What is a habitat Habitat Place and conditions
What is a habitat?
Habitat Place and conditions in which an organism lives. Made up of the physical properties of the environment and the relationship to other organisms in the environment.
What are some examples of habitats?
Examples of Habitat
Microhabitat Small habitat within a larger habitat.
How can habitats change?
Habitats can change over time. Mount St. Helens, Washington
Habitat Alteration Changes made to the environment in which an organism lives. Changes can be natural or man-made. Wildfires Acid Rain
What are some positives/negatives of habitat alteration? Positives Negatives
Here are some examples of Habitat Alteration.
Bear Glacier, Alaska 1909
Bear Glacier, Alaska 2005
Muir Glacier, Alaska 1941
Muir Glacier, Alaska 2004
Salt Lake Valley Late 1800 s
Salt Lake Valley 2000 s
Gila River, Arizona 1935
Gila River, Arizona 1964
Escalante River, Utah 1953
Escalante River, Utah 1998
Coal Mine, Before Restoration
Coal Mine, After Restoration
Wetland, Before Restoration
Wetland, After Restoration
Activity Instructions: Identify changes that occurred between photos. Hypothesize the cause of change, and record observations/hypotheses in table. Observed Change Indicator of Change Cause of Change Manmade or Natural?
Additional Discussion Questions: What are some examples of local habitats? What are some indicators of habitat alteration? What are some natural causes of habitat alteration? What are some man-made causes of habitat alteration? How can we measure habitat alteration?
Additional Activities: Discussion/lecture on biological (invasive species) and physical (river channeling) indicators of habitat alteration (5 minutes). Return to groups and have students determine a way to measure the degree of habitat alteration (5 minutes). Pair two groups and have them determine (and record) which group’s pictured habitat underwent the most changes. How do they know? Is it clear? Etc (5 minutes).
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