LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the unit you should…

be able to identify renewable/nonrenewable resources

be able to compare and contrast the three forms of symbiosis and other relationships between

organisms

be able to describe the recovery of an altered ecosystem

be able to map flow of energy in an ecosystem by making energy pyramids and food webs

be able to diagram and explain cycles of nitrogen, carbon/oxygen and water

be able to justify a solution to an environmental problem based on given information

be able to interpret a series of diagrams showing terrestrial and aquatic succession

know the pros and cons of industrialization

know the benefits of biodiversity in addition to its cause

know how energy is transferred within an ecosystem

know how human activities can decrease biodiversity

know the definition of carrying capacity and limiting factors

know the causes of ecosystem disturbance/instability (Global Warming, etc)

KEY VOCABULARY

1. abiotic

2. acid rain

3. autotrophic nutrition

4. bacteria

5. biodiversity

6. biotic

7. carnivore

8. carrying capacity

9. competition

10. consumer

11. decomposer

12. deforestation

13. ecology

14. ecosystem

15. energy pyramid

16. extinction

17. food web

18. fossil fuels

19. fungi

20. global warming

21. herbivore

22. heterotrophic nutrition

23. industrialization

24. limiting factors

25. ozone layer

26. parasite/host

27. pollution

28. population growth

29. predator/prey

30. producer

31. recycle

32. renewable resources

33. scavenger

MAJOR UNDERSTANDINGS

1. All life on earth is interdependent and maintains a natural balance by

cycling resources and energy

2. A small disruption in an environment can lead to severe unintended

consequences

ECOLOGY RESOURCES

Textbook Resources

Page # Topic

814 Ecology of Birds

805 Ecology of Reptiles

789 Ecology of Amphibians

781 Ecology of Fishes

540-542 Symbiotic Fungi

538 Fungi as a Decomposer

508 Ecology of Algae

477 Bacteria as Decomposers

139-160 Human Impact

119-132 Population & Carrying Capacity

98-112 Aquatic & Terrestrial Ecosystems & Biomes

94-97 Succession

87-93 Abiotic/Biotic Factors & Symbiosis

74-80 Nutrient/Chemical Cycles

67-73 Food Chains/Webs & Energy Transfer

62-65 Ecology & Organization

Internet Resources

BrainPop: Water Cycle http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/watercycle/

BrainPop: Carbon Cycle http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/carboncycle/

BrainPop: Nitrogen Cycle http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/nitrogencycle/

BrainPop: Global Warming http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/globalwarming/

BrainPop: Greenhouse Effect http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/greenhouseeffect/

BrainPop: Ozone Layer http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/ozonelayer/

BrainPop: Air Pollution http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/airpollution/

BrainPop: Humans and the Environment http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/humansandtheenvironment/

Ecological Footprint http://www.myfootprint.org

Ecosystem Postage Stamps (John D. Dawson) http://jdawsonillustration.com/stamps/john_d_dawson__postage_stamps.htm

1

ECOLOGY VOCABULARY SHEET

Vocab Word Definition (in your own words) Examples Picture

abiotic

acid rain

autotrophic nutrition

biodiversity

biotic

carnivore

carrying capacity

competition

consumer

decomposer

deforestation

ecology

ecosystem

energy pyramid

extinction

food web

fossil fuels

2

Vocab Word Definition (in your own words) Examples Picture

global warming

herbivore

heterotrophic

nutrition

industrialization

invasive species

limiting factors

ozone layer

niche

parasite/host

pollution

population growth

predator/prey

producer

recycle

renewable resources

scavenger

succession

3

Ecology Name_______________________________

Ecology Ecosystem Pre-Assessment

Directions: Match the vocabulary terms below to their definitions.

Abiotic Factors A. Organism that eats dead animals

Renewable Resource B. All the living and non-living factors

interacting in the same area

Heterotroph C. Organism that breaks down and recycles

dead organic materials

Decomposer D. Two or more organisms of the same

species living in the same area

Biotic Factors E. Non-living things in an ecosystem

Scavenger F. Organism that eats both meat and plants

Population G. Organism that eats only meat

Omnivore H. Living things in an ecosystem

Limiting Factors I. Organism that eats other organisms for

food

Ecosystem J. Organism that makes its own food in the

process of photosynthesis

Herbivore K. Organism that eats only plants

Invasive Species L. Prevents a population from increasing

beyond the carrying capacity

Carnivore M. Non-native species

Autotroph N. Replaceable in a short amount of time

______

______

______

______

______ ______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

4

ECOLOGY CULMINATING PROJECT:

LANDSCAPE PROJECT

Directions: In this activity you will create an landscape picture of an

ecosystem or biome. There are two levels for both location and

vocabulary. You will get a recommendation from the teacher about which

level you should choose, but may move to a higher level in order to push

yourself. Step one is picking a location, step two describing/including

topics from the unit, and step three is a presentation of your work.

