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BOOK OF

ANSWERS AND ACTIVITIES

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12o52’00”

dak lak province chu yang sin NP

core zone you are here

lam dong province

transition zone

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12o00’04”

khanh hoa province

buffer zone

The Langbiang Biosphere Reserve is located in Lam Dong Province.

Regional biodiversity is high and includes many endangered species found on International Red Lists. The core area contains a biodiversity corridor that maintains the integrity of 14 tropical ecosystems in the east of southern Viet Nam and across Viet Nam in general. It also functions as the habitat of numerous wildlife species, including several species classified as rare and endangered, such as the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus).

Agriculture, forestry and fishery are the main sources of employment for local communities. Among the cultivated crops, flowers, coffee and tea are the strongest in terms of regional generation of revenue.

The reserve is located in the northern part of Lam Dong Province in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. It is one of four national biodiversity centres. The altitude ranges from 650 metres to nearly 2,300 metres with several different forest systems, including middle-mountain evergreen, coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest, primeval forests, high-mountain dwarf forest, mossy forest, bamboo and savannah. The reserve also contains precious trees dating 1,000 years, which are presently ebeing researched by members of the Tree Ring Lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, New York.

The reserve is characterized by rich diversity in vegetation, including Krempf’s pine (Pinus krempfii) forest ecosystems and dwarf forest on hilly topography distributed over 60% of the total forest area. The reserve also includes a total of 1,940 plant species belonging to 825 genera and 180 families, of which 64 are listed in the Viet Nam Red Data Book and 34 are of high conservation value. Plant species play an important role in conservation and pharmaceutical use. They also, include two critical endangered species – Agarwood (Aquilaria crassna) and the spotted orchid (Gastrochilus calceolaris) – and three globally endangered species – dong nai mango (Mangifera dongnaiensis), white meranti (Shorea roxburghii) and Cinnamomum balansae.

Overall, 89 species of mammals, 247 species of birds, 46 species of reptiles, 46 species of amphibians, 30 species of fish and 335 species of insects have been recorded within the reserve. These include five

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globally critical endangered species: the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes), yellow-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae), Indian bison (Bos gaurus) and Indochinese silvered leaf monkey (Trachypithecus margarita). The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosi) are classified as rare, endangered species and are recorded in the Vietnamese Red Data Book.

The reserve is also home to the Gong culture of the Central Highlands of Viet Nam, which is inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

At the end of 2011, the population of the reserve amounted to approximately 570,000 inhabitants, spread over six localities, most of which lived in the city of Da Lat. The main group are the Kinh followed by other ethnic communities including the K’Ho, Tay, Nung and Cham. The employment rate is highest in the tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors. Among the cultivated crops, flowers, coffee and tea produced the strongest revenue generation in the region.

Scientists and archaeologists have found a large number of archaeological relics during recent excavations in the area. These include Palaeolithic relics found at Dau Voi Stream, Nui Voi, the P’ro Commune and the burial site at Da Don Commune. Also of note is the Gong culture, of the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. The gongs represent the voices of the spirit and the human soul and are used to express happiness, sadness and other emotions during work and daily activities.

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if you were a Kesiya pine (Pinus kesiya) is the most commonly seen conifer in Lang Biang biosphere reserve. It has 3 neeedles per bunch and is called 3-needle pine in vietnamese.

guide’s answer 1. How do they manage to pump water to the top leaves?

Plant/tree contains a big network of conduits called xylem and phloem, similar to the blood system in the body.

Xylem transport water. When water is evaporated from each leaf on the top, it creates a negative pressure which pulls water in from the surrounding cells. This action will extend all the way down to the roots through the long xylem system, to finally pull water from the underground at root level.

2. What are the “Y” marks on some of them that you see?

In the past, people used to extract the resine from pine tree for different uses.

The mark you see is the what people cut

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kesiya pine to drive the resine down. This activity made pine tree more vulnerable to fire and was halted by the park management.

3. What do their cones have to do with the Fibonacci number?

Each number in the Fibonacci sequence is the sum of the 2 numbers preceding it.

Example 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13… This can go on forever. The Fibonacci numbers appears a lot in nature, from the leaf arrangement in plants to the bracts of a pinecone. Look at a pinecone from the bottom and count the spirals going from the center to the outside edge, both clockwise and counterclockwise. You’ll find that most of the time the resulting numbers are one of the Fibonacci numbers: 8, 13.

