Pre-Trip Visit – Cold Weather

 Activities in your school begin four or five days prior to the Eco-Trekker’s field study and will include: Producers, consumers, & decomposers. Food chains. Competition. Predators & prey. Living & non-living factor.

 Think about how you will make your eco-chamber. Terrestrial Eco-chambers Aquatic Eco-chamber

Silversides White-tailed DeerGreat Blue Herons Green Darner Dragonflies

 At your first site, the teacher/naturalist will board the bus and let you know what to bring for the morning.

Shoreline Wetlands

 Pass out science logs.  Discuss the details of the day.

 Scientists collect data. You will record your data in science logs.

 What are the parts of a food chain and how do they interact with each other and their environment?

 Use four of your senses to identify non-living factors found at the shoreline ecosystem.

 Thermometers - determine the air temperature and water temperature at the shoreline ecosystem

 Using a chart of the Chesapeake Bay, predict the salinity of the water of Miami Beach’s shoreline ecosystem.

 Digital salinity meters - determine the salinity of the water at the shoreline ecosystem

 Seine net - collect producers, consumers, and evidence of decomposers

 After seining use some of the producers, consumers, and decomposers you collected to create a food chain.

 Record all the data you collected about the living factors into your science log.

 Why are sunlight and decomposers important to a successful ecosystem?

 Use four of your senses to identify non-living factors found at the wetland ecosystem.

If students quietly approach the bridge on the boardwalk, it can be an ideal place to observe wetland consumers.

 Thermometers - determine the air temperature and water temperature at the wetland ecosystem

 Digital salinity meters - determine the salinity of the water at the wetland ecosystem

 Dip net - collect producers, consumers, and decomposers

 Look carefully through the detritus for tiny organisms hiding from predators!

 Aquatic organisms called macroinvertebrates can often be found in the detritus.

 Identify common producers found in a wetland ecosystem.

 Record all the data you collected about the living factors into your science log.

 At your second site, the teacher/naturalist will board the bus and let you know what to bring for the afternoon.

ForestMeadow

 How does competition among trees affect the growth of a forest over time?

 Use four of your senses to identify non-living factors found at the forest ecosystem.

 Thermometers - determine the air temperature and water temperature at the forest ecosystem

 Digital salinity meters - determine the salinity at the forest ecosystem

 Used by scientists to count and/or measure something within a defined area

 Count and measure trees in a sapling and a mature forest.

 Record the data onto the Tree Tally in order to draw conclusions about competition in a forest ecosystem.

 Record all the data you collected about the living factors into your science log.

 What are the roles within a predator/prey relationship and how do these relationships affect the number of organisms within an ecosystem?

 Use four of your senses to identify non-living factors found at the meadow ecosystem.

 Thermometers - determine the air temperature and water temperature at the meadow ecosystem

 Digital salinity meters - determine the salinity at the meadow ecosystem

 Sweep net – collect producers, consumers, and decomposers

 Remove the consumers from the sweep nets.  Place them in bug boxes.  Observe the consumers and identify them.

 Record all the data you collected about the living factors into your science log.

 The field study might be over, but not your role as a scientist!

 We enter the data you collected online.  Use your data to draw conclusions about the different ecosystems.

 Using what you learned in the classroom and on the field study, you will make an eco- chamber.

 Backpack  Plastic bags (2-3)  Hand towel  Extra clothes: socks, underwear, pants or shorts, shirt  Spare shoes/sneakers  Rain gear (possibly)  Sharpened pencils  Trash free lunch

 Dress in warm layers (which can be taken off as you get warmer).  Hat and gloves  Appropriate shoes and socks for outside stations (both wet work and dry work)  Students will not be entering water when water temperature is below 55˚F or the weather conditions are not appropriate. Dress appropriately! Remember, you will be outdoors at least 4 hours.

 You must wear shoes if you go in the water and have dry shoes to wear on the bus (no sandals or flip flops).  Sunscreen  Hat  Sunglasses  Extra drinking water Dress appropriately! Remember, you will be outdoors at least 4 hours.

Acceptable Footwear  Footwear with laces  Sneakers (preferably old ones)  Boots

Unacceptable Footwear  Open-toed shoes such as:  Flip-flops, sandals  Teva’s  Croc’s

 No matter what the weather, you will be attending the Eco-Trekker field study.  If lightning/thunder develop, we will go indoors.  Be prepared for the weather!

Trash Free Lunch  Reusable lunch bag  Reusable water bottle  Plastic containers used to hold food Your goal:

NOT a Trash Free Lunch  Plastic bag for lunch bag  Juice box  Plastic baggies/Zip-lock baggies used to hold food  Lunchables