1. Locations:

Level 1:

Pond

Forest (Deciduous)

Forest (Coniferous)

Wetland (Freshwater Marsh)

Level 2:

Tundra

Desert

Taiga

Tropical Rainforest

Savannah

Coral Reef

2. In your landscape picture you must represent the topics below:

Level 1

biodiversity population community omnivore

biotic abiotic producer consumer

decomposer herbivore carnivore food chain

food web succession scavenger O2 - CO2 cycle

limiting factors

positive and negative effects of humans on this ecosystem

Level 2 (includes topics from above plus the following topics)

succession

scavenger

nitrogen cycle

symbiotic relationships (mutualism, commensalism, or

parasitism)

limiting factors (density dependent and density independent)

3. Once you finish you will demonstrate your knowledge of these topics by PRESENTING

YOUR PICTURE using one of the presentation options: Prezi, Audio Recording, QR code,

Google slide show or a Smore flyer).

Directions for each of these presentation

options can be found at the following link

under the subtopic HOW TO PRESENT:

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1676604

5

ECOLOGY CULMINATING PROJECT:

LANDSCAPE PROJECT GRADING RUBRIC

Unsatisfactory

1

Limited

2

Emerging

3

Proficient

4

Mastery

5

Accuracy of

Ecosystem/Biome

Ecosystem/Biome is

unrecognizable

Few abiotic and

biotic factors

accurately represent

the ecosystem/biome

Some abiotic and

biotic factors

accurately represent

the ecosystem/biome

Most abiotic and

biotic factors

accurately represent

the ecosystem/biome

All abiotic and biotic

factors accurately

represent the

ecosystem/biome

Use of terminology

Vocabulary terms are

not represented in the

landscape

Few vocabulary

terms are represented

in the landscape

Some vocabulary

terms are represented

in the landscape

Most vocabulary

terms are represented

in the landscape

All vocabulary terms

are represented in the

landscape

Content Accuracy Terms are not used or

represented correctly

Few terms are used

and represented

correctly

Some terms are used

and represented

correctly

Most terms are used

and represented

correctly

All terms are used

and represented

correctly

Presentation Visual incomplete or

incoherent

Visual impedes

comprehension

Visual is sloppy or

missing major details

Visual has only

minor errors

Visual is clear, neat

and organized

Conventions

Written or verbal

description is

incoherent

Errors impede written

or verbal

comprehension

Written or verbal

description has

multiple errors, but

comprehension is not

affected

Written or verbal

description has minor

errors

Written or verbal

description is free

from error

(Spelling, grammar,

pronunciation)

6

Ecosystem and Biome Landscape Project Checklist

What specific ecosystem or biome is represented in your picture?

Explain how your picture shows biodiversity.

List three abiotic factors shown in your picture.

List three biotic factors shown in your picture.

Identify one population shown in your picture.

How does your picture represent a community?

List three producers/autotrophs shown in your picture.

Explain why they are called autotrophs.

List three herbivores/primary consumers in your

picture.

Explain why they are referred to as herbivores.

List three carnivores/secondary consumers in your picture.

Explain why they are called carnivores.

List three omnivores shown in your picture.

List one scavenger shown in your picture.

Explain why it is called a scavenger.

List one decomposer shown in your picture.

Explain why it is called a decomposer.

Trace one food chain through your picture.

Expand that food chain to make it more of a food web.

Why is a food web more stable than a food chain?

Identify one renewable resource shown in your picture.

Explain how your picture represents the O2 and CO2 cycle using the terms photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

What is one limiting factor that could affect the carrying capacity of populations in your ecosystem or biome?

Describe one positive and one negative human effect on this ecosystem.

7

Level 2

Is the limiting factor you described a density dependent or density independent

limiting factor? Why?

Describe three different symbiotic relationships shown in your picture and identify

whether the relationship is mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.

Choose one organism and describe its niche.

Explain how your ecosystem could have originated from bare rock through succession.

