Virtual Field Trip

What is meant by the term “biodiversity?”

What do plants do for ecosystems?

In the video Andrew describes “a war” between two categories of plants. What are these types?

What is a unique plant on Tucker Prairie that is typically found only in wetlands?

How does a hula hoop enable students to complete their sampling at Tucker Prairie? How is it like or unlike the “quadrant” that ecologists might use?

In what ways does the sampling, as done in the video lead to accurate scientific results? In contrast, in what ways does the sampling not lead to accurate scientific results?

How does the diversity of plants sampled in Tucker Prairie compare to the diversity of plants sampled in a cornfield?

In the video, Andrew says that Climate Change is like “changing the rules of the game,” and diversity is like, “shuffling the deck.” Explain what he means by this.

Andrew describes Tucker Prairie having very rich soil that would be good for growing corn. How would the prairie’s biodiversity be affected if the prairie were tilled up for farming? Would this be a good idea? Explain your reasoning.

How does the diversity of plants affect the diversity of insects or birds that also live in Tucker Prairie?