| Explore | From taking a stroll through our neighborhoods, or even just going to our backyards, we were able to observe a variety of trees. In total, we made observations of six trees all differing in size. One tree was seen to have leaves that were yellowed or browned, as well as very thin branches. Another tree was seen to have stripped bark near the bottom of its trunk. This tree had many leaves and attracted many hummingbirds. A different tree that was observed also had bark that appeared to be falling off, and maybe rotting in some areas. But this one was an apple tree and didn’t have any leaves at this time. Another observation made was that from a multi-stem tree, one of the stems was actually curved. Finally our last two trees both had exposed roots, and plenty of leaves. However one of them had a canker and the other one had white spots on the tree. Because of the observations we made, we thought about how plants and trees can get infected by species of insects and bugs and were able to further research on that subject about what invasive species, indeed, do target our tree species. From the tree species identified and measurements made (height and diameter) we were also able to discover the benefits of each tree. A possible research question would how does the species and size (diameter, height) of a tree affect its benefit. |
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| Research Question | Would unhealthy or healthy hardwood trees attract more animals? We came with this question because when we conducted the nature walk we took in consideration of the animals we noticed. |
| Predictions | Our prediction is that a healthier tree would attract more animals because they would provide better shelter and nutrients for the animal. |
| Experimental Design | Our plan is to: 1. Find 4 hardwood trees 2. Evaluate the health of the tree from a scale of 1-5 (1 being unhealthy and 5 being healthy) and record a) 1 = broken branches, no/discolored leaves, peeling bark, exposed/damaged roots, blights and blotches, cankers b) 2 = contains ⅚ unhealthy characteristics (mentioned in level 1) c) 3 = contains 3/6 unhealthy characteristics (mentioned in level 1) d) 4 = contains ⅚ healthy characteristics (mentioned in level 5) e) 5 = full branches, produces healthy fruits (if any), fully pigmented leaves, tough bark and roots, no discoloration or blights, blotches, and cankers 3. Observe the trees everyday from 1-1:10 pm 4. Record the number of birds and mammals present/approaching the tree at that time 5. Record the type of bird and mammal that was observed 6. Compare the observations recorded between the trees with peers 7. Determine if more birds/mammals are attracted to unhealthy or healthy hardwood trees. The variable we’re testing is the health of the tree and the variable we are measuring is the animals that approach the tree. What we are keeping constant is that all the trees are hardwood. We are recording our data through our observations. |
| Investigation Theme | TREE |
| Grade Level | High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12) |
| Teacher Name | Crystal Davis |
| School Name | California Academy of Mathematics and Science |
| Session | Spring 2021 |