Use your picture to describe the nitrogen cycle.

8

COMPARING BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC FACTORS

1. Break down each word, what do biotic and abiotic mean?

2. List all of the abiotic factors found in the diagram above.

3. List all of the biotic factors found in the diagram above.

4. Pick an abiotic and biotic factor from your answers above. Describe how the abiotic factor

you chose influences the biotic factor.

9

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION

Every Organism has its own NICHE.

A NICHE is: the role that an animal or plant species plays in the environment

Draw an organism of your choice in the box labeled species/organism. Using that organism,

expand your drawings to represent its niche in a population, community, and an ecosystem.

Species Population

Community

Ecosystem

10

RELATIONSHIPS IN ECOSYSTEMS

Directions: Complete the chart below based on information from the ecology notes or the textbook page 93.

Define: Symbiosis –

Commensalism Mutualism Parasitism Predator/Prey

Definition

Symbols

+ positive,

- negative,

0 unaffected

+ +

Examples

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Which one of these three is not a symbiotic relationship? Why?

What is the difference between parasitism and a predator/prey relationship?

11

ECOLOGICAL

SUCCESSION NOTES

Directions: Answer the following questions to

increase your understanding of ecological

succession. Pages 94-97 in the textbook can be used

as a resource.

1. Lichen is a symbiotic relationship between two

organisms. What two organisms make up lichen and how does each organism play a role in promoting

succession?

2. Define pioneer species and list an organism that could be described as pioneer

species.

3. How is primary succession different than secondary succession? How are they alike?

4. List as many events as you can that could lead to secondary succession and explain how that

would occur.

5. What is the name given to the generally stable last stage of succession? Discuss the level of

BIODIVERSITY found at this stage of succession compared to the other stages.

6. Based on the information you have gathered, define ecological succession in your own

words.

TERRESTRIAL (LAND) SUCCESSION

AQUATIC (WATER) SUCCESSION

12

EXAMINING THE STAGES IN TERRESTRIAL SUCCESSION

The climax community in this area of New York is a beech-maple forest. This is illustrated

below. Briefly explain what is happening in the diagram as each stage transitions from the

previous stage.

1. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

13

NYS RELATIONSHIPS & BIODIVERSITY LAB STUDY GUIDE

Important Terms

1. Amino Acids

2. Biodiversity

3. Chromatography

4. DNA

5. Enzymes

6. Evolutionary relationship

7. Extinct

8. Gel Electrophoresis

9. Genus species

10. Habitat Degradation

11. Habitat Destruction

12. Human Impact

13. Molecular Evidence

14. Structural Evidence

15. Transcription

16. Translation

Key Points

1. The diversity of life on the planet has been created through the process of evolution by means of

natural selection.

2. Through natural selection, organisms have evolved to lessen competition, and therefore fill a wide

array of niches. This biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystems.

3. Biodiversity has important benefits to mankind, including development of new food sources and

medicines; as well as beneficial, free, ecosystem services. Ecosystem degradation and destruction

lead to the loss of genetic biodiversity and increases the chance that an ecosystem will become less

stable and collapse.

Botana curus Species X Species Y Species Z

Leaf Structure

Vascular Tissue

Seed Structure

Chromatograph

14

FOOD WEB ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

Directions: Answer the questions on the following pages based on the diagram. Label the organisms in

the diagram using the bold words in the questions. Use pages 69-73 in the textbook as a resource.

1. Explain why plants are called producers or autotrophs.

2. What do the arrows represent in the food web?

3. Explain why the snail is considered a primary consumer.

4. Why are primary consumers also known as herbivores?

5. Explain why the hawk is considered a secondary consumer.

6. Why are secondary consumers also known as carnivores?

15

7. Which organisms are the decomposers in the food web?

8. Describe the niche of the decomposers in the food web.

9. Provide examples of two different food chains found within the food web.

10. Label the energy pyramid to the right with the names of organisms that would fit into those

categories.

11. How is energy lost as it travels through a food chain/up the energy pyramid?

12. If toxic chemicals are in the soil, how could it end up influencing the hawk and owl species?

Producers

Primary Consumers

Secondary

Consumers

Tertiary

Consumers

16

STUDENT EXPLORATION: FOOD CHAIN

GIZMO WARM-UP The SIMULATION pane of the Gizmo shows the current population, or number, of

each organism in the food chain.

