Illinois Prairie Webquest: Changing an Ecosystem

1. Illinois Prairie Webquest:Changing an Ecosystem Sue Huitt

2. Welcome Welcome to the Illinois Prairie Ecosystems Webquest! • Once upon a time, until the mid-1800s, a grand tallgrass prairie covered Illinois. It had an ecosystem that included prairie grasses, insects, birds, and mammals. To this ecosystem came Native Americans, French explorers, and the Euro-American settlers. Each had its impact on the prairie, but the most impact was to be made by the last group. • This webquest will explore what the prairie ecosystem looked like before this settlement, and what it looked like after farms were established. You will compare and contrast the two ecosystems by creating two sets trophic level pyramids and food web diagrams from your research on the Web. • Let’s get started with an Introduction to the Illinois Prairie.

3. Grand Prairie Background • Early Native American and European visitors were fortunate to experience a natural phenomenon no longer available to present residents of the state: the Grand Prairie of Illinois. This tallgrass prairie occupied most of the northern two-thirds of the state in 1735. The decomposition of these prairie plants over thousands of years resulted in the develop0ment of a deep and very fertile soil. • The terrain was level to rolling, a result of glacial activity. Glaciers advanced and retreated numerous times during the Pleistocene. Prairies expanded after the last Ice Age. Annual fires maintained the prairies, preventing invasion by woody shrubs and trees. IN places protected from fire (by waterways and in broken topography), forests and woodlands existed. • Climate: The climate of the Grand Prairie was temperate: average mean high temperature, 62 degrees F.; average mean low temperature, 42; number of frost-free days, 170-180; average annual precipitation, 37.1 inches. • Geology: The Grand Prairie is a rather level, poorly drained plain of glacial drift from the Illinoian and Wisconsan glaciers created a series of moraines. The soils are relatively young and high in organic content.

4. Prairie Plant List Native Plants of the Grand Prairie: • Rosinweed • Prairie blazing star • Missouri goldenrod • Rattlesnake-master • Prairie dock • Indian grass • Culver’s root • Flowering spurge • Gray-headed coneflower • Tall tickseed • Compass plant • Ironweed • Big bluestem • Canadian wild rye • Cup-plant

5. Prairie Animal List • Animals of the Grand Prairie: • Mammals • American bison • Franklin’s ground squirrel • Birds • Dickcissel • Greater prairie chicken • Brown-headed cowbird • American goldfinch • Eastern meadowlark • Reptiles • Prairie kingsnake • Invertebrates: • Black and yellow argiope spider • American grasshopper • Handsome locust • Wrinkled grasshopper • Sword-bearing conehead • Margined blister beetle • Red milkweed beetle • Tiger swallowtail • Black swallowtail • Monarch butterfly • Viceroy butterfly • Red admiral butterfly • Bumble bee • Horsefly

6. Early Prairie Desriptions Excerpts from “An Early Illinois Prairie” By Albert W. Herre The American Botanist in 1940 • From the end of spring in 1873, until the late summer of 1878, it was my privilege to see and enjoy the life of a great tract of virgin prairie. The prairie, as yet untouched by the plow, began west or a little northwest of Delavan, and stretched in a great arc southward and westward nearly to the Illinois River. It was six or seven miles wide and twenty or more miles long. This immense tract of land was so flat that it was too wet for the plow, and was used for grazing beef cattle. In addition, large quantities of wild hay were cut from it. This hay not only gave the necessary winter feed but was also a much-needed cash crop, which was marketed in Pekin. • The few scattered farmers lived on the low flattened sandy ridges bordering the prairie. At that time the sand hills, which rose but a few feet above the prairie, were the only land cultivated. Here and there the prairie was sprinkled with more or less circular permanent water holes or pools, locally called buffalo-wallows. Around their edges grew a dense ring of sedges, cat-tails, and tall saw grass.

