biology unit 2: interdependence of...

Biology Unit 2: Interdependence of Organisms

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Unit 2: Interdependence of Organisms

Name: _________________________________ Period: __________ Test Date: _______________________


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Table of Contents

Title of Page Page Number Due Date

Unit 2 KUDs and Tutoring Policy 3-4

Unit 2 Warm Ups 5 - 6

How Do Systems Interact? 7-8

Level of organization, Energy flow, Food webs, Food

chains, Ecology Notes, Symbiosis 9 - 13

Draw a food web 14 -15

Why Compost 16

Symbiotic Relationships Activity 17 - 18

Niche and Adaptation 19

Nitrogen Notes and Game 20 - 21

Carbon Notes and Game 22 - 23

Cycling of matter scenarios 24

Population Growth Study 25 - 26

Invasive Species Reading Articles 27 -28


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Unit 2: Interdependence of Organisms

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By the end of the unit I will UNDERSTAND that…

Interdependent systems function to maintain homeostasis and ensure the survival of an ecosystem.

By the end of the unit I will KNOW that…

Organisms are organized (biosphere biome ecosystem community population organisms).

Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead or decaying organisms to maintain ecosystem stability.

Microorganisms (bacteria) recycle nutrients in an ecosystem through the processes of nitrogen fixation, nitrification, decomposition, ammonification and chemosynthesis.

All energy in an ecosystem comes from the sun.

The flow of energy in an ecosystem is unidirectional.

The flow of matter in an ecosystem is cyclic.

Food chains and food webs illustrate feeding relationships and show how energy and matter flow in an ecosystem.

A trophic level describes the position an organism occupies in a food chain, food web or ecological pyramid.

A producer (autotroph) is an organism that converts sun (photosynthesis) or inorganic compounds (chemosynthesis) into usable energy for consumers (heterotrophs

Consumers are identified by the trophic level from which their energy comes (primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary). The source of energy and feeding patterns of consumers (herbivores, omnivores, carnivores and detrivores).

Food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids are all ways to model trophic levels.

The first trophic level (producers) contains 100% of energy available in the ecosystem.

As you progress up each trophic level, 10% of the energy is available from the previous trophic level.

Within any given tropic level, 90% of the energy is allocated for biological processes (biomass, metabolism, waste).

The loss of energy at each level limits the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids (energy, biomass and numbers) are visual representations of the flow of matter and energy.

Biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon and nitrogen) show the recycling of molecules through abiotic and biotic systems.

Organisms exhibit innate behaviors in response to their environment, including fixed action pattern, imprinting, migration, circadian rhythms.

Organism’s exhibit learned behaviors in response to their environment, including trial and error and conditioning.

Behaviors can be selected for or against.

Organisms are interdependent within an ecosystem.

The four types of symbiotic interactions that occur between organisms in an ecosystem (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism and predation).

Organisms occupy a niche within an ecosystem for which they are adapted.

Competition for resources (habitat, water, mate, and food) occurs when organisms occupy the same niche.


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Ecological succession occurs over time in predictable patterns.

Succession is the process by which an ecological community (and the species it contains) undergoes orderly changes following a disturbance or initial colonization.

Primary ecological succession occurs during initial colonization when there is no previous growth or soil present (glacier or volcano).

Secondary ecological succession occurs when an environmental disturbance (fire, tornado, hurricane, flooding and drought) leads to the death or destruction of existing organisms.

Pioneer species are the first species that appear in the process of ecological succession.

A climax community is an ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other.

Carrying capacity is the maximum population of a particular organism that a given environment can support without detrimental effects.

Factors positively and negatively affecting the growth of a population size include, access to shelter, water, food, predation pressure, disease and the size of other populations.

Ecosystems work to maintain stability.

Environmental disturbances can impact an ecosystem (fire, glacier, volcano, tornado, hurricane, flooding, drought and man-made changes).

A keystone species is an organism that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions and whose addition or removal disproportionately affects the ecosystem.

By the end of the unit I will BE ABLE TO…

Using pictures, diagrams or descriptions identify the level of ecological organization from organism to biosphere.

Construct food chains and food webs to demonstrate feeding relationships and illustrate energy flow in ecosystems.

Predict the effect of removal or addition of organisms in a trophic level on a food web.

Predict the effect of a change in a population size on the community.

Calculate the available energy at each trophic level in a food chain, food web or energy pyramid.

Given a data set of the allocation of energy between and within trophic levels (biomass, metabolism, and waste), calculate an unknown to support the law of conservation of energy and matter.

Predict the effect of a disturbance on the biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon and nitrogen).

