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NEW YORK CITY
LOOK IT UP! LEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTML
New York City Audubon
LOOK IT UP! LOOK IT UP! LEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTMLLEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTML
New York City Audubon New York City Audubon
LOOK IT UP! LOOK IT UP! LEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTMLLEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTML
What Is a Leaf?
The leaf is the food-producing
part of a plant. It is usually a green
and fl attened structure attached
to a stem. There are as many
kinds of leaves as there are trees
and plants. The stuff that makes
leaves green is called chlorophyll. It
captures light energy from sun-
light and turns it into the chemical
energy sugar in a process called
photosynthesis. Using this process,
plants get food and energy to live.
During the shorter days of winter,
leaves are exposed to less sunlight
and water. This means that photo-
synthesis slows down and leaves
produce less food and carbon di-
oxide. The bright green chlorophyll
in the leaf also disappears which
causes the leaves to change colors
in the fall.
by Jung Hoon Kim
LEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTMLLEARN MORE AT: WWW.MIGHTYTREES.COM/SCIENCE/FORESTSTRAT.HTML
synthesis slows down and leaves synthesis slows down and leaves
produce less food and carbon di-produce less food and carbon di-
oxide. The bright green chlorophyll oxide. The bright green chlorophyll
in the leaf also disappears which in the leaf also disappears which
causes the leaves to change colors causes the leaves to change colors
by Jung Hoon Kim by Jung Hoon Kim
Layers of the Forestby Michelle Heckel and Christina Vasquez, Queensborough Community College
Forests are made up of many layers. A typical forest consists of fi ve different layers. Different types of trees grow to form these different layers. These layers enable many different types of
plants and animals to live in a small area. The fi rst, primary layer of the forest is called the canopy. The canopy
is made up of the tops of trees. These tree tops form a roof that blocks a good deal lot of light from entering the forest. Many animals, such as birds, frogs, lizards, and snakes, are found in this layer.
The next layer is the understory. This layer is made of trees that are growing to reach the canopy. The trees are smaller about 65 feet tall and have thin trunks. Some of the animals found in this layer are birds, butterfl ies, frogs, and snakes, as well as squirrels, racoons, and opossums.
The third layer is the shrub layer. This layer is made up of young trees, mature shrubs, and bushes. It grows between the smaller trees of the understory and the forest fl oor. Shrubs can range from about knee-high to 10 feet, which means these shrubs can grow into the understory.
The layer that lies directly above the forest fl oor is the herbaceous layer. This layer of tree seedlings, ferns, grasses, and weeds acts as a cover to the forest fl oor and doesn’t receive much sunlight. The plants found in this layer bloom in early spring, before the trees begin to grow their leaves. Some of the animals that are found in this layer are rabbits, squirrels, mice, and raccoons.
The last layer is the forest fl oor, which contains all of the dead matter. The dead matter releases nutrients into the soil that will be used by the plants in the forest. It is also very dark in this layer due to lack of sunlight. The animals that are found in this layer include sow bugs, spiders, and earthworms.
While walking through a forest, try to identify the different layers by LOOKING AT the various plants and animals.
Look Around New York City 2
LIFESTYLES OF MAMMALS AND SOIL ANIMALS
CHIPMUNKS live in trees, but go underground, where they store their food, in the winter. Some of the food they eat includes grains, nuts, worms, and insects.
CENTIPEDES live under stones and the bark of the trees. They eat insects, spiders, and even lizards, if the centipedes are large enough.
DID YOU KNOW?
• A SQUIRREL’S BRAIN IS ABOUT
THE SIZE OF A WALNUT
• YOU CAN SEE CENTIPEDES BUT
THEY CAN’T SEE YOU BECAUSE
THEY ARE BLIND
• ANTS CAN CARRY UP TO 50 TIMES
THEIR BODY WEIGHT
• LONG-TAILED WEASELS HAVE SHARP
TEETH, WHICH THEY USE TO KILL
THEIR PREY
• EARTHWORMS HAVE FIVE HEARTS
The forest is home to many different mammals and soil animals. Thousands of little creatures live in the soil, trees, and bushes. Some mammals that you fi nd in the forest include squirrels, chipmunks, and white-tailed deer. Some soil animals that you fi nd in the forest include ants, centipedes, cicadas, earthworms, and snails.
SNAILS live in ponds, trees, and plants. They feed off algae, which are leafl ess plants.Some even eat other snails in order to survive.
NEW YORK CITY AUDUBON RUNS PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN. LOOK IT UP AT: WWW.NYCAUDUBON.ORG. LOOK IT UP: LEARN MORE ABOUT SOIL ANIMALS: WWW.SOILHEALTH.COM/ANIMALS/
Illustrations by Mahvish Azeem, Queensborough Community College
WHITE -TAILED DEER live in big open areas such as farmlands and forests. They eat various green plants, corn, nuts, buds, and small shrubs.
SQUIRRELS live in nests in trees until warm weather arrives. They eat seeds, nuts, mushrooms, leaves, insects, worms, eggs, and small birds.
New York City Audubon 3
LIFESTYLES OF MAMMALS AND SOIL ANIMALS
CICADAS live undergroundfor most of their lives. They bite the roots of plants with their stylets (needle-like mouthparts) to draw out liquid from the plants. They store some of this energy to use when they come out of the ground.
ANTS live in colonies and many types live underground. They collect food and store it for the winter. They eat other insects, sweets, and sometimes their own eggs.