7. Roles • You will be part of a team that witnesses one of the most radical changes in an ecosystem in America — the settlement of the Illinois prairie by farmers in the early 1800s! • One person on each team will be a pioneer farmer who moves to early Illinois in the 1820s to create a farm on the edge of the prairie. You will encounter and enter a new ecosystem. You will also bring some new animals and plants to the prairie, such as cows, pigs, chickens, and corn and wheat seeds. The farmer has a plan to plow, drain, and clear the land to grow crops and raise livestock. • A second member of the team is a witness and advisor, a plant expert or Botanist. He or she will research and describe some prairie plants (producers on the trophic pyramid) the farmer will encounter, find out how it fits into the ecosystem, and how it is connected to other creatures. • A third member of the team is also a witness and advisor, an animal expert, a Zoologist. He or she will research some prairie animals, describe their position and connections in the prairie ecosystem, and their relationship as a consumer in the food chain. • A fourth member of the team is an Ecologist. He or she helps organize the information prepared by the Botanist, Zoologist, and the Farmer. The Ecologist helps them prepare a pre-settlement trophic pyramid based on the animals and plants they researched, and a post-settlement trophic pyramid. He or she also helps them prepare a pre-settlement food web and a post-settlement food web chart.

8. Tasks • 1. Meet with your home group to confirm your roles. • 2. Meet with Specialist Group • Zoologists meet with their group, Botanists with theirs, Farmers with theirs, and Ecologists with theirs. • Divide the work. • The Zoologists will get the Animal Information. Print it here or fill in the form. Botanists will gather Plant Information. Ecologists find Ecosystem Information. • 3. Go to Animal Links and Plant Links and visit internet sites to gather information. Ecologists find links to prairie and farming ecosystems, trophic levels, and food webs. • Record your data in point form style on the sheet provided. • When this is done, meet with your (Zoologist, Botanist, Farmer, and Ecologist) group members again. • Discuss your findings, highlighting the eating habits of the animals. • Each group member should record its groups' findings on the Animal Classification - Form 2. • Print it here or fill in the form. • 4. Meet with Your Home Group: • Using the information that you have gathered, discuss possible food chains with the members of your group. Each group will construct two food chains and two trophic levels pyramids: pre-settlement and post-settlement. They will compare the two and write their conclusions about the effects of farming on the prairie ecosystem. They will describe the new ecosystem. • Discuss possible food chains with your group members. • Remember, all food chains start with the sun and some type of plant or producer.

9. Web Link Resources Ecosystems • http://www.kesgrave.suffolk.sch.uk/Curric/geog/trophic.html Education Web site in the UK is an online tutorial on the basics of trophic levels. • http://www.arcytech.org/java/population/facts_foodchain.html ArcyTech site on the basics of the food chain and trophic levels for review. • http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/highertrophic/trophic2.html University of Michigan online chapter called “Flow of Energy: Higher Trophic Levels” for more detailed information.http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/tlw3/eBridge/Chp29/29_keypoints.mhtml This page contains nice animations on energy flows and the water and carbon cycles, and information about trophic levels. • http://www.gould.edu.au/foodwebs/kids_web.htm Build your own food web on this Australian educational site. Illinois Prairie • http://www.bellmuseum.org/mnideals/prairie/build/Bell Museum’s animated prairie restoration and burn game! Also see their field lguide to plants and animals.http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/eco.html • Illinois State Museum’s MuseumLink Web Module Illinois Prairie, “Prairie Ecosystems” contains information on the land, plants, and animals of the Illinois prairie. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/whprairie.html ISM hosted site on Midewin Prairie; this section , “What is a Prairie?” • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/prcommunities.html Midewin site’s section on Prairie Communities includes the relationship of plants and animals.

10. Resource Links, cont. Plants • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/eco_plants.html Illinois State museum’s Illinois Prairie section on plants includes a field guide. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/plcommunities.html Midewin Prairie site’s section on Plant Communities includes pre-European settlement vegetation map and description of the early prairie plant communities. • http://www.learner.org/jnorth/spring2003/species/eagle/Update040203.html#Turkey Scroll down to the section on a tree’s niche in the ecosystem for interesting facts about how a tree interconnects with other creatures. Animals • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/eco_an.htmlIllinois State Museum’s Illinois Prairie section on animals has descriptions of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/prcommunities.html Midewin site’s section on Prairie Communities features descriptions of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. • http://www.fahan.tas.edu.au/libraries/senior/envexpedition/habitat.htm This Australian site gives some examples of animals and their place in the trophic levels. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/zoology/collections/lep/ ISM online captioned photogallery of Butterflies and Moths found in Illinois. There is also a narrative introduction at http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/zoology/lepidoptera/ • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/zoology/collections/odonata/ ISM online photo gallery of Dragonflies. Introduction is at http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/zoology/odonata/

