Species and habitat
Students link their knowledge of plant species with the environment in which they grow and with their ecological requirements (moisture, light, soil, type of land management).
This methodology is part of a broader approach to teaching botany. If you are looking for a general guide, we also recommend:
👉 How to Teach Plant Identification Effectively
Teaching support
Which plants belong in a biotope?
Students are given a biotope – a meadow, a beech forest, a wetland or a peat bog – and their task is to find plants in the BOTANIKA – Green Nature database that they think grow there. They add the chosen species to their own list using the “Assign plants to biotope” button. But adding a plant is not enough: students must be able to explain why it belongs there. The activity links species ↔ habitat ↔ ecological conditions and teaches students to look up information, decide, assign and defend their choice.
Topic
Plants and their biotopes
Duration
20–45 minutes
Format
Individually / in pairs / in groups
Suitable for
Lower secondary school (ages 11–15), optionally upper secondary
Quick start
- Launch BOTANIKA – Green Nature and open the “Biotopes – Place to live” section.
- Give each group (or student) one biotope – e.g. meadow, beech forest, floodplain forest, wetland, field, peat bog, pasture or mixed forest.
- Set the task: “Find at least 5 plants in the database that you think can grow in this biotope and add them with the ‘Assign plants to biotope’ button.”
- At the end, ask students to justify their choices: “Why did you put this plant here?”
Learning objectives
Working with information
Students independently search for and verify information in the app database, in a textbook or on the internet, and critically assess whether it is correct.
Reasoning and argument
Students can defend their assignment of a plant in their own words and understand that one plant can grow in several biotopes.
Activity variants
A different biotope for each group (recommended)
The best option for a full lesson. For example, divide 24 students into 6 groups of four and give each group a different biotope. Each group’s task is to find about 8 species.
- group 1: meadow · 2: beech forest · 3: floodplain forest
- group 4: wetland · 5: field · 6: peat bog
- at the end, each group presents 2–3 plants: “We put this plant in the wetland because…”
Reverse activity: from plant to biotopes
Instead of a biotope, the teacher gives a plant: “Look up meadow clary. Which of the 22 biotopes would you assign it to? Justify your decision.” This variant is more demanding.
- students may conclude: meadow clary → meadow + pasture + edges of fields and roads
- it shows an important point: a plant does not have to belong to just one biotope
- also suitable as a short warm-up or homework
Spot the mistake
The teacher deliberately assigns several doubtful or wrong plants to a chosen biotope (e.g. adds white water lily or round-leaved sundew to the meadow next to ox-eye daisy and red clover). Students answer: “Which of these plants would you remove from the biotope, and why?”
- prepare the list in advance on your computer and project it on the board
- students must check the plant information, not just guess; they then remove the wrong species with the “Remove from biotope” button
- this is not about recalling facts, but about critically evaluating information
Field trip variant
Connects the app with real observation of nature. Before the trip: “Explore the meadow biotope and choose 10 species that you expect we might find on our field trip.” Students assign them in BOTANIKA.
- in the field they record which expected species they actually found and which they did not
- they also note other plants they discovered at the site
- back in class they compare: “What did we expect?” × “What did we actually find?”
The key principle
Do not give students a list of correct plants in advance. The independent search is the most valuable part of the activity from a teaching point of view – students have to browse the database, read the information on each plant’s habitat (the [Habitat] section of every plant description) and make their own decision. Textbooks or the internet can also help. The most valuable moments tend to be the debatable cases that spark discussion in class.
Lesson plan (group variant, 45 min)
Assigning the biotopes
The teacher briefly explains what a biotope is and shows the list of 22 biotopes in the app. Each group is given one biotope. Not everyone has to work on the same one – on the contrary, the more biotopes, the more interesting the final comparison.
- explaining the term biotope
- forming groups
- assigning the biotopes
Teacher’s questions:
• What do you imagine when you hear the word biotope?
• How does a meadow differ from a pasture or a field?
• Which biotopes can we find near our school?
Groups:
Each group of four gets a different biotope.
Individuals:
Each student draws a biotope by lot.
+ Faster students:
Give them a “harder” biotope, e.g. peat bog, polder or moss lake.
– Students needing support:
Choose familiar biotopes – meadow, field, mixed forest.
Characteristics of the biotope
The groups read the description of their biotope and look at the photographs. They find out what conditions prevail there – moisture, light, soil, and whether people mow, graze or cultivate it. They will need this information later to justify their choices.
- reading the biotope description
- looking at more images
- noting the key conditions
Teacher’s questions:
• Is your biotope rather dry or wet?