HOW TREES HELP NEW YORK CITY
by Jeffney Adrien
Trees are one of the most important
living things in our environment. They enrich
and improve our community and make life better in
New York City by providing important benefi ts like protecting
water. Urban trees capture rainfall on their leaves and branches
and hold water in the dirt with their roots. They also help improve
the quality of air by removing dust and they lower pollution by
cleaning tons of dangerous chemicals like carbon from the air.
This helps people breathe better. Trees beautify neighborhoods
with different colors and fl owers. And last, they provide food and
shelter for many species of birds, insects, and
other wildlife.
NEW YORK CITY AUDUBON RUNS PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN. LOOK IT UP AT: WWW.NYCAUDUBON.ORG. LOOK IT UP: LEARN MORE ABOUT SOIL ANIMALS: WWW.SOILHEALTH.COM/ANIMALS/
Test Your Knowledge! Are these statements
true or false?1. Chipmunks store their food under-
ground in the winter. ■ True
■ False 2. Ants hate sweets.
■ True ■ False
3. White-tailed deer is considered a
soil animal. ■ True ■ False
4. Cicadas do not store energy.
■ True ■ False
by Mahvish Azeem, Catherine Palagauchi, Karin Siciliano, and Natalie Jagsaran, Queensborough Community College
creates spaces for air and water. The earthworms we have in New York City today are not native. They were brought here by European settlers. The native earthworms were wiped out about 20,000 years ago by glaciers which are huge sheets of ice that move over land.
EARTHWORMS are the heroes of the underground, because they provide air and water to soil critters. They mix organic matter and break up clumps of soil, which
Our Thanks to:Con Edison for its generous funding of this publication.
Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks
Copyright © 2010New York City Audubon71 West 23 StreetNew York, NY 10010212-691-7483
Publisher and Managing Editor: Erik KarffEditors: Naola Gersten-Wolfe, Amanda Peterka, Lauren KlingsbergArt Director: Chris Rubin Banner Designer: Cecelia Rogers Executive Director:Glenn Phillips
The Mannahatta Projectby Natalie Jagsaran, Ronald Salazar, Melany Velastequi, and Anoj Bhasin,
Queensborough Community College
In September 1609, Henry Hudson and his crew sailed up the Hudson River. They were the fi rst Europeans to get a close look at the island known to natives as Mannahatta (island of many hills). In the 17th century, Manhattan’s climate, dense forests, and abundant supply of fresh water provided all the resources people needed to live. Throughout the years, as more people continued to settle in Manhattan, the forests were replaced with buildings. This is how Manhattan developed into its current state. To learn more visit: www.themannahattaproject.org.
All articles and illustrations by Queensborough College students: Mahvish Azeem, Anoj Bhasin, Michelle Heckel, Natalie Jagsaran, Catherine Palagauchi, Ronald Salazar, Karin Siciliano, Christina Vasquez, and Melany Velastequi. Thanks to the following students who also contributed to the production of this newsletter: Zaheer Ahmed, Shelleza Arakhan, Catherine Ardia, Ashley Cerisier, Sarah Keys, Tracy Saffi e, Maninder Singh, Antoinette Subaxon, Chanel Tyson.
Thanks to Queensborough Community College’s Service Learning initiative and to its Spring 09 BE122B13A students for their devotion to completing this issue of Look Around.
Special thanks to Arlene Kemmerer, Josephine Pantaleo, Mary Bandziukas, and Christina Banome for their guidance and support of conservation and education.
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Almost half of the frog population in the world has disappeared because of climate change, destruction of their homes, pollution, and poisoning. Frogs breathe through their skin and because of pollution they have trouble breathing and then they die. When frogs are poisoned it causes a skin fungus which can prevent them from breathing, too. There is also a kind of fish that eats tadpoles so that they can’t become adult frogs.
Another reason frogs are becoming extinct is that in some schools students dissect frogs to learn about their internal organs. Animal activists have protested this and now there is a program on the computer to do dissection without harming the actual frogs.
There is a special program called “Amphibian Ark” which helps save frogs. The “Amphibian Ark” goes to zoos that have very rare frogs and are trying to protect them and refresh their populations. Zoos also tell people about these problems to help save the frogs. Doctors have also discovered that a substance in a frogs’ skin can help prevent diabetes.
A great place to see endangered frogs is the Bronx Zoo. It has a special place for lizards, reptiles and amphibians. You can just LOOK AROUND and see all kinds of critters. Another place where I found things out about frogs was at: allaboutfrogs.org/info/save/save.html. This web site is all about frogs and informs you of the dangers of why frogs are disappearing. by Tatiana Eder
Hi my name is Tatiana Eder. I am 10 years old and this is my second time writing for “LOOK AROUND.” I enjoy playing with my pets, hanging out with my friends, listening to music and reading. The reason I am writing is because I want to inform people about endangered frogs and how you can help save them.
Our Thanks to:Con Edison for its generous funding of this publication.
Stephanie Fernandez and Tatiana Eder, our student contributors.
Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks
Copyright © 2009New York City Audubon
Publisher and Managing Editor: Erik Karff
Editors: Frances Geller, Anna Gale, Leslie Day
Art Director: Chris Rubin
Banner Designer: Cecelia Rogers
Executive Director: Glenn Phillips
©D
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an
New York City Audubon71 West 23 StreetNew York, NY 10010
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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HAS ITS OWN PERMIT NUMBER FOR THEIR JOBS THAT REQUIRE AN INDICIA, SO WE WILL NOT BE USING ANY OF THESE 5.
ON ALL JOBS THAT USE A INDICIA,PLEASE LEAVE A PDF IN THEMAJOR MAIL FOLDER (in files out,at top)OF JUST THE PAGE WITH AN INDICIA.LET SANDIE KNOW IT IS THERE.
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