Teacher's Section: Bees and Bats as Pollinators

The Fruits of Their Labor

Lesson 14 _ A

Day 20

Lesson Intention: This lesson is designed to give students an opportunity to examine different fruits and vegetables they bring from home, find where the fruits holds their seeds, ask questions, then eat a yummy fruit salad which has been collaboratively made.

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Determine which foods are actually fruits
Explain that a fruit is actually a swollen flower embryo
Make the connection that many of our foods are flowers that get pollinated

Materials per class: 8-10 kitchen knives, several large salad bowls, aprons, plastic wrap or large sealable baggies, small paper plates and forks for all.

Teacher Preparation:

Several days before the lesson, assign students the homework of bringing in fresh fruits- make sure they understand that a "fruit" is the edible reproductive part of a seed plant- meaning it is usually fleshy, has a skin and contains seeds. Tell the students they can earn 10 points a fruit- 15 points if it is a fruit people don’t consider a fruit.

Bring in a few odd fruits like a coconut, kiwi, strawberries(an aggregate fruit), mesquite pods, peas, a cucumber, nuts in their shells such as walnuts or pecans.

Bellwork: on board or overhead.

Bellwork: List the fruit you brought in today. Where are the seeds? How many seeds do you think your fruit contains? Is it a traditional fruit or is it considered a vegetable or nut?

After answering these questions, go wash your hands with soap. Bring a paper towel to your table.

Step by step discussion/fruit party

1. Go around to as many students as possible to find out what fruits they have brought. Ask them about their fruits. Generate discussion. Maybe some of the fruits aren’t actually fruits.

Hand out a knife to each group. Ask them to first cut their fruit in half in the best way to show as many seeds as possible. Have different students show their fruits cut in half with the seeds.
Show the students the coconut. Ask them to explain to you why it is a fruit. Where is the seed? Do this with a variety of "strange" fruit.
Ask the students what came before the fruit? Review the life cycle of angiosperms, and the importance of pollinators.
Put some students in charge of determining which fruit goes in which salad. Allow students to cut up their fruits into bite size pieces, mix the salads, then eat!

Bee Anatomy & Pollination

Lesson 16 À A _ _

Day 21

Lesson Intention: Students will get a close up view of bees using eye loupes and the class dissecting scope. They will have an opportunity to see the parts of the bee that allow it to collect pollen and nectar. This lesson will allow students to start making the flower/bee connection- coevolution in action. Bees actually have anatomy that allow them to pick up and store pollen and to suck nectar. Students will begin to understand that bees and flowers are necessary for each other.

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Describe the parts of the bee that make it a perfect pollinator
Describe the form, location and function of the corbiculum and the probiscis
Draw and label the main anatomy of a bee
Explain the idea if coevolution using bees and flowers as an example

Materials for each student: a copy of Bee Anatomy Student Page, a bee, a sheet of plain white paper, eye loupe, a pair of tweezers, centimeter ruler with milimeters, in-class journal, pencil

Bee reading homework

Teacher Preparation:

A few months ahead, order bees from Carolina Biological Supply or another similar science catalog.

Copy Bee Anatomy Student page, and bee reading homework. Get out necessary materials.

Set up dissecting scope to computer monitor.

Bellwork on board or overhead

Bellwork: Write down what you know about bees. Use these questions to help you remember:

What is the job of a bee? How does it do it? What parts of its anatomy are important? What does it do in the hive?

Step by Step Dissection:

Find out what students already know by making a list on a large sheet of paper or the board of the things they say from their Bellwork.
Tell students that they will be dissecting a bee and it is very important that they follow directions so they learn about each part of the bee’s anatomy and its function. They will be expected to stay with the class and offer observations and ideas.
Hand out Bee Anatomy Student page, and have students open in class journal and date and title it accordingly.
Give instructions for picking up materials
Do the dissection, starting wherever the kids want. Welcome questions and ask questions such as:

Why do you think the legs are so hairy?

How long are the legs?

How long is the proboscis?

What do you notice about the eyes?

Can you find the combs on the front legs?

If there are any questions the students come up with that you cannot answer, write them down on the large sheet of paper and offer students a research project for extra credit points.
Hand out Bee reading homework before the end of class.

Teacher Notes

Bee Anatomy & Pollination

Lesson 16 À A _

Please read the articles, "Plants and Animals- Partners in Pollination" from the web site

http://educate.si.edu/resources/lessons/siyc/pollen/page01.html

and "Pollination: The Art and Science of Floral Sexuality" by Nancy C Pratt and Alan M.. Peters

from the web site: http://www.fonz.org/zoogoer/pollinat.htm

both are provided in the appendix.

