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Lesson 4: Saving Habitat
 
Objectives:
 
Students will:
  • Understand the environmental impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on wildlife, and strategies for saving and restoring habitat.
 
Core Learning Goals:
 

Science Skills and Processes: 1.4.6: The student will describe trends revealed by data.

Biology: 3.5.3: The student will investigate how natural and man-made changes in environmental conditions will affect individual organisms and dynamics of populations.
 
Materials:
 
Background:
 
Since colonial settlement, Maryland has lost much of the forests and wetlands that originally covered the State. In recent decades, this loss has accelerated due to suburban sprawl.  Read “Keeping Open Space Open,” in Picture Maryland for background on loss of habitat and farmland and what Maryland has been doing to reverse this trend.

Sprawl has many effects on wildlife populations.  Some species adapt to human disturbance, while others are harmed by the loss of habitat, noise, threats from pets, etc.  In addition, to the amount of habitat available for wildlife, wildlife quality can be significantly affected by fragmentation in many ways.  A few examples:

  • Increased edges of forests fragmented into small patches by development can allow predators and parasites increased access to forest interior species (especially birds).
  • Degradation of habitat (e.g. water quality for trout) can inhibit the ability of species to grow and reproduce.
  • Heavy browsing by the growing population of deer has altered the types of plant species that grow in some areas.  As a result, some desirable or rare plant species are threatened.  Deer are thriving because humans have created large amounts of edge habitat in which they thrive, and have eliminated most of their natural predators.
Recent patterns in land development for houses combined with some species ability to adapt to this development and thrive have also led to increased human conflicts with wildlife, ranging from raccoons knocking over trash cans to increased car collisions involving deer. 

Exotic plants and animals can have a tremendous negative impact on wildlife habitat.  Invasive exotic species are often able to thrive on habitat that has been degraded by fragmentation, pollution, or other human impacts.  Many such species damage habitat, and compete directly with native species for food and habitat.

 
We are all environmentalist cartoon

 

Activity 1:  Generalists and Specialists
 
Read “Carving Up the Landscape.”  Then pick an animal native to Maryland and research how populations of that animal might be affected by land use changes over the past thirty years.  In terms of their ecological role, animals can be classified as generalists or specialists.  A generalist is an organism that can survive under a wide variety of conditions, and does not specialize to live under any particular set of circumstances, they eat whatever suitable prey is abundant and eat what they can when they can.  Generalists are better at adapting to landscapes altered by humans.  By contrast, a specialist is an organism that has adopted a lifestyle specific to a particular set of conditions (e.g. feeding only on one type of food) and are less able to adapt to changes caused by humans.
Generalists Specialists
Raccoon Otter
Northern Two-Lined Salamander Northern Slimy Salamander
Black nosed dace Brook Trout
Mallard ducks Canvasback ducks
Robin Wood Thrush
Housefly Mayfly
 

Photo of a Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab

 
Exotic species
Nutria
Mute swans
Starling
Gypsy Moth
Japanese Beetle
 
Activity 2:Potential Habitat

Read about Maryland’s GreenPrint Program, and look at the Rural Legacy map of Maryland, and the GreenPrint maps.  The Rural Legacy Program protects large, contiguous areas of open space for their habitat, agricultural and scenic value.  The GreenPrint Program aims to strategically protect open space in areas and patterns that will most benefit wildlife.

Looking at a map of your county, or a smaller area within your county, identify areas that could serve as habitat hubs or corridors.  Outline the significant habitat areas in green.  Then color in those areas that do not appear to be protected in pink.

Note:  Some areas are protected by conservation easements that are held by the State or private conservation organizations, and are not marked on the map.  For your purposes, protected lands are those that are publicly owned lands in a natural state, or specially designated privately owned lands.

Looking at your map of significant wildlife habitat, describe whether your species from Activity 1 would benefit or not if the entire area was protected.  If so, how?
 
Activity 3:  Population Trends for Wildlife Species
 
Brief constructed response:  Natural and man-made changes in the environment affect individual organisms and the dynamics of populations.  Choose an animal from Activity 1, or another animal native to Maryland.  Research the trends in population of this species in Maryland or the mid-Atlantic region over the past few decades (or for whatever geographic areas and timeframe data are available).  Data for a few Chesapeake Bay species are included in the species slide show.  Using this information, analyze the dynamics of the population.
 
Major factors that influence species populations include:

  • Availability of food

  • Availability of water

  • Shelter

  • Space
  • Predators
  • Disease
  • Reproductive success

 

Photo of the Chesapeake Bay's tidal habitat

 

In your answer, be sure to:

  • Describe the trend in your animal population over the previous 30 years.
  • Describe the natural and man-made changes that have occurred in the area over that time period that may have led to the increase or decrease of the population.
  • Predict the trend in your animal population for the next 30 years.
  • Describe how the data support your prediction.

Sample answers: 

1. Student should describe an increase or decrease in population and explain in bullet 4 how that data was used.

2. Answers will vary depending on the animal. Students can list those variables that would increase or decrease the population, but may also list which ones are NOT likely to be variables. For example, over-harvesting (man-made) and disease (natural cause) are two variables causing a decline in the oyster population. A decline in the American Eel population may be attributed to the blockage of migratory pathways, but not disease.

3. The description of the trend should indicate the increase, decrease, or leveling off of the population.  

4. The students should summarize the above concepts by describing how the data was used to arrive at their conclusion. 

 

Assessment/Evaluation:
  

Ask students to identify native plants or animals that used to live in your area but no longer do.  Describe the changes that seem most responsible for eliminating each of these plants or animals.  Suggest and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of possible actions that could have been taken to prevent the elimination of these plants or animals from the area.
 

Taking Action:

 

Identify a habitat restoration project at or near your school that your class could do.  This could include enhancing lawns or open space by planting native trees, shrubs or grasses; creating houses for birds or bats; creating or enhancing wildlife habitat or other ideas.

Refer to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s website for further ideas and step-by-step instructions.

http://www.fws.gov/r5cbfo/schoolyd.htm

 
 
 

Contents | Saving Habitat | “Carving Up the Landscape” | Habitat Loss and Restoration slide show

Species Populations slide show | Rural Legacy and GreenPrint maps | Maryland GreenPrint

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© 2001 by Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  Adapted in part from “Shrinking Habitat,” Project Wild 1-12 Activity Guide, 1992, Council for Environmental Education.