Home > Farming > Science > Exploring

Farming – Science

Exploring	Understanding	Actions
Exploring ideas

Good advice

This task will enable students to share their current knowledge about the relationship between farming and the environment.

A farming family needs advice about wildlife and wildlife habitat. They want to know if keeping a small remnant forest and growing more trees and shrubs will improve their farm or reduce both their profits and the value of their land. Put yourself in the place of the following people and advise the farming family:

• the family accountant advising on profit and loss
• a local park ranger – on the benefits of wildlife
• a pest controller – on feral animals, weeds and invertebrates that destroy crops
• a local real-estate agent – on land values
• a tourist operator who organises farm holidays

As a class, brainstorm ideas. Link ideas using bubble maps or another thinking tool. Students develop a set of questions they would like to have answered.

Play the suggested video segments after students have finished the activity.

Resources

Does a loss of biodiversity harm farms?

This task will enable students to work in small groups to produce a research report.

As a class, find out and discuss what is meant by 'biodiversity'. Distinguish between species diversity, ecosystem diversity and genetic diversity. Discuss.

In smaller groups research the following:

• How has farming affected Australia's woodlands and grasslands? What animals and plants are at risk?
• Will retaining biodiversity help farms and farmers? Consider the conservation of soil and water, reduction of pests and weeds, surviving droughts, shelter for stock, etc. How can native grasses help farmers?

Produce a short report.

Resources

Measuring biodiversity

In this task, students will design a method for measuring and analysing biodiversity. Measuring biodiversity need not be an exercise in naming organisms. It can be achieved numerically. Students design and test a biodiversity monitoring program. They design methods that do not require the identification of species. Students attempt novel ways to measure biodiversity. For example:

• Use a digital camera to compare ecosystems, micro habitats, etc.
• Survey invertebrate species by counting the number of species for the first 100 individual invertebrates caught in different habitats
• Count the number of different bird or frog calls in five minutes
• Count the number of species of birds observed in 10 minutes in different habitats
• Make a checklist of all habitat-types created by individual eucalypts at different stages of growth. Is there any change as trees age?

Choose one biological indicator for the program e.g. birds, frogs, large trees, etc. Explain why this indicator has been chosen. Describe methodology including the analysis of data, design data sheets, and locate all equipment that is required. Trial the monitoring program in the school ground, park or on a farm. After analysing the data, suggest improvements to their monitoring program.

Resources

Farm food web

In this task, students will use their existing knowledge and some new research to compare two farms, one with and one without remnant vegetation.

Students will compare the food web of a farm depleted of natural ecosystems with a farm that has some remnant vegetation and habitat restored.

• Read the Gould food webs ideas on the internet
• Identify niches in remnant vegetation and predict what kind of animals would find a home in them
• Consider both vertebrates, invertebrate, plants and fungus
• Construct food webs for about 20 organisms
• Identify two pests and show what happens in the two systems if they are introduced

Students will need to have access to Eco farm on CD-ROM. Use this to develop an understanding of remnant habitat and restoration work. Choose a medium for creating food webs. With further research, create a food web for a farm depleted of natural ecosystems with an Eco Farm. Describe how the farms are different. How does an increase in biodiversity affect pests?

Resources