WHAT'S IN A HABITAT? Overview: Students will look at the different habitats from the observation tower, and compare them, using binoculars. Pictures of animals and plants, that can be seen from the tower will be placed on a habitat mural. Content Standards Correlations: Science, p. 307, History/ Social Science, p. 310. Grades: K-6 TIME FRAME FOR CONDUCTING THIS ACTIVITY Recommended Time: 3 0 minutes Key Concepts: A habitat is a • When students first arrive, allow about a minute for students to community for an animal or plant. look outside It provides the plant or animal with Introduction (6 minutes) suitable food, water, shelter and space. Each animal or plant has • look at the habitat mural and discuss the five different habitats adapted to the habitat it is living • read habitat clue cards and have students find out which one is in. From the tower you can see described five different habitats: the upland, Observation of habitats (10 minutes) salt marsh, salt pond, tidal slough • hand out binoculars and discuss their use and non-tidal slough. The importance of these habitats will • have students look out the window and have them observe and be discussed. compare habitats, plants and animals • collect binoculars Objectives: Habitat Mural (11 minutes) Students will be able to: • have students look at mural • identify and compare the five habitats that can be • place animal and plant pictures in the correct habitats seen from the observation • talk about how animals and plants have adapted to their habitats tower (upland, salt marsh, Discussion (3 minutes) salt pond, non-tidal slough, • discuss the importance of each habitat tidal slough) • correctly place one animal and plant in each habitat How THIS ACTIVITY RELATES TO THE REFUGE'S RESOURSES • identify a food chain in each What are the Refuge's resources? habitat • significant wildlife habitat • endangered species Materials: • 5 habitat clue cards • migratory birds • 12 binoculars What makes it necessary to manage the resources? • 1 poster showing how to use • The introduction of normative plants and animals that compete binoculars with or prey upon native plants and animals and • 2 bird identification chart destruction of salt marshes. • 1 habitat mural • 20 animal and plant What can students do to help? placards Refuge staffcontrols introduced plants and animals but we need your help. • teach others about the importance of a variety of habitats suitable for plants and animals • plant native plants • reuse, reduce, recycle • not pour anything down the storm drain Field Trip Activities- Habitat Studies 227 SUPPORTING INFORMATION fORTHISACTIYITY Chicago Marsh, however, are cut off from the Bay Habitats by levees. An installed tide gate lets salt water • A habitat is a community (or neighborhood) for into the slough several times a year. That is why plants and animals the slough is nontidal but has brackish (a mixture It provides food, water shelter and space suitable of fresh and salt water) water. The slough is to the plant or animal living there. bordered by salt marsh. • Each habitat has its own unique characteristics. • In slough water, you can find algae, and creatures The different habitats on the refuge support such as water boatmen, backswimmers, mosquito different species of animals and plants. Each fish, copepods and different worms. habitat seen from the tower is described below. • An example of a simple food chain is: algae, water boatmen, fish, egrets. Upland • The upland is a portion of land which is in higher Tidal Slough elevation than the salt marsh • A tidal slough, east of the salt pond is still The soil is drier and non-salty like the salt marsh. connected to the Bay. The tides rise and fall twice • The plants growing here grow taller than in the salt a day. When it is low tide, the mudflats are marsh and many of them have bigger leaves. exposed and a lot of birds come here to feed on tiny creatures such as worms, amphipods, and • There are variety of native and normative plants in isopods. the upland. • Because the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Native plants include coyote brush, California sage, milkweed, and bunch grass. Control Plant releases up to 120 million gallons of Nonnative plants include mustard, tobacco tree fresh water into the slough each day, it has and horehound. converted into a fresh water habitat. • The animals you might see in the upland include • There is fresh water tule (California bullrush) rabbits, ground squirrels, red-wing blackbird, growing along the slough. Besides birds, you might hummingbirds, owls and other birds of prey, gopher also see muskrats, a fresh water mammal. and garter