2nd Grade Plant Communities

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* Information for Naturalists

Before students head into the field an AAPS Environmental Education instructor will lead a brief introduction to reinforce and expand student understandings of plant parts, the essential needs of plants, plant life cycles and reproduction, and different types of local plant communities. The trip leader will prepare students for the field activity, challenging students to notice plants growing in different settings, consider how they might have gotten there and how they are meeting their survival needs. Learning to OBSERVE and make a "best guess" or SCIENTIFIC HYPOTHESIS of what is happening in the field is an important aspect of this trip.

As is suggested in the ‘Bloom Where You’re Planted’ unit plan, this field trip provides students with an opportunity to closely observe a variety of plants growing in a local natural setting. Naturalists will attempt to show students a variety of plant communities (e.g. woodland, grassland, shrubland and challenge students to consider characteristics of different plant species that allow them to thrive in specific growing conditions. Students will have the opportunity to see plants in various life stages and will look for examples of reproduction and seed dispersal.

Concepts include:

• SURVIVAL NEEDS – all organisms need certain things in order to grow, thrive, and reproduce. Plants need sunlight, air, a certain amount of water, and an environment in which to grow.

• PLANT PARTS – seeds, leaves, flowers, roots and stems all have important functions. Plants are different from other living things because they make their own food.

• SEED DISPERSAL- different species of plants use a variety of strategies to disperse their seeds, including by wind, water, or animals. Angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (which produce “naked seeds”, usually in a cone) differ in how their seeds develop and are housed. Additionally, some plants reproduce through vegetative growth underground (e.g. rhizomes and tubers).

• LIFE STAGES – plants sprout, grow, reproduce and eventually die. Common growth patterns of plants in Michigan include annual, biennial and perennial life cycles. Students and naturalist guides will seek out examples of pollination, fruiting bodies, and seed dispersal. Young, mature, and dead plants will also be observed.

• TREES – they start as seeds and change as they grow. Leaves develop from buds and make food for the trees through photosynthesis. Growth rings record the tree’s life and can be seen in fallen logs.

• INTERACTIONS – plants and animals interact and affect each other’s life cycles. Humans have introduced plants from all over the world and they impact plant communities both accidentally and on purpose.

• NATIVE, NON-NATIVE, INVASIVE PLANTS- native plants have lived in a certain geographic region for so long that they are well-adapted to local conditions and have complex interactions with other organisms. Non-native plants come from faraway geographic regions and may struggle or thrive in local growing conditions. Invasive plant species are generally considered to be non-native plants that aggressively spread and cause negative impacts on native species and ecosystems.

• PLANT COMMUNITIES – plants live in woodland, grassland, shrubland, and wetland communities. These continually change as new plants develop (i.e. ecological succession). Environmental conditions, such as light intensity, moisture and soil type vary.

The interdependence of plant, animal and fungi life cycles may also be discussed. A great example is relationship between the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant.