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Wetland Biodiversity
Learner Objectives
Getting Ready!
Students will:  Define and understand biodiversity  Make a hypothesis and collect related data 
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Read background information Select several sites where students can safely collect data in different habitat types Grade Level Summary
Fourth to Sixth Duration  Prep time: 15 minutes  Activity time: 50 minutes Vocabulary  Biodiversity  Emergent  Fauna  Flora  Habitat  Hydrology  Hydric  Hydrophytic  Peat  Turbidity Materials  10 Hula hoops or quadrats  Data sheet  Clipboard  Pencil  Common Plants of the Upper Klamath Basin Native Plant Society of Oregon  Field guides Worksheets  Wetland Biodiversity Worksheet Using hula hoops or quadrats, students will understand biodiversity and investigate biodiversity in a variety of wetland and grassland habitats. Background Information
A habitat is the arrangement of food, water, shelter, and space suitable for the survival needs of a plant or an animal. Different habitats support different communities of flora and fauna. Wetland habitats across North American support a large diversity of animals. A Wetland is an area covered with water for all or part of the year. It is the transition zone between land and water. Wetlands are classified by hydrology, hydric (saturated) soils, and hydrophytic (water tolerant) plant communities. Wetlands are generally thought of as coastal or inland. Coastal wetlands include tidal marshes, estuaries, and marine environments. Inland wetlands include a variety of marshes, swamps, and fens. Inland marshes include freshwater marshes, wet meadows, wet prairies, prairie potholes, playas, and vernal pools. Swamps include forested bogs, shrub swamps, and mangrove swamps. Fens are peat‐forming wetlands that receive nutrients and water from upslope sources through drainage rather than precipitation. Wetland classification depends on the source of water, the presence or absence of peat, and dominant large vegetation. For example, the word “marsh” describes a wetland with non‐woody vegetation that grows taller than the water (e.g. cattails). On the other hand, a swamp is dominated by trees. Fens are dominated by grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. Wetlands provide benefits to plants, animals, humans, and the environment as a whole. Most wetlands, with their abundance of food, vegetative cover (shelter), and water, are rich with a diversity of wildlife species. In fact, wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth rivaling rainforests with their diversity and abundance of plant and animal life. Wetlands are productive ecosystems because of the amount of biodiversity found there. Biodiversity refers to the richness or variation of life forms found in an ecosystem or biome. For instance, coastal and inland marshes offer breeding, resting, and wintering habitats for thousands of migratory birds, including ducks, geese, swans, shorebirds, herons, and other wading birds. Eighty percent of all breeding bird populations in the US, and more than 50% of the migratory bird species, US Fish and Wildlife Service Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Wetland Curriculum ©US Fish & Wildlife Service & Klamath Bird Observatory 2012 Version 1.0 Lesson Plan
rely on wetland habitats at some point during their lifecycle. Many species of fish and shellfish, which have important commercial and recreational value, reproduce and spend part or all of their life cycle in wetlands. A wide variety of reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans also breed and live in wetlands. Many mammals, including beavers, otters, and minks, depend on wetlands for food, shelter and water. In addition to the diversity of habitats wetlands provide, are the many important ecological functions. Wetlands act as ground water storage, recharging many important underwater aquifers that people use for drinking water. Wetlands mitigate the harmful effects of sudden and seasonal variations in the water supply. When runoff from rain and spring thaw is high, wetlands retain excess water, allowing water to gradually drain into streams and rivers and permeate the soil. Healthy wetlands are buffer zones that protect against flooding and erosion. In drier periods, they hold precious moister long after open bodies of water have disappeared. Wetlands have a unique ability to purify the environment. They are extremely effective natural filtering systems. For instance, they trap and neutralize sewage waste, allow silt to settle, and promote the decomposition of many toxic substances. Because water moves slowly in a wetland, many of the sediments and pollutants “fall” out of the water and remain trapped in the wetland ecosystem. By removing these sediments and pollutants wetlands increase the quality of water down stream improving the turbidity allowing for more light to penetrate the water promoting aquatic plant growth. Discuss! 1. Ask students if they know what makes a wetland a wetland? 2. Tell students that wetlands are very special types of habitats, and ask a student to define habitat. 3. Encourage students to give reasons why wetlands are important, or discuss with students why these habitats are important to both people, plants, and animals: a. Flood Control b. Coastal Protection c. Ground Water Recharge d. Sediment and Pollutant Traps e. Biological Productivity 4. Ask students if they know what biodiversity is. Encourage students to think of the prefix “bio” and its meaning, the meaning of diversity, and what it means when you put the two together. Biodiversity refers to the richness and variation (diversity) of life (bio) in an ecosystem or biome. 5. Share with students and get students to think about why biodiversity is important. Biodiversity is important because it acts as a measure of ecosystem health making systems resilient to changes in the environment, climate, and disease events. US Fish and Wildlife Service Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Wetland Curriculum ©US Fish & Wildlife Service & Klamath Bird Observatory 2012 Version 1.0 Lesson Plan
Investigate! 1. Tell students that they will practice collecting real data on plant and animal communities in three different habitats around the US Fish and Wildlife Visitors Center, Discovery Marsh, and Sheepy Ridge Trail. 2. Divide students into groups of 3 to 5, distribute data sheets, and assign one hula hoop or quadrat to each group. 3. Have students think about which habitat (grass lawn, sagebrush steppe, or marsh) will have the greatest biodiversity and why. 4. Take students to the first habitat type (grass lawn). Have students close their eyes and gently toss the hula hoop within the designated boundary. 5. Once the hoop has been tossed, it should not be moved until all of the data is collected unless it lands on an obstacle. 6. Instruct students to describe the habitat, the types of plants within the hula hoop, the number of each species/types observed within the hoop (depending on the age level), and any wildlife sightings within 50 feet of the hula hoop. 7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the sagebrush steppe and marsh habitats. Wrap Up & Review! Once data has been recorded at the three different sites, gather the group together and reflect on what type of information was collected and discovered.  What site had the greatest biodiversity? Why?  What site had the fewest different types of species?  What might affect the species diversity in the different sites?  Why is biodiversity important? US Fish and Wildlife Service Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Wetland Curriculum ©US Fish & Wildlife Service & Klamath Bird Observatory 2012 Version 1.0 Name:________________________
Date:__________
Student Worksheet: Wetland Biodiversity
Fill the types or species of vegetation and wildlife seen in each habitat type. Habitat Type: Lawn Grasses: Habitat Type: Sagebrush Steppe Habitat Type: Marsh Forbes: Shrubs: Trees: Emergent Vegetation: Wildlife Sightings: US Fish and Wildlife Service Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Wetland Curriculum ©US Fish & Wildlife Service Klamath Bird Observatory 2012 Version 1.0