Coevolution is described as the genetic changing of two or more organisms in response to each other. It helps to explain closely matched characteristics found between flowering plants and their pollinators

Pollination by bees

There are about 20,000 species of bees worldwide
They live and depend on nectar and pollen entirely for food
Bees see ultra-violet radiation
Bees are attracted to bright colors, primarily yellow and blue. They cannot see true red as a bright color- it appears dull to them
Bees see "honey guides" on flowers which are markings that may not be visible to the human eye
Bees can detect odor and prefer sweet fragarance
Bees pollinate by day and usually the flowers they pollinate will close at night!
Bees usually prefer cup-shaped flowers which are shallow and have landing pads
Bees communicate to each other the location of rich nectar by performing a dance of turns and wiggles

Bee anatomy and Pollen and Nectar gathering

The thorax and head are coated with feathery hairs which pollen clings to
Each of the two hind legs, or corbiculum, has below the knees, a section that is hollowed out and fringed with spiky hair. These serve as pollen baskets.
The other four legs in front are actually combs that bee uses to brush pollen from her body and after moistening it, packs it in the corbiculum.
In the hive, bees use sharp spurs on her middle pair of legs to pry the pollen pack out of her baskets.
Bees drink nectar with their probiscis, or beak. It is a long tube with a tingue inside. She can either suck the nectar or lap it.
She drinks until her honey sac in her abdomen is full, then she flies back to the hive to deposit(spit) the nectar in wax storage cells.
Bees’ antennae carry the organs of touch and smell and possibly hearing- this is how she knows which flower to go to and how to get around on the flower.
Bees depend on their eyesight greatly. Bees’ eyes can detect motion, distinguish shapes and patterns, and can recognize the difference in colors

Bee Q’s

1.How do the two different mites affect the bees?

2.How can the weather affect the bees’ diet?

3.What is the greatest problem beekeepers think there is?

4.How could the people spraying crops with pesticide avoid killing bees?

5.What is a bee gum?

6.What happens when forests are clear-cut and why does this affect the bees?

7.The author claims that people kill bees out of fear and ignorance. Pretend someone is about to kill a bee that is flying around his head. Educate him about the necessity of bees....(Your answer should be written as dialogue.)

8.Advil has ibuprofen in it. If I took an Advil for a headache this morning then get stung by a bee in the afternoon, what might occur?

9.What did you learn about bees that you didn’t know before?

Teacher Notes

Bats as Pollinators

Lessons 17&18 _ J

Preview the slides and video
Read material provided in appendix

Bat Facts

Bat-pollinated flowers are often dull in color(white or pale yellow) and open at night
One nectar- feeding bat endangered in Arizona is the lesser long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris curasoae, which feeds on the nectar of agave blooms, saguaro blooms, and hummingbird feeders!
Hundreds of bats are frugivores or fruit eaters and are important agents of seed dispersal.

Amazing Bat Trivia from Bat Conservation International

The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.

Giant flying foxes that live in Indonesia have wingspans of nearly six feet.

The common little brown bat of North America is the world's longest lived mammal for its size, with life-spans sometimes exceeding 32 years.

Mexican free-tailed bats sometimes fly up to two miles high to feed or to catch tail-winds that carry them over long distances at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.

The pallid bat of western North America is immune to the stings of scorpions and even the seven-inch centipedes upon which it feeds.

Fishing bats have echolocation so sophisticated that they can detect a minnow's fin as fine as a human hair, protruding only two millimeters above a pond's surface.

African heart-nosed bats can hear the footsteps of a beetle walking on sand from a distance of more than six feet.

Red bats that live in tree foliage throughout most of North America can withstand body temperatures as low as 23 degrees F. during winter hibernation.

Tiny woolly bats in West Africa live in the large webs of colonial spiders.

The Honduran white bat is snow white with a yellow nose and ears. It cuts large leaves to make "tents" that protect its small colonies from jungle rains.

Disk-winged bats of Latin America have adhesive disks on both wings and feet that enable them to live in unfurling banana leaves (or even walk up a window pane!).

Frog-eating bats identify edible from poisonous frogs by listening to the mating calls of male frogs. Frogs counter by hiding and using short, difficult to locate calls.

Vampire bats adopt orphans and have been known to risk their lives to share food with less fortunate roost-mates.

Male epauletted bats have pouches in their shoulders which contain large, showy patches of white fur that they flash during courtship to attract mates.

Mother Mexican free-tailed bats find and nurse their own young, even in huge colonies where many millions of babies cluster at up to 500 per square foot.

Important Bat Facts

Nearly 1,000 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all mammal species, and most are highly beneficial.

Worldwide, bats are an important natural enemies of night-flying insects.

A single little brown bat can catch 1,200 mosquitoes-sized insects in just one hour.

A colony of 150 big brown bats can protect local farmers from up to 33 million or more rootworms each summer.

The 20 million Mexican free-tails from Bracken Cave, Texas eat approximately 200 tons of insects nightly.

Tropical bats are key elements in rain forest ecosystems which rely on them to pollinate flowers and disperse seeds for countless trees and shrubs.

In the wild, important agricultural plants, from bananas, breadfruit and mangoes to cashews, dates, and figs rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal.

