We Rely on Each Other

Food Chains & Interactions

Learn about the food web, and how plants and animals in the Jordan River corridor are connected in a complex web of specific environments and food sources.  Each student will be play the role of a different resident of the Jordan River Parkway (e.g. cottonwood tree, beaver, butterfly). Is your plant or animal a primary producer, an herbivore, carnivore or omnivore?  We’ll arrange ourselves into a food web in order of who eats whom.  What animals have the longest food chain? What plants are the foundation of the entire Jordan River ecosystem? What happens if one member of the food chain disappears?

Next, we will explore the Jordan River corridor in a guided eco-walk.  Students will look for evidence of different animals and their habitats as we explore the Jordan River Parkway. Students will have the opportunity to look through real binoculars, use a magnifying glass or an insect sweep net.  In the field, we’ll try to spot common plants and animals with the help of a field guide, and all our observations will be recorded in a field journal.