LIFE-HISP
6/27/2007 Revised
A Learning in Florida’s Environment (LIFE) Field Lab
Page 1
Office of Environmental Education - Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Ecosystem Ingredients
Teacher’s Guide
Subject:
Integrated Science (Life; Earth-Space; Physical)
Topics:
Abiotic Environmental Factors, Ecosystems, Microenvironments
Summary:
This lab examines the influence of non-living or abiotic (temperature, light, water,
salinity, wind, etc.) factors on plant assemblages by comparing micro-environmental
conditions at different locations.
Objective(s):
After completing the field lab, students will be able to:
1. Recognize abiotic versus biotic factors
2. Explain how abiotic factors influence the living components of an ecosystem
3. Use equipment to measure, record and analyze abiotic factors in SI (metric units)
Ecosystem(s):
Beach Dune; Maritime tidal swamp; Coastal Strand; Maritime Hammock; Mesic
Flatwoods
Equipment:
• Data sheet
• Weather meter (1/group)
• Thermometer (1/group)
• GPS (1/group)
• Digital Soil Thermometer
(1/group)
• Digital Camera (1/group)
(optional)
• Refractometer
• Vegetation type ID sheet
(1/group)
Background (Pre-field Classroom Activity)
• Reference Material:
• Vocabulary:
• Equipment Orientation:
Procedure (Engage; Explore; Explain)
1. Ask students why some plants and animals live in some areas but not in others. Explain that in any given place
there are two general categories of ingredients: 1) those things that are living (e.g., plants and animals) and 2)
those things that are not living (e.g., temperature, water, salinity, wind, elevation, etc.). Explain that the non-living
factors (also called abiotic factors) influence what types of living things can survive in a given area. Some non-
living factors are more important in some areas than they are in others. Ask the students to formulate a hypothesis
about which non-living factor they think influences which types of plants can or cannot grow in this area.
2. Explain to st