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ECOLOGY - GRADE 7
This project is done by the 7th
grade science classes and deals with the ecology of biomes such as grasslands, deserts,
forests, the tundra, etc. The students are to find the following information about the
animal which they have chosen to research:
| Genus and species | Herbivore, Carnivore, or Omnivore? Explain | Habitat - the surroundings in which it lives |
| Type of community - the other animals and plants which live in the same area) | Predator/prey relationships - what your animal eats and what eats it |
Food Web -
a diagram of what your animal eats
and what eats it - use the plants and animals from the Type of community
and the predator /prey
relationships questions above. The web must include consumers (1st, 2nd, 3rd level), producers, and decomposers as well as their interconnections. |
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Niche - animal behaviors and activities Ex. Is it nocturnal? How does it spend time? What unique features allow it to survive in its world?) |
Type of biome in which your animal lives - (desert, grassland,
taiga, rainforest, deciduous forests, tundra, marine, freshwater) and the Rainfall for that specific area. |
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You must also have a glossary with the following words defined: (genus, species, habitat, niche, community, predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, biome, and food web). Be sure to include pictures, diagrams, and Genus and species |
Students may use the websites listed below for
their research:
GENERAL SITES FOR ANIMAL
INFORMATION
Animal
Information -This site is enormous! It has links to hundreds of animals
all over the world.
Animals A-Z - Oakland Zoo
- This site has a large number of animals listed and great
information.
Cleveland
Metroparks Zoo Education Division -
This site has a huge listing of animals, most quite specific and many very
unusual, with a sheet of information on each of them.
Endangered:
Exploring a world at risk - a great site from the American Museum
of Natural History. It includes MANY animals (mostly from North America)
which are on the Endangered Species List.
Lady Wildlife.com -
a good site with many animals - the information is great!
Primate Info
Net - This site is also huge, but it contains only primate fact
sheets.
Planet Pets - Wildlife Index- This site has many animals listed with information on each.
Reptiles Research
Centre - This site has lots of reptiles listed all over the world.
Nashville Zoo: Our list of
animals - This site has great information on the animals it
discusses
Sedwick County Zoo - Animals
- This site allows you to choose the type of animal and then look for the
specific one you want to study.
Utah's
Hogle Zoo -
Just click on the map for the location in
which your animal lives and then look for the name of your animal.
Phoenix Zoo -
This site has numerous animals listed from all over the world and it includes
the animals adaptations.
Lincoln Park Zoo - This
site has great fact sheets for the animals it covers.
African Wildlife
Resource - This site provides good information, but not on
all of the animals which are listed. It also has links to other sites.
The
Cyber Zoomobile - After some advertising and
individual bragging, this site provides extensive information on some of the animals,
mostly mammals. However, In some cases, just the family characteristics are discussed
rather than each individual animal.
Animal
Diversity Web - This site may take some navigation, but the facts sheets
are very useful.
Kids
Planet - Wild Animal Fact Sheets - This site has useful fact sheets on many animals from all over the world.
Cat Tales - Zoological Park -
Even
though the park is just for cats, this site has important information on many
other animals.
Animals of Texas - Wildlife
fact sheets - This site provides short fact sheets on some of the animals which live in Texas.
Desert Animals and Wildlife -
This site has fact
sheets also on the animals of the deserts of Texas, but it is good to check since some of
these animals may also live in other biomes.
Desert Plants and Wildflowers -
The same as above,
but this site deals with plants.
Cat Specialist Group
- This page (found by a student) will be of help
to those of you who have chosen a member of the cat family for your research.
Blair
Drummond Safari - This site
has a small amount of very general information on the animals, but may provide
something helpful anyhow.
Unique
Australian Animals - This is a
great site, but remember, only for Australian animals.
Bacheera: In the Wild - This
is really a beautiful site, but only for endangered animals.
Yahoo: Zoology: Animals, Insects and
pets (animal search list) -
This is a good place to begin. Click
on the class to which your animal belongs and it will lead to other links with more
information; some of which may be useful.
ADDITIONAL ANIMAL SOURCES -
Encyclopedias
(Some sites require a password - inquire about remote
access (from home) if interested)
Animal Encyclopedia - After entering the ID and Password, choose Ebsco Host Databases. Then, make sure that the only item checked is the Animal Encyclopedia.
| Encyclopedia Americana | |
| Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia | |
| New Book of Knowledge |
SITES FOR SPECIFIC ANIMALS
In searching for the above sites, I happened to
find the following page. It was just too good to pass up, and
therefore, has been included. As we continue the research, we may find more of them to
add, but only if they are not already part of one of the sites listed above.
Image Search
BIOME WEB SITES
The following sites may be helpful when trying to
locate information on some of the specific biomes. You may also find helpful
information to explain the role of various animals and plants and how some of
these biomes are now being threatened because of man's interference.
FOOD WEB SITES
These sites will help explain food webs if you
still do not understand how they work. Some sites also provide sample food
webs.
| Food Webs - Kids Web | Food Chains |
| Energy Flow and Food Webs - N. Pacific | Habitats and Food Webs in the Rainforest |
| Food Webs, etc. | Environmental Biology - Ecosystems |
Useful information may also be found on the Rainforest page (especially figuring the rainfall in your biome).