Predict the effect on a population due to a change in environmental preference for innate or learned behaviors.

Given a description, picture or diagram, categorize the type of relationship demonstrated between two organisms.

Interpret the effects, positive, negative, or neutral, on each organism in a symbiotic relationship.

Interpret the effects of symbiotic relationships at the organism, population, community and ecosystem levels.

Given a specific ecosystem, identify which adaptations would be more advantageous.

Given data, graphs or diagrams identify, sequence and explain the events of ecological succession (pioneer species, interim stages and species, climax community and species).

At various stages during succession analyze the change in diversity and identify the dominant species present.

Use data and graphs to analyze and predict the effect of [both] limiting [and excessive] factors on changes in populations, [communities and ecosystems].

Predict the impact of a given change (invasive species, environmental disturbances, man-made changes, [keystone species]) on an ecosystem.

Tutoring: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM If you are not in the classroom by 4:20 PM, then I will not stay for tutoring


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UNIT 2 WARM-UPS Date:_____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________


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Date:_____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________

Date: ____________


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What is a system? The world around us is composed of various systems. A system is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming a whole. Systems share common characteristics, including:

A system has structure.

A system contains parts (or components) that are directly or indirectly related to each other.

A system has behavior.

A system has interconnectivity. How do systems interact? Your job is to identify an example of a system in your world that has at least four parts. For your system you must identify:

What are the parts/components of the system?

How are the parts connected?

Why do they work together? What purpose do they serve?

Does any one part of your system work entirely alone?

Choose one component of your system. Explain what would happen if this part became non-functional. What would happen to each of the other parts?

Be prepared to act out or demonstrate your system to your teacher and class. Example: A school is a system. It is made up of a principal, assistant principal, teachers and students, among others. Each part of the system has specific roles and together they function to ensure student success. A teacher’s job is to provide instruction to students. An assistant principal’s job is to enforce discipline. Without any one of the parts, the school could not function. If there were no teachers, then there would be no one to deliver lessons to the students. If there were no students, there would be no one to learn and thus no purpose to the school. Use the space below to brainstorm your ideas for your system and answer the questions on the next page. Part 1: Your system

1. Briefly describe your system.

2. What are the parts/components of your system and what is their function/role? (You must have at least four.)

3. Describe how the parts of your system are connected.

4. What is the purpose of your system?


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5. Does anyone part of your system work entirely alone? Explain.

6. Choose one component of your system. Explain what would happen if this part became non-functional.

7. What would happen to each of the other parts? Part 2: Using your system as an analogy Directions: The scenario below describes a system in biology, an ecosystem. Relate the scenario to the system you designed. In other words, use your system as an analogy to explain the scenario. Use the space below for your explanation. The sun is the ultimate energy source in all ecosystems. Producers, like grasses (plants), use the energy of the sun to make their own food. These organisms provide energy directly to primary consumers like rabbits, which eat grass as a large component of their diet. Secondary consumers, like coyotes, eat rabbits and tertiary consumers, like mountain lions, eat coyotes. If a fire were to destroy a vast majority of the grass, this would result in a decrease in the number of rabbits. In turn, the coyote population would decrease which would completely destroy the mountain lion population.


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Ecological Levels of Organization

Label the levels of ecological organization below:


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Energy Flow/Food Web Practice

Directions: Label each organism on the food webs below (P, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), and answer the proceeding questions using

the food webs.

1. List all producers in the food web above:

2. Which of the following is not a primary consumer?

A. Clams

B. Mummichogs

C. Amphipods

D. White Suckers

3. Which of the following are secondary consumers?

A. Channel Catfish and Detritus

B. Small Invertebrates and Banded Killfish

C. Banded Killfish and Clams

D. White Suckers and Channel Catfish

4. List any omnivores in the food web above:


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Directions: After labeling above, complete the table below by circling the multiple roles organisms have in the given

food web.

5. List all producers in the food web above:

6. Which of the following is not a primary consumer?

A. Caterpillars

B. Meadow Voles

C. Raccoons

D. Garter Snakes

7. Which of the following are secondary consumers?

A. Red foxes and Caterpillars

B. Garter Snakes and Striped Skunks

C. Red foxes and Raccoons

D. Red Tailed Hawks and Meadow Voles

Be sure to label each organism on the food webs below (P, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).


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Energy Flow Notes

Trophic Levels (energy levels)

● Organisms are assigned to trophic levels based on the organism’s source of energy.

Visualizing Food Chains:

Energy Pyramid - the energy in each trophic level can be visualized as an energy pyramid.

● Each trophic level is represented by a block. ● Lowest trophic level (______________________) on the bottom. ● Energy stored by the organisms at each trophic level is about ______________________ the energy stored by

the organism in the level below.