4. Do crossbills contribute to pine propagation?

Crossbill is the predator of the pine seed.

It uses its bill to twist and extract the naked-seeds from the cones. The seed will be digested in the bird gut and won’t have a chance to germinate.

5. Can we find 3-needled pines elsewhere than in Lang Biang?

Yes. Kesiya pine is the most widely distributed pines in Asia. It is found from the Khasi Hills in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, to northern Thailand, Philippines, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, southernmost China, and Vietnam.

if you were a

kesiya pine

activities 1. How do they manage to pump water to the top leaves? ◆ Guess the height of tree ◆ Feel the bark ◆ Cut a section of plant and look at the xylem and phloem system through microscope.

3. What do their cones have to do with the Fibonacci number? ◆ Pick up a pinecone and count the rows.

Young seedling Kesiya pine

4. Do crossbills contribute to pine propagation?

Pick up a pinecone and try to extract the seed the way crossbills do.

Kesiya pine (Pinus kesiya)

Kesiya pine cone

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if you were a Leeches are a group of segmented worms (as opposed to nematodes worms for ex.). Several different species could exist in Lang Biang BR. Not all suck blood.

leech 3. Slowly slide your fingernail towards the mouth and push it sideways. ...

4. Remove the sucker on the other end of the leech.

5. Flick the leech away before it can try to reattach itself.

guide’s answer

5. Do all leech suck blood?

Not all leech suck blood. Most of them 1. Can leech live in the sea? feed on decomposing bodies, and open Of 650 known species of leeches, 1/5 live wounds of frogs, lizards, birds, fish. Some in the sea and feed on fish such as leech are carnivores, feeding on earthskatesucker that attacks skate and rays. It worm, slugs, or insect larvae... can transmit blood parasite to these fish.

2. What does leech have to do with finding rare species?

As leech is quite abundant in inaccessible forests, where other rare animals live, scientists collect and extract their blood, hoping to find DNA of rare animals and to confirm their presence. One of these animals is the elusive Saola.

3. What does hermaphrodite mean?

A person or animal having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics, either abnormally or (in the case of some organisms) as the natural condition.

4. How best to remove a leech from your skin?

1. Find its mouth which is at the smaller, thinner end of its body.

2. Place your finger on the skin adjacent to the mouth.

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WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO LANG BIANG BR IF ALL LEECHES ARE GONE? Topic: Interrelation between species in the whole ecosystem Lead the debate towards the importance of one organism to the whole ecosystem, regardless of how human feel about it.

if you were a

leech

activities 1. Can leech live in the sea? ◆ Try to collect at least 2 different types of leeches and observe the differences through magnifier or microscope. ◆ Identify the clitellum 2. What does leech have to do with finding rare species? ◆ Pick up a pinecone and count the rows.

4. How best to remove a leech from your skin?

To conquer your fear of leeches: ◆ Purposedly put a leech on your skin and count the time before it starts to bite, ◆ Purposedly put a leech on different part of your body to test its preference, where there are more more blood vessels.

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if you were a Vietnamese greenfinch is an endemic bird of Lang Biang BR. It is a small black and yellow bird same size as a house sparrow. You can see it around the VC area.

guide’s answer 1. What do they eat?

They feed on different kinds of seed including Kesiya pine, and also insects.

They forage in trees and bushes, sometimes on ground.

2. How many of them are left in Lang Biang?

So far no estimate has been made on their total number. Species count such as greenfinch is difficult and costly.

3. What do they have to do with the famous American ornithologist Jean Theodore Delacour and the General secretary of french Indochina?

It was the american ornithologist Jean Theodore Delacour who first formally described the species in 1926. The latin name is Chloris Monguilloti, to honor the General secretary of french Indochina Maurice Antoine Monguillot.

4. Are they the only endemic creatures in Lang Biang?

No, in Lang Biang they are one of 7 endemic birds in Lang Biang BR. The other ones are: Dalat shrike babbler,

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vietnamese greenfinch Grey-crowned crocias, Black-crowned fulvetta, Golden-winged laughingthrush, 5. What time can we see them in the day?

