Ecosystem Diversity From the Great Lakes to the Globe
These activities were inspired by a research project investigating the variety of plant communities and ecosystems of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Students are introduced to the concepts via two handout activities and an optional additional field activity.
Learning Objectives
Terms: biome, habitat, ecosystem, biotic factors, abiotic factors, humus, range of tolerance, extiniction, local extinction, organism, population, community, biosphere.
Understanding ecological hierarchy from organisms to biomes.
Understanding how scientists quantify plant populations and communities.
Activities
Part 1 - The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome
Part 2 - Ecosystems: Diversity Within the Biomes
Part 3 - Transects: Sampling the Community
Teacher Resources and Keys