Remember:

%

is passed up to the next trophic level.

The rest is lost primarily as:


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Symbiosis Notes Symbiosis

● “Syn” means _________________ or “with”

● “___________” means life

● Symbiosis is a _______________________ in which two species live closely together

● These relationships can be _______________________, harm, or have no effect on one or ___________ species

involved.

There are 4 types of symbiosis: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and predation.

Mutualism { | } Commensalism { | }

Parasitism { | } Predation { | }

Competition { | }


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FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS

Directions: Use the information provided in the table to construct a food chain and food web. Draw arrows to show the direction of energy transfer from organism to organism. Then, answer the questions about the food chain and food web you created.

ANIMAL WHAT IT EATS

Earthworm dead plants and animals (detritus)

Soil Bacteria dead plants and animals (returns nutrients to the environment)

Detritus n/a

Stink Beetle leaves/grasses

Monarch Butterfly leaves(as a caterpillar), nectar

Broad-Tailed Hummingbird nectar

Western Meadowlark insects, earthworms, seeds

Snowshoe Hare leaves/grasses, flowers, berries, shrubs

Pocket Mouse insects, seeds

Deer Mouse seeds/nuts, berries, leaves/grasses, insects

Ground Squirrel leaves/grasses, seeds/nuts, berries, insects

Raccoon fruits, nuts, grass, insects, bird eggs

Spotted Skunk mice, bird eggs, insects, grasses, berries

Mule Deer shrubs, twigs, grasses

Bull Snake ground squirrels, mice

Rattlesnake ground squirrels, mice

Bison grasses

Elk grasses, twigs, berries

Wolf elk, mule deer, bison

Coyote scavenger: will eat almost anything animal or vegetable; prefers rodents, rabbits

1. Create a food chain with 4 trophic levels.

2. In the food chain you created, what is the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary

consumer?


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3. Create a food web.

4. Is an organism always going to be found in the same trophic level in a food web? Explain why or why not.

5. What is an example of an autotroph from your food chain or food web?

6. What are three examples of heterotrophs from your food chain or food web?

7. What is the difference between decomposers and detrivores?

8. Choose one organism in your food web. This species has been affected by a newly discovered virus and its population has been left nearly extinct.

a. Name the organisms in the food web that will be affected and how this event will affect them.

b. How does the impact of removing the organism from a single food chain differ from the impact of removing the organism from the food web?

9. Which would have a bigger impact on the food web: removing a producer or removing a tertiary consumer? Why?


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Read the following passage. Answer the analysis questions that follow.

Why Compost?

What IS Compost? Compost forms naturally nearly everywhere! Leaves drop from trees. Grass clippings are left after mowing the lawn. Plants and animals die. Over time, these organic materials break down or decompose. The rich, dark-brown, crumbly, soil-like material that results is called compost. At home or at your school, compost can be made out of leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps , coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, wood chips, straw and small twigs. Tiny living things do much of the work of breaking down organic materials to form compost. These tiny workers are called microorganisms and include such things as bacteria and fungi. Animals living in the soil help microorganisms break down organic materials. Worms and pill bugs are examples of organisms that help change organic waste into compost. As microorganisms and soil critters turn organic materials into compost, they use these materials as food. The organic materials provide many of the nutrients that plants need for growth and activity. Eventually, these nutrients are returned to the soil, to be used again by trees, grass, and other plants. This is nature’s way of composting and recycling! The compost that you make at your home or school can be used as mulch or mixed into the soil. Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments. By composting and mulching, you can save money by reducing your fertilizer and landscaping bills, lowering your water bill, and spending less on trash pickups or disposal. Analysis Questions 1. Write a definition for compost. 2. Explain where, in a natural food chain, does composting occur? 3. Why do we need composting to occur? 4. What are the benefits of man-made composting?


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SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Scenario Describe the interaction that is occurring between the organisms

Which symbol applies? Both benefit (+/+) 1 benefits/1 harmed (+/-) 1 benefits/1 unaffected (+/0) 1 eats the other (+/-) 2 compete for a resource (-/-)

Type of Relationship

Ants and Aphids

Tick and Dog

Lion and Zebra

Sea anemone and clownfish

Green algae and fungus

Shark and remora

Mistletoe and tree

E.coli and mammals

Heartworms and dogs

Termites and protozoa

Cattle egret and grazers


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Which Symbiosis is it?

1. Oxpecker and zebras: Oxpeckers are a type of small bird that land on zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on the zebra’s skin. The oxpeckers get food and the zebras get pest control.

