Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Copyright 2014 The Open University
Contents Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted 3 1. Observing oca ecosystems 3 2. Discussing animas in groups 4 3. Vauing experience and oca knowedge 7 Resource 1: Food chain 9 Resource 2: Likey oca ecosystems 9 Resource 3: Keeping a praying mantis in the cassroom 12 Resource 4: Loca knowedge 13 Acknowedgements 13 2 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Key Focus Question: How can you hep pupis investigate how different iving things feed? Keywords: predators; prey; adaptations; observations; project; animas Learning outcomes By the end of this section, you wi have: used pupi observations of ecosystems and species to expore anima adaptations and behaviours provided opportunities for pupis to share their knowedge undertaken project work with your pupis. Introduction Unike green pants, which can manufacture their own food, a animas have to find and eat pants or other animas to survive. Hunting animas (predators) are adapted for finding and catching food in many ways. Animas that are hunted (prey) are aso adapted to avoid being found, caught and eaten. Pupis are often fascinated by studying feeding reationships and adaptations. In this section, we ook at ways of encouraging pupis to ask Why? questions using animas in your oca environment. We aso ook at how to structure and record pupis observations of ecosystems and species. 1. Observing oca ecosystems An ecosystem is the pattern of ife and interaction between the iving things in a specific type of pace. This coud be a pond, a stream, a hedge, a tree, a forest, a ciff-face or even a fied. It coud be as sma as ife under a rotting og or as vast as ife in an inand ake. Thinking about ecosystems doesn t have to be compicated for you and your pupis. It is sufficient if pupis spend time observing and investigating different ecosystems. They shoud get a genera idea of what eats what, reative numbers of different species and raise some questions about how different animas interact with each other. It is important to give pupis time to think of the questions they want to ask; often short discussion in sma groups wi ead to more focused questions. Case Study 1 shows how one teacher introduced her pupis to a oca ecosystem a pond. Activity 1 shows how to start ong-term observations of your oca ecosystems. 3 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Case Study 1: Investigating food chains by observing an ecosystem A primary schoo in a squatter camp on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, is next to a sma natura pond. One of the teachers took her cass for a ook, see, think sow wak around the pond. They reaised from the greenish coour of the water that there must be miions of minute agae pants and thousands of threads of spirogyra making food in the sunight. They saw hundreds of tiny tadpoes, which feed on agae. What might eat the tadpoes? Sifiso had noticed about 15 shiny, britte, arvae skins (exoskeetons) cinging to the staks of reeds eft behind by new adut dragonfies. Perhaps about ten patanna frogs ived in the pond, eating dragonfy arvae and other swimming insects. A few brown water snakes had been seen and these probaby ate frogs. Ncediswa had seen a singe hawk swoop down and catch a sma snake. The teacher recorded their observations as they waked. Afterwards, back in cass, they shared ideas and the teacher wrote these observations on the board. Everyone discussed how the animas and pants were inked in a food chain. The pupis copied the fina agreed food chain diagram from the board as we as a pyramid of numbers for this ecosystem (see Resource 1: Food chain). Activity 1: Observing oca ecosystems Tak to your cass about the idea of an ecosystem. Brainstorm a ist of probabe ecosystems near the schoo (see Resource 2: Likey oca ecosystems). Divide your cass into groups and et each one seect an ecosystem to adopt and study for the rest of the year. If there is ony one suitabe ecosystem near your cassroom, everyone can study it. Organise pupis to take turns to record the observations. Encourage them to ask questions about the animas that ive there and how they might interact with each other. What types of iving things (popuations) woud they expect to find and in what numbers? What eats what? How might numbers change during the year? Record these questions and predictions for future reference. Later, make time to visit the sites with pupis, to check their predictions. This becomes an ongoing group project. Make time every few weeks for visits and reports of new information. In this way, the pupis knowedge and understanding wi grow over time in a reaxed and informa way. Groups coud keep a scrapbook or journa to record their growing understanding of the way things happen in their ecosystem. As the project progresses, think about your pupis invovement are they motivated by this activity? Do they enjoy this way of earning? 