1. What are the current populations of each organism?

Hawks: _____ Snakes: _____ Rabbits: _____ Grass: _____

2. Select the BAR CHART tab, and click Play ( ). What do you notice about each

population as time goes by?

If populations don’t change very much over time, the ecosystem is in equilibrium.

3. Compare the equilibrium populations of the four organisms. Why do you think populations decrease

at higher levels of the food chain?

PREDATOR-PREY RELATIONSHIPS Click Reset ( ).

Check that the BAR CHART tab is selected.

Question: Predators are animals that hunt other animals, called prey. How do predator and prey

populations affect one another?

1. Observe: Run the Gizmo with several different starting conditions. You can use the + or – buttons to

add or remove organisms, or you can choose Diseased from the dropdown lists.

2. Form hypothesis: How do you think predator and prey populations affect one another?

3. Predict: Based on your hypothesis, predict how changing the rabbit population will affect the other

organisms at first. Write “Increase” or “Decrease” next to each “Prediction” in the table.

Change Grass Snakes Hawks

Doubling rabbit

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

Halving rabbit

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

17

4. Test: Add rabbits until the population is about twice as large as it was (200% of balance). Click

Play, and then Pause ( ) after approximately ONE month. Next to each “Result” line in the

table, write “Increase” or “Decrease.” Click Reset and then halve the rabbit population (50% of

balance). Record the results for this experiment in the table as well.

A. How did doubling the rabbit population affect the grass, snakes, and hawks at first?

B. How did halving the rabbit population affect the grass, snakes, and hawks at first?

Predict: Predict how changing the snake and hawk populations will affect the other organisms within the

first month. In the tables below, write your predictions.

Change Grass Rabbits Hawks

Doubling snake

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

Halving snake

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

Doubling hawk

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

Halving hawk

population

Prediction: Prediction: Prediction:

Result: Result: Result:

5. Test: Click Reset. Try each experiment with the Gizmo. Record each result after one month.

A. How did increasing the snakes affect the grass? Why?

B. How did increasing the hawks affect the rabbits? Why?

6. Draw conclusions: In general, what effect did removing prey have on predators?

What effect did removing predators have on prey?

Extend your thinking: In North America, many top predators, such as wolves, have been driven nearly to

extinction. What effect do you think this has on their main prey, deer? Write your answer below, and/or

discuss with your classmates and teacher.

18

19

Carrying capacity is the number of animals the habitat can support all year long. The carrying

capacity of a certain habitat can vary from year to year. It can be changed by nature or humans. 20

21

EXPLORELEARNING: RABBIT POPULATION

INTRODUCTION A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same

area. The size of a population is determined by many factors. In the Rabbit Population by Season

Gizmo™, you will see how different factors influence how a rabbit population grows and changes. A

female rabbit can give birth to over 40 baby rabbits a year.

ACTIVITY A: CARRYING CAPACITY

Question: What determines how large a population can grow?

1. A limiting factor is any factor that controls the growth of a population. What do you think are some

of the limiting factors for the rabbit population?

2. Run Gizmo: Select the DESCRIPTION tab. Set the Simulation speed to Fast. Select the GRAPH

tab. Click Play, and allow the simulation to run for at least 10 years. (Note: You can use the zoom

controls on the right to see the whole graph.)

A. Describe how the rabbit population changed over the course of 10 years.

B. What pattern did you see repeated every year?

C. How could you explain this pattern?

3. Analyze: The carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that

an environment can support. All environments have carrying capacities.

A. What is this environment’s approximate carrying capacity for rabbits? (Note: Average the

summer and winter carrying capacities.)

B. When did the rabbit population reach carrying capacity? Explain how you know.

ACTIVITY B: DENSITY-DEPENDENT LIMITING FACTORS

Click Reset.

On the SIMULATION pane, make sure Ample is selected for the amount of LAND available.

Background: Population density is the number of individuals in a population per unit of area. Some

limiting factors only affect a population when its density reaches a certain level. These limiting factors

are known as density-dependent limiting factors.

1. What do you think some density-dependent limiting factors might be?

22

2. Predict: Suppose a shopping mall is built near a rabbit warren, leaving less land available for rabbits.

How will this affect the environment’s carrying capacity?

3. Experiment: Use the Gizmo to find the carrying capacity with Ample, Moderate, and Little land.

List the carrying capacities below.

Ample: _________________ Moderate: _________________ Little: _________________

4. Analyze: How did the amount of space available to the rabbits affect how many individuals the

environment could support?