Tequila is produced from agave plants whose seed production drops to 1/3,000th of normal without bat pollinators.

Desert ecosystems rely on nectar-feeding bats as primary pollinators of giant cacti, including the famous organ pipe and saguaro of Arizona.

Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics.

An anticoagulant from vampire bat saliva may soon be used to treat human heart patients.

Contrary to popular misconception, bats are not blind, do not become entangled in human hair, and seldom transmit disease to other animals or humans.

All mammals can contract rabies; however, even the less than a half of one percent of bats that do, normally bite only in self-defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them.

Bats are exceptionally vulnerable to extinction, in part because they are the slowest reproducing mammals on earth for their size, most producing only one young annually.

More than 50% of American bat species are in severe decline or already listed as endangered. Losses are occurring at alarming rates worldwide.

Loss of bats increases demand for chemical pesticides, can jeopardize whole ecosystems of other animal and plant species, and can harm human economies.

Use the index at the left or click each subject below:

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Bats as Pollinators

Lessons 17&18 _ J

Days 22 &23

Lesson Intention: This is a two-part lesson giving students an opportunity to get more familiar with their bat neighbors, and to dispel some common myths about bats. Many people think of bats as scary, blood-sucking creatures that nest in human hair, when in reality they are voracious insect-eaters, plant pollinators, fruit munchers and gentle and caring mothers.

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Describe how bats pollinate flowers
Describe the characteristics of flowers bats are most likely to pollinate
Describe the characteristics of bats that make them good pollinators
Appreciate bats for their importance as a pollinator and insect eater.

Materials: BCI Video- "Bats: Rain Forest Allies" as Pollinators; BCI slide sets- "Rare and Endangered Bats of North America" and "Bats:Partners in Pollination"; (ordering information is available in the appendix) slide projector, vcr and monitor, remote control

Materials per student: in-class journal and pencil

Teacher Preparation:

Make sure video and slide sets have been ordered a month ahead of time

Set up slide projector and VCR and t.v. monitor in room

Prepare slide script and list of questions(One is sent with slides. You can enhance it with interesting questions.)

Bellwork on board and overhead

Bellwork: What do you know about bats? What is their job? What do they eat? How do they get around? What kind of reputation do they have?

Step by Step Visuals and Discussion:

Begin with a discussion based on the Bellwork. Give as many students as possible a chance to share their ideas and beliefs.
Tell the students that bats are also pollinators. Ask them to answer this question in their in-class journal: How do you think bats do the job of pollination? What is it they’re after?
Give students their assignment as they watch the slides: Different bats eat different foods, and often their anatomy will help them get their required food. As you watch the slide show, make a slist in your journal of all the observations you can make about the different bats you see. Pay attention to their shape and the job that they do. What special features do they have to do that job? Pretend you are a scientist watching the bats through special night vision goggles trying to learn more about their habits. Remember: Detailed notes are the most useful!
View the 2 sets of slides. You can call on students to share their observations out loud.
After viewing the slides have teams of students meet and make categories of the different types of bats they saw(such as fruit bats, pollen bats, insect bats) and write some observations they made about the anatomy of each type.)
After 5-10 minutes, ask a group to stand up and share some observations they made about one type of bat and the anatomy that helps it get its food.

Day 2

View the video- "Bats: Rain Forest Allies." Students should take notes in their journals.

Variations and Adaptations- Flowers and their Pollinators

A Reading Activity

Lesson 19 __

Day 24

Lesson Intention: Students will read for information and begin to make some connections between flowering plants and their pollinators. They will use an advanced organizer to halp the categorize the forms and functions of the different pollinators and the flowers they are attracted to.

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Describe the form and function of a variety of pollinators
Describe why some flowers attract specific pollinators
Explain the idea of coevolution and give several examples
Read for information

Materials per student: One copy of advanced organizer, 1 copy of "Flowering Plants and Their Pollinators," in-class journal, pencil

Materials per class: overhead of advanced organizer(I also use the National Geographic laser disk "Plants" to show them some visuals from the first section we read aloud.)

Teacher Preparation:

Make overhead of graphic organizer and a class set of readings.

Bellwork on overhead or board

Bellwork: Make a list of all the different ways flowers get pollinated.

Step by Step Reading Procedures:

Have a few student share their list of pollination methods.
Hand out the reading and graphic organizer.
Read as a whole class until the section titled "Pollinators." Show the students how the graphic organizer works. Tell them they’ll fill in the "name" oval only if a specific specie of animal is mentioned. Use the overhead to guide them with the "butterflies" category.
Tell students they’ll be using this information in a future project and should read carefully. Students will then work alone to read through the information and take notes in their organizer.

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Teacher's Section

Units:

Seed Germination

Photosynthesis and Respiration

Flowers: Form, Function and Sexual Reproduction
Bees and Bats as Pollinators

Coevolution of Plants and their Pollinators

Lesson Plans

Problem of the week

Resource List

Evaluations