2. Discussing animas in groups Bioogists are fascinated by the way the surviva of animas depends on adaptation for successfu hunting and the avoidance of being eaten. Think of how caws and pincers 4 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted have been deveoped to seize and grasp prey or frighten off predators (scorpions, crabs, cats, the preying mantis etc.). Other animas construct traps. Think of trapdoor spiders, spiders webs and ant ion pits in soft sand. Topics to discuss with pupis or ask them to find out about coud incude mimicry, camoufage, feigning death, prickes and spines, hard shes, speed, bad tastes and even poison. In this type of work, it is a good idea to start with animas that pupis can make accurate detaied observations of. Pupis can then discuss how their observations of behaviour and structure hep these species to survive as predators, prey or both. Case Study 2 and Activity 2 expore how you can make such observations in your cassroom. Pupis coud then find out about other animas if they have access to any reference books, the Internet or oca experts. Case Study 2: A tabe of adaptations Mr Muee s cass kept (and ater reeased) an injured chameeon that the pupis had rescued from a dog in the schoo grounds. It recovered from its injury at the back of the cassroom on a branch in a vase by the window. The pupis enjoyed watching the chameeon shooting out its tongue to catch fies. Mr Muee asked his cass these questions: How is the chameeon adapted to be a hunter? How is the chameeon adapted to avoid being eaten by other animas (hunted)? He gave them two days to think about these questions and to watch the chameeon to hep them answer the questions. He suggested that they ook at how it moved, its eyes and its behaviour when it was threatened. Some of his oder pupis made some notes on their observations. After two days, he divided his cass into groups of five/six pupis and asked each group to choose a eader. He asked the groups to discuss the questions and to draw up a ist of at east two features that hep the chameeon hunt other animas and two features that hep it avoid being eaten by other animas. He gave them 30 minutes for this discussion and during this time he went round a the groups encouraging them to use their observations about the chameeon. He aso emphasised that the group eader shoud make sure that each pupi in the group had a chance to speak. After haf an hour, each group gave one observation to the cass. Mr Muee recorded a their observations on the board as a tabe. 5 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted The foowing month Mr Muee brought a praying mantis to the cassroom. Again, pupis observed its behaviour and the different ways in which the insect is adapted for surviva. This time the pupis needed ess prompting from the teacher to notice significant features. Activity 2: The praying mantis a successfu insect predator Praying mantises are very common in Africa. They can easiy be kept safey in the cassroom for a short whie (see Resource 3: Keeping a praying mantis in the cassroom). If fed ive insects, their hunting adaptations and feeding behaviour can be ceary observed. Keep an exercise book or arge piece of paper near to the container as a journa for everyone to write in. Pupis can record any interesting observations, descriptions of behaviour, and drawings of adaptations that hep the mantis hunt its prey. Over a few days, aow different pupis in the cass to spend time recording their observations. Questions you might give to start the pupis observing coud be: How often does it feed? What does it eat? How does it disguise itsef to catch prey? How quicky or sowy does it move? Aso, ask pupis if they can discover whether they have caught a mae or a femae praying mantis. How can they te? How are these features hepfu to the mae and femae? Encourage pupis to write questions as we as observations. Other pupis may be abe to answer the questions. In this way, pupis can buid up coective knowedge about the praying mantis. You can extend this work by catching a mae and femae praying mantis and keeping them in the same container. Some of your pupis might want to catch their own praying mantis to earn more about it. They shoud be abe to ook after it and make further observations. These pupis coud give a presentation to the cass about what they have earned. 