If you wake up early - 5am to 6am - you can see them around the visitor center area.

if you were a

vietnamese greenfinch

activities 1. What do they eat? ◆ Follow a group of greenfinches and observe what they eat ◆ Open a pinecone and look for the seed that feed the greenfinch ◆ Cut a section of plant and look at the xylem and phloem system through microscope.

4. Are they the only endemic creatures in Lang Biang? ◆ Learn by heart the names of 7 endemic birds of Lang Biang.

5. What time can we see them in the day? ◆ Bird watching

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if you were a Bird’s-nest fern is a kind of big fern that grow on tree trunk for support but is not a parasite. It gets moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water and debris accumulating it.

guide’s answer 1. What do coal have to do with fern?

Fern used to cover vast areas of wetlands in prehistoric times. Eventually these fern forests died and decayed, and became the peat. After long periods of being compressed, the peat became coal that we use today.

2. What are tree ferns and where can you see it in Lang Biang?

Tree fern is any fern with a trunk above ground level. The trunk that you see is actually a mass of fibrous roots. Tree ferns are rarer than other smaller ferns and are more threatened by deforestation.

3. Can fern be found in the desert?

Although most live in tropical moist forests, some fern species can be found living in dry desert environment. Some of them can be found in the warm, dry climate of southwestern US and Mexico.

4. What is an epiphyte?

Epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain,

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bird’s-nest fern water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it.

Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species.

5. What other groups of plants that are epiphytes?

Moss, liverwort, lichens, algae, cacti, orchids and bromeliads.

COAL MINING INDUSTRY. BALANCE BETWEEN ENERGY USE AND IMPACT TO THE CLIMATE

if you were a

bird’s-nest fern

activities 1. What do coal have to do with fern? ◆ Find out about the use of coal today, and how sustainable it is. Also find out about the impact it has on the climate.

2. What are tree ferns and where can you see it in Lang Biang? ◆ Find them in Thien Thai trail.

4. What is an epiphyte?

5. What other groups of plants that are epiphytes? ◆ Find other groups of epiphyte in Lang Biang BR on the trail.

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if you were a

moss

Moss is a small plants with no flower, no female sex organs to ensure sexual seed and grows in dense clump, general- reproduction ly in shady and moist area. The difference with other plants is that they have simple leaves that have only one layer of IS IT TRUE THAT MOSS HELP YOU FIND cells.

DIRECTION IN THE FOREST? Analyse with students the needed condition for growth of moss, which is moisture and light, rather than direction 1. Why moss is used as indicators of north south. Evaluate how valid this pollution? assertion is and in what environment it Moss are very sensitive to pollution. They is. change shape, density or simply disappear in polluted urban environment. In that sense, they can be used to measure the impact of atmospheric change with low cost.

guide’s answer

2. Why reindeer like eating moss?

Reindeer eat moss because it contains a chemical that stops their body from freezing.

3. What do they do when water is not available?

They stop their metabolism completely 4. Do moss have roots?

No, instead they have similar structure called rhizoids to attach themselves to the ground 5. What is the life cycle of moss?

They have 2 generations: one that produces spores that are spread by wind, and the other produces male and

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if you were a

moss

activities 1. Why moss is used as indicators of pollution?

4. Do moss have roots? â—† Make a photo collection of all the moss that you see in the trail â—† Look at moss structure through microscope

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if you were a Caterpillar is the larval stage of butterflies and moths. They go through several moults then become pupa become coming out to be butterfly or moth.

guide’s answer 1. Do all caterpillars eat leaves?

Most of caterpillars are herbivorous, but some are insectivorous, and some eat their own kind. Others still eat wool, horn and hooves of dead ungulates.

2. What do caterpillars have to do with fashion?

Silk worm is the larva of the domestic silkmoth (Bombyx mori). It is the primary producer of silk and thus fuel the fashion industry. Domestic silkmoths are closely dependent on humans for reproduction, as a result of millennia of selective breeding.

3. How many pairs of legs do they have?

It varies but they have maximum 5 pairs of “pro-legs”, to distinguish with the sawfly which has 6 or more pairs.

Pro-legs are not true legs but fleshy structure on the ventral surface of the caterpillar.

