Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Animals living around plants
Work out which part of a plant an animal is using and what for, and know what soil is made of and who lives in it.
Stand next to a plant and stay still for a minute. A moth is resting on a leaf, ants are carrying something along a stem, a woodpecker is working its way up the trunk, and under your feet the soil is busier than any of them. Where there are plants, there are animals — and each one is there for a reason.
Food, shelter, resting
Animals, birds and insects use different parts of plants for three things: food, shelter and a place to rest. So the useful question is not just which animal, but which part and what for. A monkey and a caterpillar are both eating, but from different parts of the same tree.
Have a play
The places on one tree where an animal could live.
Tap any part of the picture.
Worked example
A tailorbird and a caterpillar are both busy at the leaves of the same plant. Are they doing the same thing?
Watch the caterpillar: it is chewing the leaf and swallowing it.
That is food. The leaf is being eaten, and it gets smaller as you watch.
Try it together
Now dig into the soil, together.
Pick up a handful of soil from beside a plant and work through what is in your hand.
1.Soil starts out as something much bigger that has broken into tiny pieces. What is that something?
Have a go
Your turn. The teacher's note explains why the monsoon brings so many new plants. Why do they appear then?
Ready to practice?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.