aPods Rule! What Happens to Arthropods Following a Wildland Fire?
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) once could be found from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas. Longleaf pines are not usually killed by fire. Because these pines need open spaces to survive, fire is a good thing for longleaf pines. Over many years, much of the longleaf pine forests were cut for lumber.
Now, however, many people are concerned about longleaf pine forests. In many areas, these forests are being managed to help them survive and grow. Fire is a necessary part of this process. The scientists in this study were interested in what happens to arthropods after a fire. They developed a hypothesis about the importance of old logs lying on the forest floor to leaf-litter-dwelling arthropods. The scientists thought that, after a fire, arthropods living among leaf litter would move to the areas around old logs because they didn’t have other places to hide.
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The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What are the key characteristics of arthropods? You will create your own aPod based on the characteristics of arthropods and describe...FACTivity – aPods Rule!
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What are the key characteristics of arthropods? You will create your own aPod based on the characteristics of arthropods and describe...
Glossary
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James Hanula
My favorite experience as a scientist was discovering a new species. I was working on Japanese beetles at the time and kept finding larvae infected with a fungus. Other people...View Profile -
Joe O’Brien
When I was a graduate student, I studied the rain forest in Costa Rica. I was studying how climate influenced tree growth. Sometimes, I had to take measurements of leaves...View Profile -
Susan Loeb
My favorite science experience is observing animals in their natural environment, whether they are small mammals, bats, or chimpanzees.View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This...Lesson Plan – Letter to a Scientist
In small groups (or individually), students will read a Natural Inquirer or Investi-gator article and write a letter to the scientist, asking for clarification on at least four questions. This... -
The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...Lesson Plan – Forest Poems
The purpose of this lesson plan is to give students a chance to reflect on their reading and create poems to express what they have learned. The lesson plan is...
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Nothing Succeeds Like Succession” and “Nature’s Recyclers” as additional resources.