Oak Communities by A. G.

Introduction Have you ever heard of an oak community? An oak community is like a small village. It consists of one or several oak trees and all of the plants, animals and insects that rely on the oaks to survive. Have you ever heard of an oak community? An oak community is like a small village. It consists of one or several oak trees and all of the plants, animals and insects that rely on the oaks to survive. In our class we are studying oak trees. Every week or so, the class walks around the school, recording the plants, animals, birds, insects, plant material, and animal signs that we see on or around an oak tree. There are about seven oaks that we routinely check. In our class we are studying oak trees. Every week or so, the class walks around the school, recording the plants, animals, birds, insects, plant material, and animal signs that we see on or around an oak tree. There are about seven oaks that we routinely check.

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Oak Community Survey AnimalsPlantsBirdsInsectsPlant MaterialAnimal Signs November December January February March

Oak Community Survey

Conclusion Since December, the temperature has gotten cooler, and it has also started to rain. This has triggered a chain reaction of events around the oaks. Because of the cold, insects have stopped coming out, causing birds to search elsewhere for food. Also, the rain has caused more plants to sprout, but has also caused animals to seek warmer climates, causing a decrease in animal signs. Another reason that we have seen increases and decreases in some populations is that we only observe the trees for about half an hour every two weeks. Some mornings are cold and some are warm. On cold mornings, we don’t see as many insects, birds and animals. These changes are a significant part of the oak communities life cycle.