the wall: borderlands conservation hotspots on the line Borderlands Conservation Hotspot 2. Sonoran Desert GEORGE GENTRY/FWSGEORGE The Sonoran Desert has 2,000 endemic plant species—more than anywhere else in North America. hink deserts are wastelands? A visit to one of the national monuments or national wildlife refuges in the Sonoran Desert could change your mind. These borderlands are teeming with plants and animals impressively adapted to extreme conditions. T During your visit you might encounter a biologist, a volunteer or a local activist in awe of the place and dedicated to protecting it. The Sonoran Desert is so important to the natural heritage of the United States and Mexico that both countries are vested in conservation lands and programs and on a joint mission to preserve it. “A border wall,” says one conservation coalition leader, “harms our mission” (Campbell 2017). The Sonoran Desert is one of the largest intact wild areas mountains, where they find nesting cavities and swoop in the country, 100,387 square miles stretching across the between cactuses and trees to hunt lizards and other prey. southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This Rare desert bighorn sheep stick to the steep, rocky slopes of desert is renowned for columnar cactuses like saguaro, organ isolated desert mountain ranges where they keep a watchful pipe and cardón. Lesser known is the fact that the Sonoran eye for predators. One of the most endangered mammals in Desert has more endemic plant species—2,000—than North America, Sonoran pronghorn still occasionally cross anywhere else in North America (Nabhan 2017). -
Geomicrobiological Processes in Extreme Environments: a Review
202 Articles by Hailiang Dong1, 2 and Bingsong Yu1,3 Geomicrobiological processes in extreme environments: A review 1 Geomicrobiology Laboratory, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. 2 Department of Geology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA. Email: [email protected] 3 School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China. The last decade has seen an extraordinary growth of and Mancinelli, 2001). These unique conditions have selected Geomicrobiology. Microorganisms have been studied in unique microorganisms and novel metabolic functions. Readers are directed to recent review papers (Kieft and Phelps, 1997; Pedersen, numerous extreme environments on Earth, ranging from 1997; Krumholz, 2000; Pedersen, 2000; Rothschild and crystalline rocks from the deep subsurface, ancient Mancinelli, 2001; Amend and Teske, 2005; Fredrickson and Balk- sedimentary rocks and hypersaline lakes, to dry deserts will, 2006). A recent study suggests the importance of pressure in the origination of life and biomolecules (Sharma et al., 2002). In and deep-ocean hydrothermal vent systems. In light of this short review and in light of some most recent developments, this recent progress, we review several currently active we focus on two specific aspects: novel metabolic functions and research frontiers: deep continental subsurface micro- energy sources. biology, microbial ecology in saline lakes, microbial Some metabolic functions of continental subsurface formation of dolomite, geomicrobiology in dry deserts, microorganisms fossil DNA and its use in recovery of paleoenviron- Because of the unique geochemical, hydrological, and geological mental conditions, and geomicrobiology of oceans. conditions of the deep subsurface, microorganisms from these envi- Throughout this article we emphasize geomicrobiological ronments are different from surface organisms in their metabolic processes in these extreme environments. -
3 Invasive Species in the Sonoran Desert Region
3 Invasive Species in the Sonoran Desert Region 11 INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE SONORAN DESERT REGION Invasive species are altering the ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert Region. Native plants have been displaced resulting in radically different habitats and food for wildlife. Species like red brome and buffelgrass have become dense enough in many areas to carry fire in the late spring and early summer. Sonoran Desert plants such as saguaros, palo verdes and many others are not fire- adapted and do not survive these fires. The number of non-native species tends to be lowest in natural areas of the Sonoran Desert and highest in the most disturbed and degraded habitats. However, species that are unusually aggressive and well adapted do invade natural areas. In the mid 1900’s, there were approximately 146 non-native plant species (5.7% of the total flora) in the Sonoran Desert. Now non-natives comprise nearly 10% of the Sonoran Desert flora overall. In highly disturbed areas, the majority of species are frequently non-native invasives. These numbers continue to increase. It is crucial that we monitor, control, and eradicate invasive species that are already here. We must also consider the various vectors of dispersal for invasive species that have not yet arrived in Arizona, but are likely to be here in the near future. Early detection and reporting is vital to prevent the spread of existing invasives and keep other invasives from arriving and establishing. This is the premise of the INVADERS of the Sonoran Desert Region program at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. -
Judy Chicago Unit Living Smoke, a Tribute to the Living Desert
