Are Vacant Lots Vacant? (Lesson adapted from Project Learning Tree): In this activity, a nearby vacant lot, overgrown strip of land, or a landscaped area will provide you with an outdoor laboratory for you to examine the elements of an ecosystem!
Materials:
- Science journal
- Pencil
Doing the Activity:
- Find an outdoor area that you want to explore. It can be in your yard, your driveway, the park, a parking lot – any area that you want to create a study plot, or area you wish to investigate!
- The plot can be a large space, where you mark your boundaries with sticks. Or it can be within a smaller area that you can mark off with string, or even a hula hoop!
- Create a list of both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things that you think you will find in your plot. Make sure you note whether those things are biotic or abiotic.
- For example, a spider is biotic, a rock is abiotic
- Examine your plot for signs of animal life. Look for tracks, scat, burrows, spider webs, etc. Be sure to write down any signs you find!
- Now look for signs of plant life.
- Inventory all you see! If you are not sure what you found, you can sketch and label the organisms to identify later. Make a tally of all the things that you find! If you found 3 spiders, be sure to note that there were 3.
- As you are observing your plot, keep these questions in mind;
- Is there evidence that the plot is used by animals?
- Is there evidence that the animals prey on other organisms?
- Do certain plants grow better in certain locations?
- What interactions did you observe among the plants and animals?
- How do the organisms in your plot get the water they need to survive?
- How do you think the plants got to where they are?
- How have people used this site, and what impact do you think they have on this ecosystem?
- Are there signs of pollution?
- After you are finished at your site, head inside and share your findings. Some further questions to consider are;
- What elements of this site help to support the plants and animals living there?
- Were there organisms you expected to find but did not? If so, why do you think they were not found?
- What might be done to this site to make it better for plants? Animals? People?
- How do the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) elements of this ecosystem interact or depend on each other?
Contact education@vinsweb.org with questions or comments.