11. Resource Links, cont. Pioneer Settlement • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/1800/welcome.htmISM’s interactive At Home in the Heartland section 1800-1850: At Home on the Fringes of the Prairie takes you through the settlement by several real people as they experienced their new life on the prairie. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/settlement.htmlMidewin site’s section on European Settlement of Illinois. It is followed by the section on How Do We Know?, which focuses on surveyor’s journals, the fossil pollen record, and herbarium records. The invention of the John Deere Plow is described. • http://www.deere.com/en_US/compinfo/history/ History of the invention of the steel plow by John Deere on the Deere company’s Web site. Fire and Fire Suppression • http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/gal/ichi30917.html NIU library page showing a painting of a scene depicting a prairie fire and pioneers, with detailed caption. • http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/galleries/prairies/ National Geographic section on prairies; this page shows a photograph of a recent prairie fire from the air. • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/re_firesup.html ISM Forests of Illinois page on fire suppression and its effect on the ecosystem • http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/pr_fire.html ISM Illiniois Prairie page on fire’s role in keeping prairies healthy.

12. Resource Links, cont. Agriculture • http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/art/collections/sadorus/ISM Web site photo gallery of scenes of an Illinois farm circa 1910. Introductory narrative section is found at: http://webdev.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/art/sadorus/ • http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/SCT112/lecture9.htm This page from a Virginia educator discusses in an online chapter, and illustrates energy flows in ecosystems. It includes agricultural trophic systems. • http://oregonstate.edu/instruction/bi301/trophic.htm A lecture on agriculture and its effect on the ecosystem. • http://il.nrcs.gov/technical/grazing.html#PlantSuccession Illinois section of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s section on grazing.

13. Rubric Wow!  Exceeded the Standards!  (Grade = A) Got it! Met the Standards!(Grade = B) Not yet, but close (Grade = C) Lots of Work to do! (Grade = D) • Description of Ecosystems • Accurately and thoroughly described the characteristics of an ecosystem including 3 flora and 3 fauna typical of each trophic level • Accurately and thoroughly described the characteristics of an ecosystem including 3 flora and 3 fauna  • Either the description of the ecosystem (including 3 flora and 3 fauna) is lacking relevant details or the flora and fauna chosen are not typical of the prairie ecosystem • The description of the ecosystem (including flora and fauna) is inaccurate or fewer than 3 flora and 3 fauna are described • Description of Species Interaction • Accurately and thoroughly described one symbiotic relationship and the niche of each required flora and fauna presented including the organism is adapted to its role • Accurately and thoroughly described one symbiotic relationship and the niche of each required flora and fauna presented  • Either the description of the symbiotic relationship is inaccurate or the niche of each required flora and fauna presented are lacking relevant details • The description of the symbiotic relationship is inaccurate and the niche of each required flora and fauna presented are lacking relevant details • Diagrams: Pyramids and Food Webs • Clear, concise pyramids with correct levels and labelsbased on 5 species each of plants and animals • Each Food web correct in species (5+) and directions of energy • Correct pyramids and basic labels based on less than five species each of plants and animals • Food webs correct but fewer that 5+ species involved • Basic pyramids missing some levels or labels and less than 3-5 species • Food Webs are not complete to 3 species each and energy flow is correct • Pyramids’ levels incorrect and few species listed. • Food Webs lacking in species and arrows depicting energy flow • Presentation • All of the group members present part of the project; students make eye contact with the audience, speak slowly and clearly, and have prepared ahead of time what will be said • All of the group members present part of the project  • Either some members of the group do not participate in the presentation, part of the project is missing, OR the presenters are unfocused and act in a distracting manner  • Two of the following occur: some members of the group do not participate in the presentation, part of the project is missing, OR the presenters are unfocused and act in a distracting manner