Spring has Sprung in a Deciduous Forest Biome

A couple blogs ago we did a blog post called "Signs of Spring". We were asked to go to different locations to see what signs of spring had popped up. This week we had to go back to those locations and see what more had developed during that time span.

Site #1: Edge of Field

See: butterflies, small amount of berries, leaves have grown on the branches. (the stems are more of a grayish color rather than red - like they were the last observation.)

Feel: a light breeze and the temperature is in the 70's.

Hear: birds crowing and wind blowing through the trees.

Site #2: Pond

See: flowers (buds closed up on blooms), female/male cones have died.

Feel: a light breeze and the temperature is in the 70's.

Hear: birds crowing and wind blowing through the trees.

Site #3: Creek

See: skunk cabbage, water strider, frog.

Feel: a light breeze and the temperature is in the 70's.

Hear: birds crowing and wind blowing through the trees.

EcoTower Observation #3 4.8.11

1. One Betta Fish - alive
Two Snails - dead
Six Crickets - dead
Three Worms - buried in soil unseen

2. We think the fish is still alive because it is surviving off the algae and the oxygen from the water. During this observation we noticed that both of the snails died. We think that either the fish ate the snails or the snails died from lack of oxygen that the algae and water provide. The crickets are dead because, we believe, the carbon cycle failed. We were unable to see the worms to observe if they were dead or not.

3. Three bean seeds - two died and one is still alive
One plant - alive
One plant - dead
Algae - alive

4. As we observed the bean seeds, we observed that two of the bean seeds died and one of them stayed alive. We believe that this happened because the soil didn't look to be as moist as it was. The soil wasn't providing nutrients for the plants. One of the plants that Mr. Jennings gave us is still alive and the other plant died during our first observation. As we observed the bottom half of our EcoTower, we noticed the algae in the water was turning brown on the edges. The algae is turning this color because, we think, there isn't enough oxygen in the water.

5. The water is turning more yellow due to the algae and the rocks.

6.

7. Prediction: Since our fish seems to be surviving in yellowish water and algae that is dying. I think that the fish will stay alive. I think in the top part of our EcoTower all the plants will die because the soil is slowly losing nutrients.

Animal Ears Lab

1. As a class, we were assigned to do a lab to determine the distance of hearing with normal ears and enhanced ears. Our enhanced ears were plates with slits cut on the edges, that way they could sit on top of our ears.
2. The first trial was seeing how far we could walk, with normal ears, until we couldn't hear the pen clicking anymore. The second trial was seeing how far we could walk, with enhanced ears, until we couldn't hear the pen clicking. The point of this lab was to see how large ears are able to hear more sounds than the normal human ear.
3.

Student	Distance with Normal Ear	Distance with Enhanced Ear
Jessie	27.9	52.9
Albert	55	50
Reese	45	60
Tangie	68.6	58.6
Brandon W.	58.6	78.6
Kasey	25.3	15.3
David	40.6	55.6
Emily P.	30.6	25.6
Sierra	53.8	55.6
Stephanie	34.4	47.8
RaeShar	57	63.7
Rayshawn	47.6	41.6
Montez	45.6	30.6
Devon	51.6	87.9
TJ	40.6	63.3
Travis	50.6	55.6
Conner	89.7	128.9
Brandon H.	58.6	87.2
Emily S.	64.7	76.3
Total	945.8	1135.1
Average	49.8	59.7

4. Did the addition of the larger ear make a difference in the distance at which you were able to hear the pen click? Explain.

Yes. Unlike the normal ear, we were able to hear around the weather i.e. wind, voices, columns, echoes from the walls of the school building, and the nature outside interfering with the sound of the click.

5. Animals with Large Ears:

Bilby:

Large-eared Horseshoe Bat:

Long-eared Hedgehog:

Gool Waraabe:

Bat-eared Fox:



Animals with Small Ears:

Small Red-eared Guenon:

Polar Bear:

Seal:

Hippopotamus:

Loris:

6. Some animals have smaller ears because they don't have the capacity to hear far away as other animals do with larger ears. Also they have small ears for camouflage and so that it won't be an easy target for predators.