4. What kind of chemical defense do they use to fend off their enemies?

They have either hairs which can be detached and lodged on the skin of their

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caterpillar attackers. But some birds like cuckoos could swallow even the hairiest caterpillars. Some other get toxin from the plants they eat and become unpalatable to their predators. One species of caterpillar in South America has venom in their hairs that can kill human by hemorrhage. Usually the toxic caterpillar advertise themselves to predators with bright and contrasting colors such as red, yellow and black. Some other produce bad smells or regurgitate acidic juices at their attackers.

5. Can we eat caterpillars?

In Burkina Faso, Africa, people farm Shea caterpillar as food and help fight hunger.

FOOD TO FEED HUMANITY IN THE FUTURE Go from the disgust of eating caterpillars, and bugs etc... to the issues of food crisis in the future. How we use the land, how we can produce food without causing harm to our environment.

if you were a

caterpillar

activities 1. Do all caterpillars eat leaves? ◆ ID some caterpillars around the center, or at least find and recognize them.

2. What do caterpillars have to do with fashion? ◆ Make the connection with traditional weaving of K’Hor people. Find out the materials K’Hor people used to have to make theor fabric.

3. How many pairs of legs do they have? ◆ Look for legs and pro-legs of caterpillars through magnifiers or microscope.

At home activities ◆ Collect a caterpillar around your area and put them in a jar to follow its metamorphosis. Find out what kind of butterfly and moth they become

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if you were a Vampire frog is a member of the tree frog family (Rhacophorus). These frogs have long toes with strong webbing between them, enabling them to glide down from the air, thus they’re also called flying frogs. These frogs lay their eggs in aerial foam nests; upon hatching, tadpoles drop to the water under the nest and complete their development there.

guide’s answer 1. Does Vampire frog suck blood?

The name “vampire” comes from the protruding hook (not even tooth canine or fang) on the mouth of the tadpole, which is unique among frogs. It doesn’t serve for feeding, let alone sucking blood. Nobody knows yet (2018) what they use those for, but for sure vampire frog doesn’t, nor any frog, suck blood!

2. What kind of mushroom frogs fear the most?

Chytrid fungus, called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, responsible for a worldwide decline in amphibian populations.

3. How often do frogs drink?

Frogs do not drink like we do; they absorb water directly through their skin in an area known as the 'drinking patch' located on their belly and the underside of their thighs.

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vampire frog 4. How do frogs make sounds?

Calls are often sent through the air, but other mediums have been discovered.

Some species call while they are under water and the sound travels through the water. This is adaptive in a region with many species competing for air time.

Narins has found female frog species that use solid surfaces, such as blades of grass and logs, upon which they tap rhythmically to attract mates. Some species of frogs use ultrasound.

5. What symbol does frog represents in Egypt?

In ancient Egypt, the frog appears as a symbol of fertility, water, and renewal.

The water goddess Heket often appeared as a woman with the head of a frog.

if you were a

vampire frog

activities 1. Does Vampire frog suck blood? ◆ If lucky, you can collect one or two vampire frog tadpoles and observe their “fang” under microscope.

2. What kind of mushroom frogs fear the most? ◆ Observe the frog skin under microscope and see how fragile it is. Remember to always wash your hand free of chemical, as it can irritate or kill the frog when you handle them.

4. How do frogs make sounds? ◆ Make sound travelling experience indoor, in the air environment and in water environment.

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if you were a Fungus is not the same as mushroom.

Mushroom is rather a “flowering” part of the whole fungi, although “flowering” is not the right word. Fungi is not a plant, thus has no flower. It is not an animal either. The main body of fungi is made of a network of thread-like structures generally underground not visible to the human eye. Fungi produce a fruiting body bearing spores every now and then which is visible and called mushroom.

guide’s answer 1. What is the difference between plants and fungi?

Unlike plants, fungi cell walls don’t have cellulose, and they don’t photosynthesise.

2. How fungi are used in human life?

Fungi help make wine, beer, soy sauce, antibiotic, detergent, pesticide, psychotropic (spiritual ceremonies) 3. Are there harmful fungi and how do they harm?

Apart from being poisoned by mushroom, they can give infection of the skin.

Some other fungi break down manufactured materials and buildings 4. What kind of habitat can you find fungi?