5. Infer: Why do you think limiting a population’s space decreases the carrying capacity?

ACTIVITY C: DENSITY-INDEPENDENT LIMITING FACTORS

Click Reset.

On the SIMULATION pane, select Ample for the amount of LAND available.

Background: Not all limiting factors are related to a population’s density. Density-independent

limiting factors affect a population regardless of its size and density.

1. What do you think some density-independent limiting factors might be?

2. Gather data: Click Play. Allow the population to reach carrying capacity. Click Pause ( ). Select

the GRAPH tab and look at the population graph with “Normal Weather.”

3. Predict: How do you think a period of harsh winters will affect the rabbit population?

4. Investigate: Click Reset. Select Harsh winter from the CONDITIONS listed on the

SIMULATION pane. Click Play, and observe the how the population changes over five years.

A. How does the Harsh Winter graph differ from the Normal Weather graph?

B. What do you think most likely caused the differences seen in the two graphs?

5. Other than unusual weather, what might be another density-independent limiting factor that could

affect the rabbit population?

23

IN THE VALLEY OF THE WOLVES

REINTRODUCTION OF THE WOLVES

When the gray wolf was eradicated from Yellowstone

National Park in the 1920s, more was lost than just the noble

and fascinating predator. The park’s entire ecosystem

changed. Now, nearly a dozen years since the wolves

returned, the recovery of that system to its natural balance is

well underway, say ecologists William Ripple and Robert

Beschta of Oregon State University.

The researchers began studying the interaction of wolves

with other parts of the ecosystem somewhat indirectly.

“Back in 1997, I became aware that the aspen trees in Yellowstone were declining,” Ripple

explains. “There was disagreement and confusion as to why these trees were disappearing, so I

set out with graduate students to unravel this mystery.”

“We went out to the park and we cored the trees and studied the tree rings which show the

annual growth, and we were able to age the trees that are still there,” Ripple says. The tree ring

analysis indicated that the aspen, which usually regenerate themselves by sending off new shoots

rather than by producing seeds, had stopped producing new trees during the first half of the 20th

century.

Ripple and his colleagues looked at several possible variables that could be affecting the trees,

from climate fluctuations to a changing natural forest fire regime. But the only factor that fit,

Ripple says, was the browsing patterns of elk, which like to feed on the seedlings of aspen trees,

and which are also a favored food of gray wolves: “The wolves were killed off from Yellowstone

in the 1920s, which correlated with the start of the aspen decline. That led us to develop the

hypothesis that the wolves were connected in some way to the aspen trees.” That connection,

Ripple concluded, was mediated through elk: “We connected the dots: wolves affect elk; elk

affect aspen; and therefore wolves affect aspen.”

Ripple and his colleagues subsequently discovered other changes. In some areas, willows —

small, scrubby trees that grow in wet areas along stream beds — were starting to grow taller,

because they were escaping predation by elk. In other areas, however, the willows continued to

be heavily grazed upon. The same patchy changes were also seen with cottonwood trees, which

also grow along streams.

“The more I looked at it the more I could see that what is going on may be an ecology of fear,”

Ripple says. “The theory goes like this: the browser — in this case the elk — need to make

behavioral decisions and tradeoffs as to how much time and energy to put into eating food versus

how much time to be staying in safe places.” Those decisions affect where the animals

concentrate their feeding efforts, and therefore the distribution of the vegetation they eat. “What

we started noticing is that the plants were doing better where the terrain might favor the wolf a

little bit more than the elk,” he says. For example, the elk might browse less in areas with poorer

visibility (more dangerous to the elk because they can’t see if wolves are on the scene), or

regions littered with heavy debris (a risk because it becomes an impediment to escape in the

event of an attack).

24

Indeed, Ripple says, “we found that aspen were growing the tallest along streamside areas that

had some downed woody debris or some downed logs nearby.”

Elk behavior and vegetation distribution aren’t the only factors impacted by the return of the

Yellowstone’s wolves. Ripple suspects that the ripples of their recovery are reverberating

throughout the entire ecosystem, in birds, fish, insects, as well as in other plants and animal

species. Beavers, for example, are probably affected, he says. “The park service has been

monitoring beaver since the wolves returned, and found that they have increased in numbers

every year in the northern part of Yellowstone. Before the wolves returned, there really wasn’t

much food for the beaver. But now with this growth of these plants — especially the willow —

the beavers have more food, and they are also using the willows to build their lodges and their

dams, which may be contributing to beaver population increases.”

