Desert Ecologist

 

 

An ecologist is a scientist that studies an ecosystem of a particular region. An ecosystem is an environment and all the members of that environment. A desert ecologist is concerned with all the plants, animals, features and climates of a desert. It is his/her responsibility to study these items and their relationships. How humans affect these interactions is very important, and those who live in the desert depend on ecologists to educate them on how not to destroy the environment in which they live.

 

Assignment:

 

Explore the resources below and others available to you concerning deserts and their ecosystems. Remember, you're creating both a written summation, to be turned into you teacher, and a multimedia presentation, to be presented to the rest of the class. Collect information needed to complete the Main Point, answer the Knowledge Questions and the Thought Question. For your written summation, write a paper doing each of the three assignments: Main Point, Knowledge Questions, and the Thought Question. Then, using Hyperstudio or Powerpoint, put that same information into a multimedia presentation. Try to incorporate new and exciting ideas into your multimedia presentation. Be creative, but remember, you will be graded on the quality of your work. Good luck!

 

 

Resources:

 

 

curly.tec.army.mil/mojave/tort.html

www.desertusa.com/du_plantsurv.html

www.gis.uiuc.edu/mojave/mojave_baa/mojveg.html

www.gis.uiuc.edu/mojave/mojave_baa/mojave.html

 

 

 

Main Point:

 

Find five plants or animals, and their pictures, that are common to the Mojave desert. Understand how these organisms have adapted to life in the desert.

 

 

Knowledge Questions:

 

- What is the main diet of the desert tortoise?

 

- The desert tortoise has several adaptations that help it survive in the desert. List several of these adaptations and explain how they help the desert tortoise survive.

 

- Explain the difference between xerophytes and phraetophytes. What are advantages and disadvantages of these forms of adaptations?

 

- Name and describe the most characteristic feature of North American deserts.

 

- Define and explain what biodiversity is.

 

 

Thought Question:

 

- Describe the differences between Perrenials and Annuals and give examples of each. Describe the adaptations each of these types of plants use to survive life in the desert. Which set of adaptations do you believe is more effective and why? Create a new adaptation that you think would profit plants in the desert. Explain.

 

 

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