Worldwide, including extreme environ-

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fungus ments such as desert, areas with high salt concentrations, or ionizing radiation, and deep sea sediments (hydrothermal).

In intense UV and cosmic radiation, and aquatic habitats.

5. What role do fungi play in medecine?

In modern medecine, fungi are used as antibiotic such as penicillin. Others help fight tuberculosis, syphilis, leprosy.

Traditionally species like Ganoderma lucidum has proved to have biological effects against viruses and cancer cells.

Same for the famous Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT FUNGI IF YOU’RE A RELIGIOUS VEGETARIAN, SHOULD YOU INCLUDE FUNGI IN YOUR DIET?

if you were a

fungus

activities 1. What is the difference between plants and fungi? ◆ Compare fungus cells and plants cells under microscope and recognize the chitin part.

2. How fungi are used in human life? ◆ Look through microscope.

3. Are there harmful fungi and how do they harm? ◆ Look for Cordyceps fungi in the trails 4. What kind of habitat can you find fungi? ◆ Make a fungi photo collection 5. What role do fungi play in medecine? ◆ Look at the labels of these medecine and single out the fungus components

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if you were a Bats are the only mammal that can have sustainable flight. There are a high number of different species of bats in the world, roughly divided in 2 groups: the macrobats that eats fruits, nectar and the microbats that feed on insects, small mammals, fish, birds, and animals blood.

guide’s answer 1. Do bats use their vision, their sense of smell, or their hearing to navigate?

Depending on species, some use their vision which could be better than human’s but most microbats have poor eyesight. The most remarkable way bats use to navigate is echolocation, which consists of emiting ultrasonic sounds then comparing them with the returning echoes. They can actually obtain quite an accurate image of their surrounding using echolocation.

2. Why don’t they get dizzy hanging up side down?

We get dizzy hanging upside down because there’s about 7 liters of blood suddenly rushes to our head, under the effect of gravity. Bats are light, with the tiniest of them all weighing less than 2gr, and don’t have this problem.

3. What if they loose their grip and fall down while sleeping?

Bats’ toes are designed to be in the

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bat position of grabbing while being perfectly relaxed. So they’d never loose their grip even when dead.

4. What is the counter strategy moths use to avoid being captured by bats?

They use a thing called echolocation jamming which consists of producing ultrasonic clicks to interfere with bat ultrasonic sound emission to confuse the bats. This can reduce their odd of being eaten by ten times.

5. What is the service bats could offer to us human?

Insectivorous bats help eliminate a big number of mosquitoes and flies. Fruit bats, by eating the pulp of the fruits and spit the seeds out, help disperse fruit trees. Bats’ guano, rich in nitrates, is one of the richest fertiliser for farmers.

IMAGINE BATS ARE GONE EXTINCT, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?

if you were a activities 2. Why don’t they get dizzy hanging up side down? ◆ Look for bats roosting under palm leaves. Look for their traces (dropping, half eaten fruits, seeds...)

bat tags the moth, the moth becomes a bat and the bat becomes part of the habitat.

If either the bat or moth leave their habitat (go out of the circle), they die and become part of the habitat. Replace them with another bat and moth.

Blindfold the bat and then choose another moth.

Depending on the size of your group, you can add more than one moth.

4. What is the counter strategy moths use to avoid being captured by bats? ◆ Echolocation game Background Bats can see as well as other animals, but vision isn't enough. Many bats have a special ability called echolocation that helps them navigate in total darkness. Echolocation is a way of “seeing” with sound. Bats use sound as a kind of flashlight in the dark. They send out high-frequency sound waves, which bounce off all objects in their path and echo back to them. Based on the time it takes for the echoes to return, bats can tell how far away an object is. And, based on the returning sounds, bats can tell the size and shape of an object. Some bats can detect objects as fine as a single human hair. Although this activity doesn't use echoes for location, which is very difficult for the human ear, students will practice using sound.

Procedure Choose one student to be a bat. Have all other students form a circle joining hands. These students will be the bat’s habitat.

Blindfold the bat then choose another student to be a moth.

