Grassland plants and soils

Learning outcomes (slide 3)

• understand that plants live in habitats to which they are suited, and get much of what they need from the soil
• understand that human activities have effects on soils, and that this affects what plants can live in a habitat
• able to infer things about soils and habitats by using the presence or absence of indicator species

Key vocabulary (slides 4-5)

Overview of key vocabulary in this resource. For more detailed definitions and examples, see the Grassland indicators vocabulary presentation.

How indicator species work (slides 6-18)

These slides explain the concept of an indicator species and walk learners through important characteristics of grassland soils and environments: the amount of nutrients in the soil, mowing or grazing by animals, and compaction.

Nature Park grassland types (slides 19-21)

These slides present information about the two main Nature Park grassland types and what details the indicator plants can tell us about the area.

Grassland Plant Survey indicator species (slides 22 – 30)

Profiles of the plant used as indicator species in the Grassland Plant Survey.

Practice

Use the indicator species tables and the example quadrats to practice doing the Grassland Plant Survey and inferring the quality of the habitat using the indicator species. 

Or go outside and find a few areas where you can do the Grassland Plant Survey, then use the tables with your survey results to learn more about the qualities of the grasslands around your site.