Lesson 2
Forest layers
Learning intention
We are learning about the importance of natural vegetation to animals.
Success criteria
We can identify habitats used by native animals in eucalypt forests.
Activity 1 - How do native animals use ground covers?
Leaf litter, fallen branches and logs cover the ground in a eucalypt forest.
Animals such as brush turkeys and bandicoots rely on this area for food and shelter. Invertebrates such as millipedes, worms and termites play an important part in recycling dead plant material on the ground.
Tasks
- View the Ground cover layer video.
- Read about ground cover habitats.
- Go outside. Using a stick, dig around in the soil, mulch or leaf litter near you.
- Observe any animals that you see. Don't touch anything with your hands.
Ground cover layer | Field of Mars EEC (0:39sec) | YouTube
Activity 2 - What animals use ground cover plants?
Ground cover plants include grasses, herbs, mosses and ferns. Animals such as blue tongue lizards shelter under native grasses. Birds eat the grass seeds and berries and use the narrow leaves for nesting materials.
Tasks
- Find a ground cover plant in your garden, school or local bush.
- Sketch or take a photo of the plant. Draw an animal that would use the plant as a shelter.
A blue tongue lizard sheltering under Blue flax lily plants.
Activity 3 - How do native animals use the shrub layer?
The shrub layer contains flowering plants such as banksias, grevilleas and wattles.
Animals such as the superb fairy wren, orchard butterfly and blue banded bee use shrubs for habitat. These animals rely on shrubs for food and protection. They are important for plant pollination and seed dispersal.
Tasks
- View the video Pollinators. How many animals did you see and hear?
- Read about shrub habitats.
- Find a flower in your garden, school or local bush. If you cannot access a flower use a picture of a native flower.
- Download and use the pollination chart to discover what animals would pollinate the flower you found.
Pollinators | Field of Mars EEC (0:33sec) | YouTube
Activity 4 - How does the tree canopy support native animals?
The canopy creates important highways for animals such as possums, gliders and koalas to travel from tree to tree without needing to come down to the forest floor.
Trees can develop tree hollows as they age. This provides nesting sites for birds, mammals and reptiles.
Tasks
- View the The tree canopy layer video.
- Read about tree habitats.
- Go outside and observe a tree.
- Take photos of evidence of animals such as scratch marks, animal trails or scats (droppings)?
- Use PicCollage or a similar app to create a collage of animal evidence.
The tree canopy layer | Field of Mars EEC (1:04min) | YouTube
Today we're being placed detectives so that we can uncover the importance of the eucalypt forest. Come on let's have a look.
In the eucalypt forest we have a ground cover layer made up of grasses, herbs and ferns.
In the middle we have a shrub layer with lots of flowering plants.
And then finally a tree canopy with all of our eucalypt trees dominating it.
End of transcript.
Behind me is one of my favourite trees that grow here at the Field of Mars Reserve.
It's called a Sydney red gum.
This tree along with many others helps to form the canopy layer of plants you can find here at Field of Mars.
These tall trees are really important for lots of Australian animals. Some animals will make their nest in them. Some animals look for food in them and some animals will use these trees to help move through the forest.
One of the animals that loves to use this tree is the Australian ringtail possum. They're a nocturnal animal so they come out into the forest at night time.
They use the trees behind me a bit like a highway because they'll move from branch to branch climbing from one tree to the next.
End of transcript.