JUDY CHICAGO UNIT LIVING SMOKE, A TRIBUTE TO THE LIVING DESERT Title of Artists in the Desert Landscape Time: 60 mins. lesson Standards Grade National Core Arts Standards: Visual Arts Anchor Standards-7,10,11 6-8 Addressed level FACILITATION Preparation Before the Lesson 1. Review the entire video. 2. Review the website and video clip used: “Judy Chicago: A Fireworks Story” (note, some nudity) ● Safe Link: https://video.link/w/MzpVb ● Original Link: https://youtu.be/MvqxVu4DHhg 3. Review the hands-on activity in the lesson. 4. Review Vocabulary Terms ● Resonate- sympathetic to your own experience or outlook; something that moves a person emotionally; or initiates action to do or create something as a response ● Land Art- art that is made directly in the landscape, sculpting the land itself into earthworks or making structures in the landscape using natural materials such as rocks or twigs ● Desert Ecology-The study of interactions between both biotic and abiotic components of desert environments. A desert ecosystem is defined by interactions between organisms, the climate in which they live, and any other non-living influences on the habitat. 5. Open each website/resource behind the zoom screen. 6. Start that Zoom session 10 minutes before your scheduled start time to support students with tech challenges. Necessary Student Materials • n/a Step 1: Agreements Set Expectations 3 minutes 1. Use this time to welcome your learners and establish how you expect them to engage/participate. ● Ask the learners: What would help us to stay engaged during the lesson? How can we all be accountable to the learning during this lesson? Step 2: The Hook Activate Prior Knowledge 15-20 minutes 1. -
North American Deserts Chihuahuan - Great Basin Desert - Sonoran – Mojave
North American Deserts Chihuahuan - Great Basin Desert - Sonoran – Mojave http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html In most modern classifications, the deserts of the United States and northern Mexico are grouped into four distinct categories. These distinctions are made on the basis of floristic composition and distribution -- the species of plants growing in a particular desert region. Plant communities, in turn, are determined by the geologic history of a region, the soil and mineral conditions, the elevation and the patterns of precipitation. Three of these deserts -- the Chihuahuan, the Sonoran and the Mojave -- are called "hot deserts," because of their high temperatures during the long summer and because the evolutionary affinities of their plant life are largely with the subtropical plant communities to the south. The Great Basin Desert is called a "cold desert" because it is generally cooler and its dominant plant life is not subtropical in origin. Chihuahuan Desert: A small area of southeastern New Mexico and extreme western Texas, extending south into a vast area of Mexico. Great Basin Desert: The northern three-quarters of Nevada, western and southern Utah, to the southern third of Idaho and the southeastern corner of Oregon. According to some, it also includes small portions of western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming. Bordered on the south by the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Mojave Desert: A portion of southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and of eastern California, north of the Sonoran Desert. Sonoran Desert: A relatively small region of extreme south-central California and most of the southern half of Arizona, east to almost the New Mexico line. -
Educator Packet
Educator Packet Animal Survival Strategies Grade Level: 4th Grade (can be adapted to 2nd and 3rd grade) Overview: Students will observe pieces of art from the Art and Animal exhibit and learn about various Ohio wildlife species and the ways they adapt to survive extremes in weather and environments. Materials: Wildlife board game and handout on animal traits. Content Standards: Science: Changes in an organism’s environment are sometimes beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful. Plants and animals have life cycles that are part of their adaptations for survival in their natural environments. Organisms that survive pass on their traits to future generations Social Studies: Places and Regions: The regions of the United States known as the North, South and West developed in the early 1800s largely based on their physical environments and economies. Human Systems: People have modified the environment since prehistoric times. There are both positive and negative consequences for modifying the environment in Ohio and the United States. Background/Key Ideas: Students will play a game that includes reproductions of several pieces of art from the exhibit Art and the Animal. All pieces are images of animals that can be found in Ohio. Students will use previous knowledge and deductive reasoning to match the correct facts (classifications, and characteristics) to each animal. After completion of the game, facts about adaptation will be further addressed with a silly exercise where the classroom teacher is outfitted with various props which represent each of the animals from the game. Procedures: Introduction: “Hello and welcome to another round of Adapt to Survive; the game where you compete to match Ohio’s wildlife to the correct category. -
Behavioral Patterns of Laboratory Mongolian Gerbils by Sex and Housing Condition: a Case Study with an Emphasis on Sleeping Patterns
Journal of Veterinary Behavior 30 (2019) 69e79 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Veterinary Behavior journal homepage: www.journalvetbehavior.com Small Mammal Research Behavioral patterns of laboratory Mongolian gerbils by sex and housing condition: a case study with an emphasis on sleeping patterns Camilo Hurtado-Parrado, PhD a,b,*, Ángelo Cardona-Zea, BSc b, Mónica Arias-Higuera, BSc b, Julián Cifuentes, BSc b, Alejandra Muñoz, MSc b, Javier L. Rico, PhD b, Cesar Acevedo-Triana, MSc c a Department of Psychology, Troy University, Troy, AL, USA b Faculty of Psychology, Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Bogotá DC, Colombia c School of Psychology, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia article info abstract Article history: The behavioral patterns of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) housed individually and in same- Received 10 September 2018 sex groups (siblings) were characterized. Gerbils were continuously video-recorded 24 hours (day 1) and Accepted 7 December 2018 120 hours (day 5) after housing conditions were established (no environmental enrichment was Available online 13 December 2018 implemented). Video samples totaling 2016 minutes were scored to obtain measures of maintenance (drinking, sleeping, grooming, and eating), locomotor (jumping and rearing), communication (foot Keywords: stomping), and stereotyped behaviors (gnawing bar and digging), which were compared across housing case study conditions and sex. Irrespective of sex or housing, gerbils dedicated between 65 and 75% of the day to Mongolian gerbil Meriones unguiculatus maintenance behaviors; more than 50% of this time was dedicated to sleep. Time allocated to other d d housing conditions behavioral states for example, bar gnawing, digging, and eating remained below 5% of the observation captivity time. -