snakes. • An example of a simple food chain is: algae, • An example of a simple food chain is: milkweed, amphipods, shorebirds, northern harrier. monarch, red-wing blackbird, owl. Salt Pond Salt Marsh • The salt pond is a human-made habitat that was • The salt marsh is a managed wetland. used for the production of salt. In the 1930s, levees The soil is salty. (dirt walls) were built around salt marsh (the natural habitat) and the land was flooded with water • Plants growing in the salt marsh have to adapt to from the bay to make solar salt evaporation ponds salty conditions, which requires them to be able to that were used to make salt. get rid of the salt. • Today, these ponds are part of the Salt Pond • They also have small leaves which prevent the Restoration Project. This project will restore and water from evaporating fast. Plants in the salt enhance 15,000 acres to salt marshes, mudflats, and marsh grow low to the ground. other wetland habitats. • There are variety of native and nonnative plants. • The water in this pond used to be saltier than ocean Pickleweed, salt grass and alkali-heath are native water; it is now brackish (mix of fresh and salt) salt marsh plants. Nonnative plants include water from the Bay. Australian saltbush, ice plant and brass buttons. • Some animals that live in the water are zooplankton, • An example of a simple food chain is: pickleweed, shrimp, water boatman, and a variety offish. salt marsh harvest mouse, owl. • Pelicans, grebes, cormorants, gulls and a variety of Non-tidal Slough ducks can be seen resting and feeding in the salt pond. • A tidal slough is like a finger of the Bay: It is • An example of a simple food chain is: algae, connected to the Bay. The sloughs in New shrimp, water boatmen, pelicans. 228 Field Trip Activities- Habitat Studies flOW TO LEAD THIS ACTIVITY BY FOLLOWING (Upland) • "I am the highest piece of land on the refuge. THE "DO, READ, ASK" TEACHING FORMAT • "I'm drier than the areas around me. Do • "Big trees can grow on me. Students are very excited when they get up to the • "Once I was a landfill. observation tower. Allow about a minute for students to look outside. • "My soil is not salty." Do (Salt Marsh) Gather students in the tower, have them take a seat • "My soil is salty. facing the mural. • "lam the home ofthepickleweed. • "Plants living in me don't grow tall. Introduction (6 minutes) • "A lot of me got destroyed by development." Read "Today we're going to locate some of the animals (Salt Pond) and plants that live in the refuge habitats." • "Birds like to rest and feed on me. • "I was originally created by humans to make Ask salt, but I no longer make salt. ? Who can tell me what a habitat is? (A • "My water comes from the bay through the community for a plant or animal. It provides tide gates. everything a plant or animal needs to survive.) • "I am in the process of being restored to salt ? What does an animal have to find in a habitat marshes, mudflats, and other wetland in order to survive? (food, water shelter, space) habitats. ? Are all habitats the same? (No) • "Zooplankton and fish swim in my waters." ? Do we need different habitats? (Yes) (Nontidal slough) Read "Most animals and plants can only live in a specific • "My water is a mixture of fresh and salt habitat. They have adapted to the place they live in." water • "I resemble a river, but I have nowhere to Ask flow to. ? What does adaptation mean? (Over the years • "Salt pond levees cut me off from the Bay. the plant or animal has changed allowing it to live in • "I am bordered by the salt marsh." under certain conditions) (Tidal slough) Read • "My water comes from the Bay and the "From the tower, we can see five different habitats. Water Pollution Control Plant They are all shown on this mural. (Point out the • "The tides force my water to go in and out. mural.) Who can read the names of these habitats?" • "I am a freshwater habitat. • "Tule grows along me." Do Have students read the names. Observation of habitats (8 minutes) Do Read Hold up the animal and plant placards. Go over the "I'm going to read you clue cards about these five names of each as you read the following. habitats. Try to figure out which habitat is being described." Read "These are all animals and plants that you may be Do able to see from up here. This is a .... Read the different clue cards and have students guess the described habitat. "When you look outside, try to find these plants and Field Trip Activities- Habitat Studies 229 animals. Later on we will place them in their correct Habitat mural (11 minutes) habitat on the mural." Do Have students sit down so they can see different Do habitats on the mural.