1. What is a habitat?

2. Habitat Place and conditions in which an organism lives. Made up of the physical properties of the environment and the relationship to other organisms in the environment.

3. What are some examples of habitats?

4. Examples of Habitat

5. Microhabitat Small habitat within a larger habitat.

6. How can habitats change?

7. Habitats can change over time. Mount St. Helens, Washington

8. Habitat Alteration Changes made to the environment in which an organism lives. Changes can be natural or man-made. WildfiresAcid Rain

9. What are some positives/negatives of habitat alteration? PositivesNegatives

10. Here are some examples of Habitat Alteration.

11. Bear Glacier, Alaska 1909

12. Bear Glacier, Alaska 2005

13. Muir Glacier, Alaska 1941

14. Muir Glacier, Alaska 2004

15. Salt Lake Valley Late 1800s

16. Salt Lake Valley 2000s

17. Gila River, Arizona 1935

18. Gila River, Arizona 1964

19. Escalante River, Utah 1953

20. Escalante River, Utah 1998

21. Coal Mine, Before Restoration

22. Coal Mine, After Restoration

23. Wetland, Before Restoration

24. Wetland, After Restoration

25. Activity Instructions: Identify changes that occurred between photos. Hypothesize the cause of change, and record observations/hypotheses in table. Observed Change Indicator of Change Cause of Change Manmade or Natural?

26. Additional Discussion Questions: What are some examples of local habitats? What are some indicators of habitat alteration? What are some natural causes of habitat alteration? What are some man-made causes of habitat alteration? How can we measure habitat alteration?

27. Additional Activities: Discussion/lecture on biological (invasive species) and physical (river channeling) indicators of habitat alteration (5 minutes). Return to groups and have students determine a way to measure the degree of habitat alteration (5 minutes). Pair two groups and have them determine (and record) which group’s pictured habitat underwent the most changes. How do they know? Is it clear? Etc (5 minutes).