In this activity children consider the benefits or otherwise of using this new method and reach conclusions by scientific knowledge of food chains.
Description
A tiny Japanese insect that could help the fight against an aggressive superweed has been given the go-ahead for a trial release in England. Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK it has rapidly spread, and the plant currently costs over £150m a year to control and clear. Scientists say a natural predator in the weed's native home of Japan could also help to control it here. The insect will initially be released in a handful of sites from spring 2010.
Children will consider the benefits or otherwise of using this new method. They will reach conclusions by using their scientific knowledge of food chains and environmental factors.
Learning Objective:
- identify food of a specific animal
Children will learn:
- that predators eat other animals
- that Japanese knotweed is a plant that currently has no consumer
- that there is a possible solution to the problem of Japanese knotweed
These resources were initially developed in partnership with the Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University.
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