The bat will call out “bat” and the moth will then answer “moth.” The bat will try to zero in on the moth simulating echolocation by repeating “bat.” The moth has to answer in turn. If the bat runs into someone in the circle, the student will say “habitat.” Once the bat

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if you were a Oriental Whip Snake is a quite common diurnal snake, living at the edge of secondary forest. It preys on lizards and occasionally frogs. It has mild venom to kill their prey but are harmless to human.

not very agressive to human.

guide’s answer

6. How do snakes swallow preys larger than their head?

Snake’s skull has more joints than lizard’s, and their jaws is very mobile as it’s not attached to the upper part of the skull, so they can extend their mouth several times bigger to accommodate big preys.

1. What’s the difference between a legless lizard and a snake?

Generally speaking, the groups lizards and snakes are not separated by the existence of their legs but rather by their eyelids and external ears which the lizards possess, and snakes don’t. So a lizard can be without leg but still a lizard because it has eyelids and external ears.

2. What is the longest, and the heaviest snake in the world?

Longest snake is the reticulated python of SE Asia. They can reach almost 8m.

Heaviest snake is the Green Anaconda of latin America, which can weigh up to 70kg.

3. What does King Cobra eat?

The name itself is Ophiophagus means “snake-eater”. King cobra feeds almost exclusively on other snakes in the wild.

4. Can snakes live in the sea?

Yes, there’s a group of snakes specialised in living in salt water and feed on fish.

They are highly venomous but generally

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an oriental whip snake

5. How do snakes move with no legs?

Snakes have different modes of locomotion: lateral undulation, sidewinding, concertina, arboreal, gliding, rectilinear.

7. How many lungs do they have?

Most snakes only has one functional lung.

8. Snake or lizard appears first on earth?

Snakes evolved from lizards, so lizards appears first on earth.

GOD OR DEMON? DISCUSS THE SYMBOL OF SNAKE ACROSS DIFFERENT CULTURES IN THE WORLD. WHAT DO SNAKES STAND FOR IN K’HOR CULTURE?

if you were a

an oriental whip snake

activities 1. What’s the difference between a legless lizard and a snake? ◆ Observe different species of geckos at the guest house and VC

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if you were a Millipede is an arthropod that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments (an arthropod is an invertebrate having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and some appendages such as walking legs, antennae, swimming legs, mouth parts…).

guide’s answer 1. Do they bite?

No, they feed on molds and decaying vegetation and they mouth are not strong enough to break our skin, but don’t mistake them with centipede which has some venom.

2. How do they defend themselves?

They curl into tight coils. Some emit bad smell through microscopic holes in their body. Some others secrete even toxic chemicals that can burn other insects’ exoskeletons, and eyes of larger animals

a millipede business rituals, and crushed millipedes are used to treat fever, whitlow, and convulsion in children.

In Zambia, smashed millipede pulp is used to treat wounds, and the Bafia people of Cameroon use millipede juice to treat earache In certain Himalayan Bhotiya tribes, dry millipede smoke is used to treat haemorrhoids.

Native people in Malaysia use millipede secretions in poison-tipped arrows.

The secretions of Spirobolus bungii have been observed to inhibit division of human cancer cells.

5. What’s the difference between millipede and centipede?

Millipedes have two pairs of leg on each of the segment, while Centipedes have only one, which makes them faster.

6. What do millipedes dungs have to do with carbon dioxide?

Millipedes break up dead leaves, and their dung fertilize the soil. CO2 in the dead matter is finally released in atmosphere and restarts the cycle.

3. How big can they get?

There used to be a millipede that reached almost 2m long who walked the 7. Can we eat them? earth about 300 million years ago, a People in Burkina Faso regularly use period called Carboniferous. them as food (Tymbodesmus falcatus).

Millipedes are collected under bricks 4. Us and them around houses made of straw and under Some culture associate millipede with decomposing wood. Once collected, the coming rains. millipedes are placed in a pot with water In the Yoruba culture of Nigeria, filtered through firewood ashes, for 3–5 millipedes are used in pregnancy and minutes until boiling. Then they are

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if you were a

a millipede

removed and left to dry on a roof for 3 days. The dried millipedes are placed in a tomato sauce to which is added the traditional African mustard known as soumbala (fermented seeds of the néré tree, Parkia biglobosa, very widely consumed in Burkina Faso and West Africa in general), shea butter oil, and tô (a paste made from maize or sorghum flour). For some meals, the millipedes replace meat.