Organism 1: helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2: helped harmed not harmed/not helped Symbiotic Relationship: _____________________________

2. Tapeworm and animals: Tapeworms are segmented flatworms that attach themselves to the insides of the intestines

of animals such as cows, pigs, and humans. Tapeworms get food by eating the host's (animal) partly digested food, depriving the host (animal) of nutrients.



3. Spider crab and algae: Spider crabs live in shallow areas of the ocean floor, and greenish-brown algae lives on the

crabs' backs, making the crabs blend in with their environment, and unnoticeable to predators. The algae get a good place to live, and the crab gets camouflage.



4. Remora and the shark: Remora fish are small fish that make their niche by picking up the scraps that sharks leave

behind while feeding. The shark makes no attempt to prey on the remora fish.



5. Bee and the flower: Bees fly from flower to flower-gathering nectar, which they make into food. When they land in a flower, the bees get some pollen on their hairy bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some of the pollen from the first one rubs off, pollinating the plant.



6. Bacteria and the human colon: Bacteria live in the colon of humans and are able to feed off the indigestible food that

the human body cannot break down (cellulose of plants). In the process of breaking down the food, the bacteria also make much-needed vitamins that the human body in turn can use to keep healthy.



7. Dog and the tick: Ticks live on dogs and feed off the dog’s blood. They may also infect the dog with a parasite that

can cause the dog to become quite sick. Dogs also are sometimes found to be very tired because a large volume of their blood has been drained.




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Ecological Niches and Adaptations Vocabulary: Niche Camouflage Warning Coloration Mimicry Adaptation Examples:

Protection

Water Conservation

Avoiding Too Much Water

Enduring Extreme Temperatures


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Nitrogen moves through ecosystems in a cycle. ☼ _________________ Fixation – Bacteria converts nitrogen to _________________

☼ Nitrification – _________________ converts ___________________ to nitrate

☼ Assimilation – __________________ gets taken up by the plant’s roots

☼ ____________________ - Bacteria convert nitrate to ________________ ________ that goes back into the

atmosphere

☼ Ammonification – Bacteria produces ammonia during the decay of ______________

☼ The ___________________ produced in this step can also be assimilated by plants or goes through

nitrification.


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Carbon Cycle Notes

Key Terms ☼ CO2 = ___________ Dioxide

☼ _____________________ - process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy; produces

sugar and _______________ from carbon dioxide and water

☼ Carbon dioxide + Water + ___________ Sugar + Oxygen

☼ 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy _____________ + 6O2

Carbon Cycle ☼ CO2 that is dissolved in water or is in the air is used during __________________ by plants, algae, and

bacteria.

CO2 then returns to the air and water in one of ____________ ways: 1. Cellular __________________

-using oxygen to ____________ down food 1. ______________________

-_______________ fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) 1. __________________

-limestone from sediment of decayed shells erodes __________________ carbon.


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Cycling of Matter Scenarios

The Carbon Cycle Using the provided diagram, analyze how the following situations would impact the carbon cycle. Identify the source of new carbon, the likely sink of carbon capture and the impact on the cycle.

The Nitrogen Cycle Using the provided diagram, analyze how the following situations would impact the nitrogen cycle. Identify the source of new nitrogen, the likely sink of nitrogen capture and the impact on the cycle.

Scenario New Source of

Carbon Likely Sink of

Carbon Impact on the Carbon Cycle

A coal plant in East Texas is decommissioned (shut down) in favor of new wind turbines in West Texas.

Natural gas deposits are discovered near Fort Worth. City buses now run on natural gas.

Scenario New Source of

Nitrogen Likely Sink of

Nitrogen Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle

Excess nitrogen ends up in the pond near your house. This causes algae to bloom and the pond starts to smell.

Large trucks do not burn gasoline as efficiently as small cars. This causes some nitrogen byproducts in gasoline to be released into the air.


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Population Growth Study In this exercise, you will be simulating the growth of a population of lily pads. Each card represents 1 lily pad. Each day the number of lily pad doubles. Watch the video and record the data in the chart below. Use the chart to construct a graph of the total number of lily pads. Data

Generation (Number of Days)

Number of New Lily Pads Total number of Lily Pads

1

2

3

4

5

6

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Analysis of Data How many days passed before the entire pond has been filled? _______________ Graph your results. Generations should be along the x-axis and total number of lily pads should be on the y-axis.

