UNDERSTANDING PLANT & ANIMAL RESPONSES

Engage and enthuse your students by letting them see how New Zealand species respond to their external environment.

Overview: In this study day, students have time to deepen their understanding of key biological concepts, and broaden their knowledge; exploring Zealandia will give them an opportunity to see plants and animals in their natural settings. Through this, they will gain an understanding of the many ways in which Aotearoa New Zealand plants and animals respond to their external environment. This session supports Biology Achievement Standard 91603.

Session Type: This is a facilitated extended morning session. The majority of the session is spent out in the sanctuary, looking at examples of interspecific relationships in an Aotearoa NZ context. At every stage, considerations of ecological niches, adaptive advantage, costs/benefits are discussed. Processes within responses (at metabolic level) are not covered in detail.

Key concepts related to stories of New Zealand species and covered in the session include:

- Orientation in time and space

- Endemism and co-evolution leading to interspecific relationships

- Intraspecific relationships

Curriculum links: Science - Level 8, Living World: Life processes: ecology and evolution.

Suitable for: Yr 13

Duration: 3.5 hours. Short workshop in the Visitor Centre followed by an excursion into the sanctuary.

Timeslots: 9.30am - 1pm

Numbers: Minimum 10 students. Maximum 50 students.

Available to: Domestic and international students enrolled at or billeted through a New Zealand school.

Cost: Students $15.00 each. For every four (4) students you are able to bring one (1) adult free of charge. Additional adults will be charged $24 pp.

Photo credit : T M Davidson