From beetles to millipedes, worms to spiders, there are lots of bugs that live near us. Learn more about the critters that make leaf litter their home!
Safety: Ask an adult for permission to head outdoors, and make sure they know where you are. Check the weather forecast and dress for the conditions. Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, shirt, sunglasses and sunscreen. There are bugs (including spiders, scorpions, centipedes and some insects) that can sting or bite. Make sure you wear gloves and avoid touching any bugs that you find.
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. There are many thousands of species of invertebrates, and they live all over the Earth. Invertebrates that live on land include insects, worms, spiders and snails. Many invertebrates, such as crabs, sea urchins and shellfish, live in the ocean.
Leaf litter is an important habitat for many types of invertebrates. Leaves provide food for some species, while others use the leaves to hide from predators. Leaf litter can also keep the bugs cool and sheltered from the Sun.
The leaves that you have collected are only a sample and might not have captured all the species present in a location. When entomologists (scientists that study insects and other invertebrates) conduct surveys, they do them in such a way to make sure they take a representative sample.
Invertebrates are an important part of many ecosystems. They pollinate many species of plants. They can be an important food source for other animals, such as mammals, reptiles and birds. However, some species of invertebrates can become pests and cause damage to ecosystems.
Entomologists will often conduct invertebrate surveys in the field. The results of these surveys can be important: if some species are declining, it might indicate a problem with the health of the ecosystem.
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3 December, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Reblogged this on colinjgrace and commented:
I was looking for something like this recently and couldn’t find anything. Well done Double Helix, great to see the CSIRO is still on the ball and delivering terrific practical activities.