6 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted 3. Vauing experience and oca knowedge Sady, much of the oca knowedge of the natura word is in danger of being ost in modern times. It is seen to have itte or no vaue. Perhaps oca primary schoos coud take responsibiity for reviving interest by researching and recording such knowedge and understanding. Students at a teachers coege discovered that George, the man who worked as the gatekeeper, was a wonderfu resource due to his extensive knowedge of the oca natura word. But a his knowedge and understanding was in his head and woud probaby die with him. See Resource 4: Loca knowedge for exampes of some of the things we earned from him. Do you know anyone ike this? Coud they come and tak to your pupis? We need to encourage our own pupis to become naturaists. We have aready expored the vaue of giving pupis time to undertake detaied observations of ecosystems and different species. Case Study 3 shows how exciting essons can be if we vaue our pupis knowedge and aow them to make decisions about their own earning. Here, the pupis were abe to show their earning to others and decide what they wanted to research further. Think about essons where you coud try this. The Key Activity uses this way of working to compie a dispay or book about animas in your oca area. The emphasis is on organising observations of adaptation and feeding patterns. Case Study 3: Learning from experience A science education ecturer was disappointed to observe a Grade 5 esson on birds that reay didn t work we. The student teacher foowed the curricuum and textbook of the time, but the pupis seemed bored. Refecting on the faiure of the esson to catch the pupis imaginations, the teacher and ecturer reaised that any three-year-od preschooer woud aready know that birds had wings, feathers and beaks and that they usuay made nests and aid eggs. Later, the ecturer and the student teacher, Mumba, panned a very different esson where they took in artefacts (such as bits of a broken swaow nest, assorted feathers, the discarded she of a hatched chick, a dead vuture that had been hit by a car that morning near the schoo) and pictures of oca birds. They put the items on the front bench and eft groups of pupis to choose something and te their cassmates what they knew about that thing. What coud they te us about birds? What a different esson! We coudn t stop them taking. They had so much to te. They tod us things we didn t know, ike: swaows mate for ife, raise a few broods each season, and sometimes, on dead chicks (baby swaows) thrown out of the nest, you find strange boodsucking tick-ike things that can run very fast. Pupis went on right through unchtime teing us a the interesting things they knew about oca birds and discussing their own unanswered questions. These were recorded for answering ater. Key Activity: Researching and recording oca knowedge Here, you and your pupis pan and draw up a arge tabe on a poster to record information that pupis find out about a kinds of oca animas. It coud have coumn headings such as: 7 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted The tabe is buit up and added to over time. Encourage your pupis to add questions to the tabe. If possibe, use different coours for questions and answers. Bank spaces wi indicate where further research is needed. You might ask different pupis to take responsibiity for finding out about particuar animas, but encourage teamwork. If you have a mutigrade cass, oder pupis coud assist younger pupis with the recording. You wi need to pan reguar times to aow pupis to add their findings to the tabe. At the end of the term or year, the information can be transferred to a arge book to be kept as a record for future reference. (You may find the Key Resource: Using new technoogies usefu to research information or to dispay the information). 8 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Resource 1: Food chain Exampe of pupis' work Resource 2: Likey oca ecosystems Teacher resource for panning or adapting to use with pupis Probabe ecosystems you and your pupis might ike to consider incude the foowing: ife under a sma rock or faen tree trunk; 9 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted a nearby tree; a hedge; the cassroom itsef (corner, cupboard, etc.); the oca river, dam or ake; a nearby forest; a marsh or boggy area; a dry barren hiside; the househod woodpie (watch out for snakes); a cump of bushes; a compost heap. Record what pupis expect to find in their ecosystem in a tabe, exampe beow: Under a rock Species Approximate number Feed on Eaten by Ants whoe coony ant ion many eggs and arvae and pupae Scorpion ony one miipedes crickets beetes Eggs or? Activity Vaue different workers sodiers queen nuisance cear dead things baboon ive young sting is poisonous Write pupis suggestions ighty in penci to be rubbed out when the answers are fied in. Beow you wi see some exampes of different ecosystems that are ikey to be found in Zambia. Lakes and ponds e.g. Bangweuu, Mweru, Kariba 10 