Microhabitats Stage 3 Comprehension PDF

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Habitats Text focus: Information Text Microhabitats A habitat is somewhere which provides living things with everything they need to survive. Living things need food, water, shelter and safety. Some habitats are very large. Forests, deserts or oceans can be habitats. Animals may...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Habitats Text focus: Information Text Microhabitats A habitat is somewhere which provides living things with everything they need to survive. Living things need food, water, shelter and safety. Some habitats are very large. Forests, deserts or oceans can be habitats. Animals may need to travel over large areas to find what they need. Other habitats are very small. A hole in a tree could be a habitat or the underside of a rock. Everything the living thing needs is available within that very small area. These are called microhabitats. Micro means very small. They may be small but they can be packed full of life! If you pick up a log from the forest floor, you will see all sorts of life. You may see a woodlouse scu le away. You may discover a centipede or a beetle. These are called minibeasts. The log may also be a habitat to fungi, ferns or mosses. They grow on the damp surface of the log. There are also living things you won’t see. Some insects and bacteria make their home inside the log. The log gives these things everything they need. The ro ng wood provides food. It is very moist which is just how these living things like it. The log protects them from hungry predators like birds. In return, these living things help to break down dead wood. They are called ‘decomposers’. They are like nature’s recycling teams. Some minibeasts make a home in living trees. Bark beetles bore their way into the bark. They lay eggs. The eggs hatch and the young beetles (called larvae) live inside the tree. They eat the living bark. The tree gives them everything they need to live. Then, the adults come out of the holes and the life cycle can start again. Most of the time, beetles don’t a ack healthy trees. However, sometimes beetles spread from tree to tree. This sort of outbreak could kill many trees. That is why these beetles are sometimes called pests. all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com Another microhabitat can be found in the soil. Soil is full of life. One teaspoon of soil can contain one billion bacteria! They help keep the soil healthy. It will also be home to fungi. These fungi help plants to grow. There will be creatures called nematodes. They look like very tiny worms. They live in the water that coats the particles of soil. Earthworms eat the plants in the soil. They also provide food for other living things. There are different types of soil. Soil which is loose is the best for living things. This is because it has spaces for air and water. Healthy, living soil is important if plants are to grow well. Farmers need to think about what is below the soil and not just what is above it. 1. What does micro mean? RETRIEVAL FOCUS 2. What are decomposers? 3. What are young beetles called? 4. How many bacteria are in one teaspoon of soil? 5. Where do nematodes live? V V S V I VIPERS QUESTIONS Which two words tells us that it is wet under logs? ‘Bark beetles bore their way into the bark’. What word could replace ‘bore’ in this sentence? Number the parts of the bark beetle life cycle in order 1-5: Adult beetles lay eggs Adult beetles bore into the bark. Larvae grow into adult beetles. The eggs hatch and the larvae live in the bark. Adult beetles come out from the bark. What is an outbreak? Why would farmers care about soil? all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com