California's Biological Communities in the Nature Area and the Impact of Urbanization

Audience: Middle School

Time Required: 3-7 days

Activity Overview

During this visit to the Nature Area you will identify and define the biological communities found within the restoration area. You will observe abiotic and biotic features within each community. Keep in mind that this Nature Area is a very simplified model of real ecosystems and very small at 0.7 hectares. The restoration of a flat turf practice field into what you see today began only 50 years ago. Real ecosystems are much more complex and have been evolving for millions of years. However, each community is a good facsimile of reality and with careful observations, you will be able to discover the determinant abiotic and biotic features defining some of California's biological communities. Finally, you will consider how regional land use practices have modified local ecosystems, the effect of such changes, and suggest ways to minimize and reverse human impacts.

Nature Area Agreements

Please read the Nature Area Etiquette and Agreements and complete the Nature Area Agreements Google Form.

Equipment

Handheld Smart Device, Chromebook, or Tablet; Compass

Standards

NGSS Performance Expectations

MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.

MS-LS2-2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

California's Environmental Principles and Concepts

Principle 1 - People Depend on Natural Systems The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

Principle 2 - People Influence Natural Systems The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

Principle 5 - Decisions Affecting Resources and Natural Systems are Complex and Involve Many Factors Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

Engage

Take a "nature" walk around the neighborhood to examine the urban forest. Point out common garden varieties of plants. Discuss the origin of some of these plants. Draw a model of what the landscape in a typical neighborhood in this area looks like? Has it always been like this? Have a Land Talk. Review and discuss the regional history of Ohlone occupation (5,000 ya) ---> intensive grazing (1800s)---> intensive agriculture (early 1900s) ---> urbanization (after WWII). What kinds of changes have happened to the land during these periods? Take a nature walk through the Nature Area. Practice using all your senses.

Explore

Average temperatures in California range from above 0 °C, but below 18 °C. Average precipitation is around 20-120 mm per year. Use the Whittaker Graph to determine the major Biome of California. The climate of this biome is characterized by relatively mild, and sometimes wet winters, and hot-dry summers. This biome is also known as Mediterranean. The region is prone to drought and occasionally flooding. Another major component of this biome is fire. The combination of fires followed by wet winters often results in mud and rock slides. Proximity to the sea, minor local variations in local climate, and geomorphology result in a variety of biological communities.

To explore local biological communities, divide in to small teams. Select or assign biological communities to teams. Team members discuss and decide how team will record observations and data. You will use a combination of methods; a Google Form, pictures and video, audio memos, and this Google Sheet.

1. Open the Nature Area Map and proceed to your assigned area or community.

2. Find the sign post and confirm that the number and community match.

3. Make and record qualitative observations (students can fill out the Google Form or make an audio memo).

Open the Google Form for Terrestrial Communities.

• • Redwood Forest

  • Grassland

  • Oak Woodland

  • Chaparral

  • Riparian

Open the Google Form for Freshwater Aquatic Communities

• • Creeks and Streams

  • Deep Pond and Lakes

  • Marsh

Optional Data Collection: Input data from the weather station (Google Sheet provided or make their own? )

Resource: the Nature Area Biological Communities Resource Guide.

Explain

Characterize the area by their observed abiotic features. Then, characterize the area by the dominant vegetation living there. Discuss your observations with your team to determine if your area has an abundance or scarcity of these basic resources: light, food, oxygen, water and shelter, and how the availability and distribution of the resources impacts the diversity and abundance of other organisms such as Bacteria, Protists, Fungi, and Animals.

Explore

Return to your assigned area. Approach very quietly. Remain still and quiet for a few minutes. Count and identify all of the animals you observe in your area. Name them as specifically as you can. For example Monarch Butterfly. Or very generally. For example, orange and black butterfly. Remember to be very quiet.

Explain

Characterize the areas by the observed animals. Compare with other communities. Is there a pattern as to where animals are found? Use evidence to support your claim and give reasoning explaining how the evidence supports the claim.

Elaborate

As a class make one of the following products presenting the relationship between resource availability, the presence of specific vegetation, and the types of organisms found in biological communities. With your team, contribute to one of the following choice products. Have fun!

• a field guide to the biological communities of the Nature Area

• a digital map of the Nature Area featuring popup infographics (try Canva) for each biological community

• a virtual or video field trip through the biological communities of the Nature Area

• 3 verse Haiku (abiotic features, dominant vegetation, organisms found there)

Evaluate

Based on regional climate data what do you conclude the dominant biological community for the Santa Clara Valley was prior to widespread agriculture followed by rapid urbanization? Use the EEI Natural Regions Map to verify your predictions. Do the Geoinquiry: Altered Biomes.

How well does the built environment match the former natural environment? What is the Human Imprint? How have humans reshaped the the Earth? Check out the resources below.

Revise your original model of the human made landscape to show how we should design and redesign our urban landscapes to minimize the human impact on the environment and to restore biodiversity and ecosystem services. Discuss with the class the benefits of doing this as well as the constraints and limitations of this model.

Additional Resources

Land Use and Land Cover Change

Declining urban and community tree cover in the United States

Why We No Longer Recommend a 40 Percent Tree Canopy Goal

Disrupt the Street Tree

Maps Show How Humans Have Reshaped Earth Since 1992

The Knowledge Project

Las Palitas California Native Plant Nursery

California Releaf

Recommended California Education and the Environment Initiative Unit

Responding to Environmental Change