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Food pains e.g. Kafue Fats, Zambezi Region Bush e.g. Mansa District, Chipata District, Mwiniunga District 11 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Resource 3: Keeping a praying mantis in the cassroom Background information / subject knowedge for teacher Keeping a praying mantis as a temporary guest in the cassroom is very easy. The arger ones with bigger abdomens (fu of eggs) and shorter feeers are the femaes. The thinner more deicate ones with onger feeers are the maes. They are better adapted to fying in search of femaes. The femaes tend to stay on the same pant and wait for maes to approach them. It shoudn t be difficut for pupis to catch one in a pastic bag. A good cage can be made using wire gauze over a wooden or stiff wire frame. What aso works we is to cut off the bottom of a cear pastic 2-itre coo drink botte. Make a series of hoes near the top using a sharp nai to et in air. Put some sand into the id of a box and stand a eafy twig in a sma jar of water (see diagram beow). Trap the praying mantis under the botte and use the screw-on cap to put in a reguar suppy of sma, ive insects such as fies, moths and grasshoppers. The pupis wi enjoy watching the mantis trap and eat its prey. If you have a mae and a femae in the same container they may we mate, but be prepared for a bit of drama. The femae wi usuay ean back and start to cannibaise the mae once mating has taken pace. After mating, you might see the femae aying her eggs in two neat rows in a frothy substance that soon dries and hardens and is paper-ike. Reease the femae after a whie. Keep the egg case under observation and your pupis might be ucky enough to 12 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted witness the hatching of the tiny, backish praying mantis nymphs. They need to be reeased, as it isn t easy to feed them in captivity, but notice how the abdomen is cured up over the back in a characteristic way. Resource 4: Loca knowedge Teacher resource for panning or adapting to use with pupis At Kabwe Coege of Education, teacher training students discovered that George, the man who worked as the gatekeeper, was a wonderfu resource about the oca natura word a true naturaist. If George was shown a pouched squirre, he woud know that it harvested and stored seeds and grain (much ike a hamster), and had a specific berom name for it that no student knew. He coud te a sorts of fascinating facts and fokore about the anima. For exampe, he tod how seven years of drought can be predicted when the pouched squirre is taking the troube to chew the pam nuts so as to carry them in its cheek pouches to be stored safey. He aso knew that the anteope coud see directy up through the spiras of its horns to the exact tip. You can check this if you ook down from the top of a mounted set of horns. There is a direct ine to the eye socket. We didn t reay beieve him when he tod us that trees communicated directy with the buck, sending them on by saying you have taken enough here, now move on. Years ater, teing some nature conservation experts about this odd notion, they aughed, saying that it had recenty been discovered that certain oca trees do in fact produce bitter-tasting chemicas in response to grazing and that these are even passed on to neighbouring pants, causing the buck to move on to a different cump of pants. Another exampe of oca knowedge: The story of the od woman who knew her ants A very famous African entomoogist, S H Skaife, tes an interesting story of how, during Word War 2, there was a shortage of tea. Peope decided to try to cutivate the wid rooibos tea pant from the Western Cape Fynbos. They offered a reward of one pound (a ot of money in those days) for every matchbox fu of rooibos seeds. The seeds were very sma and the oca chidren soon gave up trying. Ony an od woman was successfu. Every week she brought in a matchbox fu of seeds and coected her pound. She woud te no one how it was that she managed to do what no one ese coud. She ony divuged the secret of her success when the organisation had enough seeds and stopped paying. What was her secret? She knew that a certain type of ant harvested the seeds of that specific pant. A she had to do was to find the ants and foow their trai back to their nest and rob them of the harvest of rooibos seeds. The mora of the story sometimes it pays to carefuy observe what is going on in nature. Acknowedgements Every effort has been made to contact copyright hoders. If any have been inadvertenty overooked the pubishers wi be peased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. 13 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016
Section 3: Investigating animas: hunters and the hunted Return to Science (primary) page 14 of 14 Thursday 16 June 2016