Materials 4D
For Craters Life Web Participants
| Copy both pages, cut slips apart, then distribute to participating students. | BacteriaEnriches soil by helping to decay dead things. | Bacteria | FungiGets its energy and enriches soil as it breaks down dead wood. |
House flyIts larvae (maggots) get energy from food waste and dead animals and enrich soil. | Dermestid beetleThey get their energy by turning dead animals into compost. | Lava tube beetleScavenges insect remains in lava tubes. Bacteria and fungi break down its feces. | Wheat stem sawflyIts larvae eat Great Basin wildrye. Sawflies are eaten by birds and other insects. |
Great Basin wildryeEaten by many mammals. | Dwarf mistletoeA parasite on limber pine trees that is sometimes eaten by deer and elk; produces berries that American robins and cedar waxwings eat. | Limber pineTheir seeds are eaten by Clark's nutcrackers and golden-mantled ground squirrels. They need soil to grow and nutcrackers to disperse their seeds. | SagebrushHas medicinal uses and is eaten by pronghorn and sage grouse. |
Antelope bitterbrushImportant to deer and yellow pine chipmunks for food. | American robinEats berries and worms; requires trees to nest in. | Sage grouseEat and live in sagebrush; eaten by eagles. | Cedar waxingEats many different types of berries; disperses the seeds of mistletoe; eaten by hawks. |
Sharp-shinned hawkEats birds and requires trees to nest in. | Lewis mockorangeNeeds sunlight and soil to live; Indians used its straight stems to make arrows. | ServiceberryDeer and golden-mantled ground squirrels eat and disperse its leaves and berries. | Golden currantYellow pine chipmunks and golden-mantled ground squirrels eat its berries. |
Yellow pine chipmunkEats many seeds and fruits; eaten by hawks and other predators; likes to live near trees. | Golden-mantled ground squirrelEats many seeds and fruits; eaten by hawks and other predators. | EarthwormDecomposes organic matter; eaten by robins and shrews. | GrasshoppersEats many grasses and feeds shrews. |
Vagrant shrewOnly 2 inches long, it eats any animal smaller than itself; eaten by skunks and gopher snakes. | Striped skunkLives on bird eggs, small mammals, nuts, berries; nothing but great horned owls can eat it. | SunThe source of energy for life on Earth. Plants make food with sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and soil nutrients. | Great horned owlThe most powerful owl in North America; will eat many mammals, birds, and reptiles. |
Golden eagleTop of the food chain; eats rodents and large birds. | PikaMakes hay bales out of grass and feeds on them during winter. | GrassesSeeds and stems eaten by many animals. Needs soil to grow. | Human |
Indian paintbrushGrows best with other plants like sagebrush; hummingbirds pollinate its flowers. | Rufous hummingbirdGets nectar from flowers; uses spider webs to make its nest. | SpiderEats many different kinds of insects. | Gopher snakeEats mostly rodents. Has to watch out for birds of prey. |