• Is there a lot of light or little?
• Do people influence it in any way?
Groups:
The group writes down 3 key conditions of its biotope.
Individuals:
Each student underlines or notes the conditions in their exercise book.
+ Faster students:
Add information from a textbook or the internet.
– Students needing support:
The teacher goes through the conditions with them.
Students search for and assign plants themselves
The main part of the lesson. The groups browse the plant database and consider for each plant whether it can grow in their biotope. The key is the [Habitat] section of each plant. They add the chosen species with the “Assign plants to biotope” button – the plants then appear in the “My plants in this biotope” list.
- searching for plants in the database
- reading the habitat information
- assigning suitable species to the biotope
- noting debatable cases for later
Teacher’s questions:
• Where did you find the information that the plant grows here?
• Did you find a plant you are not sure about?
Groups:
The group finds about 8 species; each member suggests at least two.
Individuals:
Each student finds at least 5 species.
+ Faster students:
Look for 10 or more species, including less familiar ones.
– Students needing support:
5 species are enough; the teacher can hint at the family or the first letter.
Adding is not enough – explain why
The teacher walks around the groups and picks individual plants from their lists. Students no longer just name a plant; they have to connect species ↔ habitat ↔ ecological conditions. Example for the meadow: ox-eye daisy, red clover, meadow clary, brown knapweed, meadow buttercup.
- the teacher picks plants
- oral justification
- correcting or completing the list
Teacher’s questions:
• Why did you put meadow clary here?
• What conditions does this plant need?
• Red clover is also grown as a fodder crop – is it still a meadow plant?
• Would this plant also grow in a forest? Why, or why not?
Groups:
The group agrees on a justification for each plant.
Individuals:
Each student writes one sentence per plant: “It belongs here because…”.
+ Faster students:
Also explain why the plant would not thrive in a different biotope.
– Students needing support:
It is enough to find and read the habitat information.
Groups present their biotopes
Each group projects its biotope and presents 2–3 plants: “We put this plant in the wetland because…” The others look for overlaps: did the same plant appear in several biotopes? This is the right moment to stress that a plant does not have to belong to just one biotope.
- short group presentations
- looking for plants assigned to several biotopes
- deciding the debatable cases together
Teacher’s questions:
• Which plant appeared in more than one biotope?
• Can ox-eye daisy grow both in a meadow and at the edge of a field?
• What did your group disagree about?
Groups:
A group spokesperson presents at the board.
Individuals:
Students compare their lists in pairs.
+ Faster students:
Explain why some plants can cope with several types of environment.
– Students needing support:
Present one plant.
Summary and reflection
The teacher sums up the main point: where a plant grows is determined by the conditions of its environment – and one plant can be at home in several biotopes.
- summary
- reflection
Teacher’s questions:
• What determines where a plant grows?
• What surprised you during your search?
Groups:
Class discussion.
Individuals:
One sentence written in the exercise book.
+ Faster students:
Suggest checking their list in the field.
– Students needing support:
Repeat one biotope and two of its plants.
Ready-made student assignment
🌱 Create your own biotope flora
- Choose one of the biotopes.
- Study its characteristics.
- Search the BOTANIKA database for 5–10 plants that you think can grow in this environment.
- Add them to your list using the “Assign plants to biotope” function.
- For each species, find out why it is suited to this environment.
- Compare your choice with your classmates.
- For plants you assigned differently, decide together whether they can grow in several types of environment, and why.
Aim of the activity: Students link their knowledge of plant species with their habitat and ecological requirements and can justify their assignment.
Three levels of difficulty
🟢 Basic
Find 5 plants typical of the given biotope.
🟡 Advanced
Find 10 plants and justify the assignment of each one.
🔴 Inquiry
Choose plants that can be assigned to several biotopes and explain why.
Materials
BOTANIKA – Green Nature (teacher’s computer with a projector, or student devices), and a biology textbook or the internet for checking information if needed.
Benefits
Inquiry-based learning
Students do not receive a ready-made list – they have to search, decide and defend their decisions.
Ecological connections
Plant identification is linked to the environment, ecological requirements and the protection of biodiversity.
Easy differentiation
Three levels of difficulty and four activity variants – from a 20-minute warm-up to a project with a field trip.
Try BOTANIKA
BOTANIKA – Green Nature contains 22 biotopes with descriptions and photographs, and an extensive plant database including habitat information. The “Assign plants to biotope” function turns them into a ready-to-use inquiry activity with no complicated preparation.