Ecosystems - Sand Dunes - Episode 208



Why do some sand dunes
have plants and some don't?
We're Victoria and Alejandra. Grab your sunscreen, because we're hitting the Guadalupe-Nipomo Sand Dunes near San Luis Obispo, California! These cool dunes come in all different shapes
and sizes. One of the most amazing differences between the sand dunes is the plants that grow on them (or DON'T grow on them, in some cases!). For our DragonflyTV investigation, we asked: Why are some dunes covered with plants and others aren't?

How would you investigate this question?
In addition to counting the dunes' plants, what else would you need to observe about each dune? Make a list of potential features that may give you answers to your question, like the size, shape, or location of the dunes. Note what tools you'll need to collect your measurements. Describe your investigation in your notebook and discuss it with your teacher, or go to Sand Dunes to find out what the DragonflyTV scientists discovered.