Whilst on Kangaroo Island we are going to be studying the ecosystems in the Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park where Peggy Rismiller and Mike Macelvey do their research.

Specifically we are going to do the following:

1. Vegetation survey to find out what types of vegetation can be found in and around the animals’ habitats.
2. Temperature measurements of microhabitats eg temperature of a goanna and its burrow and the surrounding habitat to see if these are different and perhaps indicate why goannas burrow.
3. Comparison of the 3 weather stations at the research station to observe micro climates.
4. Interaction of wildlife ecosystems – measuring different types of habitat and finding clues as to why certain species prefer/need certain habitats and whether the habitats of echidnas and goannas interact.

When you read the 4 things we are going to study, did you understand what it all meant? Probably not – perhaps you need to understand some of the words and terms commonly used by biologists.

What you have to do:

Make sure you understand the following words and write out definitions for each, that your fellow students would understand:

Ecosystem, vegetation, habitat, micro-habitat, climate, micro-climate.

1. Look at the Photo Gallery at the vegetation on KangarooIsland, where we are staying. Describe how it is different from the vegetation around Exmouth and North WestCape.
2. Why do you think the vegetation is different? (Hint: Think about climate  and anything else that could affect it).
3. Why is vegetation important to animals? List all the various ways that vegetation could affect animals. (Hint: think about where you find kangaroos lying in the middle of the day and why would they do that – then think of any other uses animals have for vegetation).
4. List all the animals that you can think of that burrow or dig holes to bury eggs. (think about animals in CapeRange and perhaps on the beaches). Why do you think that animals burrow or dig nests? List as many reasons as you can.
5. What affect could vegetation have on the microclimate of the burrows?