DISCUSSION ABOUT THE THE MICROWORLD UNDER THE LITTER LAYER

activities 6. What do millipedes dungs have to do with carbon dioxide? ◆ Survey a square meter of the forest floor, observe all the creatures under the magnifier, then under the microscope

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if you were a Dragonfly is a common group of insects that live close to the water. They differentiate from the similar damselflies which are lighter and fold their wings at rest, and have a weaker flight.

guide’s answer 1. What do they use their mask for?

To catch prey 2. Why dragonfly need wetland or water habitat, especially clean water?

Because the larva live in water 3. What is special about their eyes?

Owing to two large compound eyes, consisting of as many as 30,000 ommatidia (lenses) in each eye, dragonfly vision is extraordinarily good, nearly 360° vision. A dragonfly uses about 80% of its brain to process all this visual information. They can see a wider spectrum of colors than humans. This remarkable vision helps them detect the movement of other insects while hunting and avoid predators effectively.

3. True or false?

They don’t breathe by the nose but through their butt! True They have better vision than us. True They help predict the weather as the vietnamese proverb says. True You get the ability to swim by letting them bite your belly button. False

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fungus

WHAT HAPPEN IF THEY DISAPPEAR FROM THE CREEK

if you were a

fungus

activities 2. Why dragonfly need wetland or water habitat, especially clean water? â—† Collect some water sample at the creek, under the pebbles, along the border and observe with naked eyes, you could find some dragonfly larva.

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if you were a Spiders are not insects, they belong to the class Arachnida. All have eight legs.

The class includes scorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen and solifuges.

guide’s answer 1. Do spiders have ears? How do they hear?

Spiders do not have ears like other mammals. They have four pairs of eyes and most spiders have sense of sight.

However, many nocturnal ones do not rely on that sense. Therefore, Spiders often rely on their very sensitive tiny hairs on their legs to detect a variety of movements or impressions around them. They also use these hairs to taste and smell things.

2. What are the differences between spiders and insects?

First thing to do to distinguish you from an insect is to count the legs. You have eight, while insects have only six. You don’t have antennae like insects, and you only have two body segments instead of three like them.

3. What are the differences between silk from silk caterpillar and that from spider? ?

Function of silk: Predatory spiders spin silks into cocoons and webs to catch their prey and they produce silk for all their life. While silkworms only use their

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a spider silks for cocoons in one of stages of their life circle.

Differences in thickness: Worm silk thread is 10 times thicker than spider silk. The thickness of worm silk thread is consistent while that of spider silk thread is various depending on types and their functions.

Differences in strength: Scientists estimate spider silk is at least twice as strong as that made by silkworm.

Differences in medical use: spider silk does not have cause of reaction from the human immune system while worm silk does. Therefore, spider silk is suitable for medical purpses.

4. Spiders are small, how do they spread?

Spider disperse either by wind or walking away. After hatching, the young spiders can walk away from their parents to find new places for them. They also can use the other process called ballooning. In the process, the young spiders climb up to the top of an object (tree, branch of tree, blade of grass, etc.) and release a wisp of silk into the wind, subsequently, wind will transport them away from a few feet to hundreds of miles.

if you were a 5. Where does the name Arachne come from?

Like K’Hor weavers, Arachne was a mortal female weaver who challenged the Goddess Athena (Goddess of wisdom and crafts) in a weaving contest.

She won, which made the Goddess very angry. Athena Goddess transformed her into a spider.

a spider Spiders indirectly benefit to human in agricultural aspect by consuming agricultural pests including aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and grasshoppers, etc., reducing pets’ abundance and decreasing of pesticides using.

6. How useful are they to human?

Spiders are often killed by people as their morphology make people scare.

However, they are extremely useful animals.

Spiders are considered one of the most important predator of insects on Earth.

People estimate that a spider eats about 2,000 insects a year, and in general, spiders dine on more than 200 trillion mosquitoes, flies, and other insects every year. So spiders are good to have around our home.

In ecosystem, they are important in food webs of ecosystem. They eat lots of insects (normally smaller that them) but they are an essential food source for many creatures such as birds, lizards, wasps, and mammals, etc.

