What You Don't Know Could Hurt You!

Imagine that you are on a field trip with your class. The goal of the field trip is to observe nature and the living things around you. What would you see?

You may observe flowers, trees, birds, bees, and perhaps a bear chasing your friend up a tree. Usually when you think about living things, you think of plants and animals like these. There are many living things that are not classified as either plants or animals, however. What about the mushrooms or toadstools on the ground? What about the green fuzzy stuff growing on your sandwich? If you see these organisms, you are observing fungi. What about the living things like bacteria floating through the air, or other microorganisms in the water, like the protist Giardia? Giardia causes unpleasant intestinal problems in humans. If you drink the water, Giardia could get in your body and make you miserable.