from Science Is
Materials:
What To Do:
1. Find a small area of ground to investigate. Use string to mark out a 1 meter by 1 meter square.
2. Use a magnifying glass to closely examine the plot of ground. Write down everything you see. (For example: grasses, loose dirt, decaying leaves, weeds, pebbles, insects.)
3. What is the dominant kind of plant (for example: dandelions, grass)? Approximately how many of that type of plant are in the plot? How much of the area does the plant cover (for example: a quarter, half, more than half, almost all)?
4. List all other plants in the plot. How many types of plants are there? How much of the area do they cover?
5. What animals (in particular, insects) are present? How many of each?
6. Dig - very carefully - into the soil with a trowel or stick. Notice the layers in the soil. How would you describe the soil: wet, dry, sandy, rocky and/or clay-like? Make a list of everything you find in the soil from earthworms to rocks. After examining the soil, return it to its original place.
7. Is there some evidence of humans in the plot (for example: garbage)?
8. Repeat the micro-habitat investigation in a totally different area and compare your findings.
Extension
Create your own micro-habitat. Make a pile of leaf litter on the soil in a damp, shady corner of the yard. Get some air bricks (bricks with several holes drilled through them) and put them in long grass or under bushes. Or, put a large, clear plastic container upside down in a corner of a garden or lawn. If you make a few small holes in the container, they will allow air and small animals to get in. Water the soil and the container from time to time. Visit your habitat over several weeks, and you should see some animals settle in and some plants (for example: moss, algae) begin to grow.
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