In this project, we are going to combine a lot of things from Natural and Social Science. Let´s find out about ecosystems and relief (the shape and form of the land)…
Our planet is made up of many different types of ecosystems. An ecosystem is combination of living things (knows as biotic factors) and non-living things (known as abiotic factors). The way living and non-living things function together is called an ecosystem.
It sounds quite tricky to understand, but here is an example. Take a tropical rainforest, for example. If we look at the jaguar (a large, camouflaged cat), its relationship with the tree and forest is very different from the relationship the birds have with the forest, but the birds are food for the jaguar and help the trees by eating fruit and pooping seeds out! One thing to remember is everything in an ecosystem is important, it doesn´t matter if it´s living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic).
Our first ecosystem is quite unique and special because it is only found around the North and South Poles. It´s called the tundra…
The main characteristics of a tundra ecosystem are that it is very cold and dry. The ground is frozen on the surface in a material called permafrost, so it´s quite difficult to live there. Very few people live in Tundra ecosystems, and the animals and plants that live there have special characteristics called adaptations to help them to survive. For the first part of our project, we will be visiting Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland. This Island country is a cape, which is a thin piece of land similar to the Iberian Peninsula where we live, in the north west of the planet.
More than 80% of Greenland is covered by an ice sheet, which is an enormous piece of ice made up of ancient glaciers. When these glaciers move across the land to the sea and ocean, they get warmer and the ice melts, dropping small pieces into the water. These small pieces of broken glacier are called icebergs, and there are many of them floating in the water around Greenland.
Look at the characteristics of this animal from Greenland´s west coast. Can you guess what it is? ⬇️
Yes, of course, it´s the Arctic fox! Here is some information about this very cute animal ⬇️
https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/profiles/mammals/arctic_fox/
Can you complete this fact file?
*Tip: Conservation status is a phrase we use to talk about how worried we are about an animal or plant. (We use the most or least ´concern´, which means inquietud or preocupación)
We have found another curious animal, the narwhal (or the ´unicorn of the sea´) 🦄
Let´s make some notes about the narwhal, too! Remember to use phrases and vocabulary from you worksheet ⬅️ to help you find information on the internet.c
Here is some general information and some reasons why scientists think the narwhal has that crazy-looking tusk on its face: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/narwhal
In class today, we talked quickly about an Inuit myth explaining the creation of the narwhal ⬇️
You have to complete this small worksheet about the myth for homework. Please bring it back on Wednesday 29th May, so we can correct it!
It is time to leave the Arctic Ocean and Greenland behind us and continue to our next destination!
Where are we going? ⬇️ 👀
Panama is an isthmus (a natural land bridge) which was created by volcanic eruptions about 3million years ago. Because of its unique position, it has enormous ports for international trade. The Panama Canal, a man-made canal that passes through Panama, allows enormous ships to pass quickly from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, facilitating trade.
More than 40% of the Panama isthmus is covered in tropical rainforest. Temperatures here are between 24 and 32 degrees celsius all year, and there are not really different seasons because the country is so close to the Equator, so it gets more or less the same quantity of sun all year.
The heat makes water from the rivers, forests, sea and ocean evaporate very quickly so its humid here- there is a lot of water in the air. Heat and water means a lot of easy nutrients for the organisms that live in tropical rainforests, so they are the most biodiverse places on the land; we find more different living things here than any otehr terrestrial (land) ecosystem!
sciencejmlp 