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The Plot Thickens – How Native Trees Responded to the Removal of an Unwanted Tree Species in Forest Study Plots
The scientists in this study were interested in two questions: (1) How are tamaligi trees impacting the native forests in the National Park of American Samoa? and (2) How are native forests responding to the removal of tamaligi trees?
The Plot Thickens – How Native Trees Responded to the Removal of an Unwanted Tree Species in Forest Study Plots
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American Samoa and Hawai’i are both a part of the United States. In this FACTIVITY, you will create a map showing the location of American Samoa in relation to Hawai’i....
FACTivity – The Plot Thickens
American Samoa and Hawai’i are both a part of the United States. In this FACTIVITY, you will create a map showing the location of American Samoa in relation to Hawai’i....
Glossary
View All Glossarybiodiversity
(bī ō dǝ vǝr sǝ tē ): Biological variety in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.
degrade
(di grād): To make the quality of something worse.
germinate
(jər mə nāt): To cause to sprout or develop.
invasive
(in vā siv): Tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner, such as a nonnative species growing and dispersing easily, usually to the detriment of native species and ecosystems.
irreplaceable
(ir i plā sə bəl): Not replaceable.
microorganism
(mī krō ȯr gə ni zəm): An organism or life form of microscopic size.
native
(nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.
nonnative
(nän nā tiv): Not naturally occurring in an area.
organic
(ȯr ga nik): Of, relating to, or obtained from living things.
quadrat
(kwä drət): A usually rectangular plot used for ecological or population studies.
seedling
(sēd liŋ): A young plant grown from a seed.
symbiotic
(sim bē ä tik): Characterized by or being a close, cooperative, or interdependent relationship between two dissimilar organisms.
vascular
(va skyə lər): Of, relating to, or affecting a channel for the movement of a body fluid (such as blood of an animal or sap of a plant) or a system of such channels.
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R. Flint Hughes
Ecology
My favorite science experience was working with local villagers in the rain forests of southern Mexico. I was working to understand how deforestation and land use were changing those forests...View Profile -
Amanda Uowolo
Forest Ecologist
My favorite science experience occurred while collecting data on species diversity, density, and size in a forest in the Republic of Palau. We had our noses to the ground looking...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Culture
- Global Connections
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Education Files
Project Learning Tree
If you are a Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Tropical Treehouse” and “Dynamic Duos” as additional resources.
Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer
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In this research, the scientists wanted to describe and summarize the forests managed for conservation in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands and compare...Tropical Four-est Inventory – Using Measurement to Understand the Condition of Forests in Micronesia
In this research, the scientists wanted to describe and summarize the forests managed for conservation in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands and compare...Part Of
Pacific Islands - Vol. 1 No. 21
Additional Resources
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Forest Service: Invasive species
Visit ResourceInvasive species have two main characteristics: they are non-native (exotic/alien) to the ecosystem that they occupy, and their existence in that ecosystem causes or is likely to cause harm to the economy, environment, or human health.
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National Park Service: Invasive Species, National Parks, and You
Visit ResourceNo matter how you choose to enjoy the national parks—hiking the trails or relaxing by a campfire, climbing peaks or diving the depths of the ocean—it’s likely one of your favorite pastimes is affected by an invasive species.
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): How Does GPS Work?
Visit ResourceGPS is a system of 30+ navigation satellites circling Earth. We know where they are because they constantly send out signals. A GPS receiver in your phone listens for these signals. Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more GPS satellites, it can figure out where you are.
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Britannica: Nitrogen fixation
Visit ResourceNitrogen fixation, any natural or industrial process that causes free nitrogen (N2), which is a relatively inert gas plentiful in air, to combine chemically with other elements to form more-reactive nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites.
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Latitude and Longitude Finder
Visit ResourceLatitude and Longitude are the units that represent the coordinates at geographic coordinate system. To make a search, use the name of a place, city, state, or address, or click the location on the map to find lat long coordinates.