Baja California´S Sonoran Desert
Baja California’s Sonoran Desert Debra Valov ISSI, August 2015 Objectives • Define “desert” • Explore Baja’s desert • Learn how plants and animals survive http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladigue_99/ Namibia Central Gulf Coast, BCS Erg Awbari Oasis, Libya http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/9141/2350366 490102347975S600x600Q85.jpg What is a Desert? • Dry – Low rainfall (P<10”) – High evaporation (E>P) – Dessicating winds – Poor soils • Hot or cold (below 0° to over 140°) • Below sea level to more than 8,000 ft What is a Desert? A place where water is severely limiting to life most of the time, where the plants and animals are adapted to chronic aridity and the arid conditions are necessary to maintain the community’s structure. Deserts of the World Source: http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530118/World_Desert_Regions.html North American Deserts Source: www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/ofworld.htm The Sonoran Desert • Binational (5 states) • ±120, 000 sq. mi. • 0 to 4500 feet • <32° to >130° • 3-15” avg. rainfall Source: Baja California Sur Central Baja California Central Baja California Baja California Sur Central Gulf Coast Baja California Sur “Air plants” (Bromeliads) Pacific Coast Fog Zones Lichens (fungi & algae symbiosis) Central Vizcaino Desert, BCS Vizcaino Desert – Pacific Coast, BCS Mammals • Bobcat and mountain lion © Dennis Kamberg • Coyotes and foxes • Bats and rodents • Pronghorn antelope • Bighorn sheep © Don Getty © 2010 Jaime Morales V, © Christopher L. Christie Copyright © 2010 D. Trotter Reptiles and Amphibians • Horny toads & lizards • Snakes • Frogs & toads Copyright © 2007 Joyce Gross Gerald & Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences Crawly Things • Scorpions & spiders • Beetles & bugs • Ants, bees & wasps • Caterpillars Copyright © 2008 Lamphrophil http://bugguide.net/node/view/206296/bgimage Copyright © 2007 Gary MacDonald Cih© 200 G M D ld Birds © Steve Byland 2008 • Hummingbirds • Raptors: hawks & owls • Scavengers • Perching birds ©J. -
Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World
LAGOMORPHS 1709048_int_cc2015.indd 1 15/9/2017 15:59 1709048_int_cc2015.indd 2 15/9/2017 15:59 Lagomorphs Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World edited by Andrew T. Smith Charlotte H. Johnston Paulo C. Alves Klaus Hackländer JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS | baltimore 1709048_int_cc2015.indd 3 15/9/2017 15:59 © 2018 Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2018 Printed in China on acid- free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www .press .jhu .edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Smith, Andrew T., 1946–, editor. Title: Lagomorphs : pikas, rabbits, and hares of the world / edited by Andrew T. Smith, Charlotte H. Johnston, Paulo C. Alves, Klaus Hackländer. Description: Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017004268| ISBN 9781421423401 (hardcover) | ISBN 1421423405 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781421423418 (electronic) | ISBN 1421423413 (electronic) Subjects: LCSH: Lagomorpha. | BISAC: SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology / General. | SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Mammals. | SCIENCE / Reference. Classification: LCC QL737.L3 L35 2018 | DDC 599.32—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004268 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Frontispiece, top to bottom: courtesy Behzad Farahanchi, courtesy David E. Brown, and © Alessandro Calabrese. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or specialsales @press .jhu .edu. Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post- consumer waste, whenever possible. -
Similarity of Climate Change Data for Antarctica and Nevada
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Program (UROP) 2010 Aug 3rd, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Similarity of climate change data for Antarctica and Nevada Corbin Benally University of Nevada, Las Vegas Shahram Latifi University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Karletta Chief Desert Research Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cs_urop Part of the Climate Commons, and the Desert Ecology Commons Repository Citation Benally, Corbin; Latifi, Shahram; and Chief, Karletta, "Similarity of climate change data for Antarctica and Nevada" (2010). Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). 5. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cs_urop/2010/aug3/5 This Event is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Event in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Event has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Similarity of Climate Change Data for Antarctica and Nevada Corbin Benally1, Dr. Shahram Latifi1, Dr. Karletta Chief2 1University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 2Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV Abstract Results References The correlation between temperature and carbon dioxide Throughout the duration of the research, data was readily 1.