Spider silks, the stuff of spider webs, are special materials as scientists state that they could be stronger than steel, tougher, and more flexible, inspiring researchers to do more studies about spider silks in order to apply to various technologies, surgery, and medical device application.

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how would you The Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve is a healthy ecosystem for a good reason: things are living harmoniously together whatever their relationships are. One can feed on other, serves as food for others, helps others disperse, helps other to camouflage… This final exercise is to brainstorm all the possibilities each species has as relationship with others, the answers are endless..

guide’s answer 1. Bird’s nest fern with: Caterpillar: provide habitat Millipede: provide shelter Human: beauty ...

2. Caterpillar with: Bat: food Dragonfly: food Greenfinch: food ...

3. Fungus with: Bat: parasite Moss: mutualism Frog: parasite ...

4. Moss with: Millipede: provide camouflage Bird’s-nest fern: mutualism Spider: provide habitat ...

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live together?

4. Leech with: Human: medicinal Millipede: share home Frog: parasite ...

5. Greenfinch with: Snake: provide food Caterpillar: food Pine: disperser ...

6. Spider with: Bird’s-nest fern: shelter Butterfly: food Dragonfly: provide food ...

7. Snake with: Bat: food Bird’s-nest fern: shelter Birds of prey: provide food ...

8. Frog with: Dragonfly: food Dragonfly: provide food (tadpole) Snake: provide food ...

how would you

live together?

Activities Imagine other relationships Stimulate students to tell their own stories Give 2 students a random species, they have to deduct the direct or indirect relationship

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Acknowledgements

(draft)

We would like to express our gratitude to Mr Le Van Huong, Vice-Director of Lang Biang World Biosphere Reserve, Director of Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park; Mr Kensei Oda, Adviser of Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM); Mr Takuya Nomura, Coordinator of SNRM; for having entrusted us in this task.

Our special thanks goes to Mr Masanori Shintani, world specialist of environmental education (EE), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for having inspired us with his experience of more than 20 years.

Big acknowledgements to Dr Luu Hong Truong Director of Southern Institute of Ecology; Dr Nguyen Tran Vy, vice Director of Institute of Tropical Biology; Dr Luong Van Dung, Professor at Da Lat University; and colleagues for having shared their valuable knowledge without which this book will never see the light.

Thank you Mr Nguyen Luong Minh, Director of Ecotourism Department; Mr Tran Nhat Tien, as well as all the staff at Bidoup Nui Ba’s Ecotourism Department for having provided us hospitality and logistic supports. Mr Dao Duc Tam has been an active coordinator in all aspects, all along the project from the very beginning, thank you.

Thank you the K’Hor community for having inspired us with their wonderful culture.

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lexicon Biosphere Angiosperm Gymnosperm Disturbed areas Conifer Disperse Endemic Xylem Phloem Vulnerable Fibonacci Bract Propagation Predator Distribution Locomotion Anesthetic Segmented worm DNA Hermaphrodite Forage Ornithologist Ecosystem Epiphyte Debris Fiddlehead Peat Organism Liverwort Hornwort Lichen Algae Bormeliad Cell Larva Pupa Natural selection Hemorrhage Batesian copycat Mullerian mimics Amphibian Chytrid fungus Fruiting body Spore Strands Hyphae Photosynthesis Psychotropic Ionizing Sediments

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(draft) Hydrothermal Cosmic radiation Heterotroph Enzymes Cycling Flagellate Symbionts Parasite Filaments Crustose Folios Fruiticose Geochronic Dating Microbat Macrobat Echolocation Jamming Ultrasonic Guano Metabolism Torpor Hibernation Extant Extinct Cretaceous External ears Undulation Sidewinding Concertina Gliding Rectilinear Morph Arthropod Invertebrate Exoskeleton Appendage Mold Carboniferous Mutualistic Myrmecophily Ommatida Arachnophobia Predatory Biodegradable Infiltrate Pedosphere Geosphere Hydrosphere Greenhouse effect

Masanori Shintani Dao Van Hoang Dao Van Hoang, Pham Mai Trang Le Quynh Hue

EE consultant Concept story, Illustrator, Designers Writer

Nguyen Tran Vy Scientific advisor Luu Hong Truong Scientific advisor

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With the support of JICA and the Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park under the unesco’s programme Man And Biosphere

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