Is the graph a linear graph? ____________________________________________________ Read the following background information and then answer the questions that follow. The rate at which the lily pad population started to grow after several days was quite alarming. If you are to keep any of your pond clear, you'll have to cut out more than half of the lily pads out of the pond every day! WHEW! The graph you have constructed represents exponential growth. Write a description of the shape of your graph. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________


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Exponential growth occurs when there no limits to the size to which a population can grow. Food, water, and living space are some of the resources individuals need to live healthfully and to reproduce to their maximum potential. When such resources are unlimited, populations may undergo exponential growth. Some characteristics of exponential growth curves are slow initial growth and then a rapid, dramatic population "explosion" after several generations. There are several factors affecting the shape of the growth curve.

reproductive rate (number of new organisms produced compared with number of deaths)

limits on resources: food, water, living space

Reading

1. What is the reproductive rate of the lily pads? (Hint: How many “offspring” does each lily pad produce per day? ___________________________ 2. Is there a maximum number of lily pads that can grow in your pond? ___________________________ 3. What are some characteristics of exponential growth curves? ________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. What factors affect exponential growth? _________________________________________________ 5. Why is the graph of exponential growth sometimes referred to as a “J-curve”? __________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Resources and space are typically limited in ecosystems. Exponential growth generally occurs only when a population is very small relative to available resources or very aggressive in taking resources away from other populations.

http://naturalsciences.sdsu.edu/classes/lab2.7/glossary.html#anchor11407325


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Invasive Species Challenge Read each scenario that describes an ecosystem and an invasive species and answer the questions that follow. Atlantic Coast Estuaries Up and down the Atlantic Coast, oysters, clams, crabs, and mussels thrive in rich marine habitats called estuaries. Estuaries form where rivers empty out into saltwater bays, creating a mixture of freshwater and saltwater. Wherever they occur, estuaries support a tremendous diversity of marine life—including a lot of popular seafood. Rich in nutrients and sheltered from big waves, estuaries provide the perfect conditions for many aquatic species to begin their lives. Blue crabs carry out their entire life cycle in and near estuary waters. Scallops, softshell clams, and oysters breed and feed in the brackish waters. Those species, in turn, provide food for many shorebirds including American oystercatchers, gulls, terns, herons, and more. The Chesapeake Bay, located between Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, is the largest estuary in the United States and is one of many Atlantic Coastal estuaries that supplies us with seafood. Scientists estimate that the first European green crabs arrived on the Atlantic Coast more than 150 years ago. Those crabs probably arrived in the ballast water of ships. Ships take on ballast water in port after emptying cargo. Unfortunately, that ballast water is full of aquatic species from the original port. When the ships discharge the ballast water in their next port, the species are discharged, too. Young green crabs do best in coastal ponds, lagoons, and bays. They are voracious eaters, consuming mussels, clams, snails, other crabs, barnacles, aquatic worms, and green algae. Under the right conditions, female green crabs can spawn up to 185,000 eggs at a time.

1. What is the invasive species described in the scenario?

2. Where did it come from, and how did it get to the ecosystem?

3. Make some predictions about how this new species might affect the ecosystem. What changes might

occur?

4. What benefits might come of those changes? What problems?


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Chicago Hardwood Forests If you walk down the streets of Chicago’s city neighborhoods, you’ll be impressed by the number and size of large street trees. Among the most common trees are ash, cherry, elms, maples, elms, mulberry, oak, and plum. You may not normally equate city trees with a forest, but that’s what they form: an urban forest that makes cities cleaner, more attractive, and more wild. Chicago’s urban forest is a rich habitat for wildlife, providing food and shelter for migrating and resident birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and a host of insect species. The trees provide shade for residents and reduce cooling costs during the summer when they block sun from houses and businesses. They absorb pollutants from automobiles, making the air much healthier to breathe. In 1998, Chicago residents discovered unusual insects living on city trees: Asian longhorned beetles from China. Just two years before, Asian longhorned beetles had been found in two New York sites. Asian longhorned beetles feed on a variety of hardwood trees, especially ash, birches, buckeyes, elms, horsechestnuts, maples, poplars, sycamores, and willows. Their life cycle begins when a female beetle chews her way through the bark of a host tree and deposits her eggs. Eleven days later, the larvae emerge from their eggs and begin to feed on the living tissue of the tree. These tissues are important for carrying water from the tree roots up the tree and taking nutrients from the leafy canopy down. Once the pathways have been disrupted, the tree will no longer be able to circulate the water and nutrients it needs to survive. When the adults emerge from the pupa, they bore their way out of the trunk, leaving round exit holes that are just a bit larger than the diameter of a pencil. Asian longhorned beetles live about one year and usually spread by natural means—flying about 400 yards or more in their beetle stage.

5. What is the invasive species described in the scenario?

6. Where did it come from, and how did it get to the ecosystem?

7. Make some predictions about how this new species might affect the ecosystem. What changes might

occur?

8. What benefits might come of those changes? What problems?

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