“We are at the beginning of a grand ecological experiment,” Ripple says. “We were without

wolves for seventy years, and we’ve just had them back in for 11 years, so we’re only just

starting to see changes. It could take many decades for the ecosystem to recover.”

25

HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH GRAPHING ACTIVITY

Directions: The data in the chart below represents the human population. Graph the data on the

graph paper below.

What is the impact of the increase in the human population?

Year A.D. Number of People (in billions)

1650 .50

1750 .70

1850 1.0

1925 2.0

1956 2.5

1966 3.3

1970 3.6

1976 4.0

1980 4.4

1991 5.5

2004 6.4

2008 6.7

2014 7.2

26

CHEMICAL CYCLES

Directions: Fill in the blanks in the 3 cycles then answer the questions on the next page. Pages

74-80 in the textbook can be used as a resource.

27

NITROGEN CYCLE

Questions:

1. Define the following terms:

Transpiration

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Nitrogen fixation

Denitrification

2. Name an imbalance that could occur in one of the chemical cycles.

3. What would cause that imbalance?

4. What would be the long term effect?

5. How could it be fixed?

28

HUMAN IMPACT NOTE SHEET

Directions: Fill in the chart and answer the questions on the following page using pages 143-160 in the textbook.

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION CAUSE EFFECT SOLUTION

DEFORESTATION

ACID RAIN

BIOMAGNIFICATION

INVASIVE SPECIES

OZONE DEPLETION

GLOBAL WARMING

29

HUMAN IMPACT NOTE SHEET

1. Is industrialization positive, negative or neither? Defend you answer with facts from the textbook.

2. What are renewable and non-renewable resources? Provided at least three examples of each.

3. In your opinion what is the most negative consequence of deforestation? Support your answer.

4. Explain how human activities impact biodiversity. Why is this good or bad?

5. In the food chain below each organism will each ten of the organism below them in the food chain.

If there is 1 gram of mercury found in the plant plankton, how much mercury would a person ingest

from eating one tuna? (for reference 1 gram = .0022 pounds)

6. Why are invasive species so successful?

7. What is the best way to deal with an invasive species?

8. What this the problem with exposure to large amounts of UV light?

9. Explain how ozone depletion and global warming are completely different things.

30

THE LORAX

1. Create a mini food web found in the Land of the Lifted Lorax and identify

the producer and primary consumers (herbivore) in this food web. 2. In a drawing (on the back of this sheet), describe the ecosystem of the Land of the Lorax.

Label three biotic factors and two abiotic factors in your drawing. 3. Every population is linked, directly or indirectly, with many others in an ecosystem.

Disruptions in the numbers and types of species and environmental changes can upset ecosystem stability. Explain how a disruption in a population in the Land of the Lifted Lorax disrupted other populations and the stability of this ecosystem.

4. Give an example of a Once-ler activity that depleted a natural resource. 5. State three things the Once-ler could have done after building his Thneed factory to maintain

the initial quality of the environment. 6. List and describe two types of pollution created by the activities of the Once-ler and his

family and explain how these activities were detrimental to the ecosystem of this area.

7. Biodiversity refers to differences between or within species. Biodiversity also ensures the

availability of a rich variety of genetic material that may lead to future agricultural or medical discoveries with significant value to humankind. As diversity is lost, potential sources of these materials may be lost with it. In a paragraph explain how the decrease in biodiversity caused by the removal of the Truffula trees decreased the stability of the ecosystem in this story.

31

LLAANNDD OOFF TTHHEE LLIIFFTTEEDD LLOORRAAXX

32

IN THE NEWS: HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

With rising gas prices and dependence on unsustainable

fossil fuels at a high, there's a desperate need to find

alternative energy sources. And let's be honest, most

energy producers wouldn't be upset to simply find more

sources of fossil fuels, either.

Hydraulic fracturing -- or hydro fracking -- is one

way that we can get at "hidden" reserves of natural gas,

petroleum -- even water. It sounds extremely

complicated, but fracking is a fairly simple process. Way

far underground (we're talking some 7,000 feet/2,133

meters below the surface), rocks like shale can hold

gases, water or oil in their pores. Hydraulic fracking

moves that resource from the pores of the rocks to

production wells.

It's done by creating horizontal "veins" off a vertical well, and then pumping that horizontal well

full of water (plus sand and some chemical additives) at an extremely high pressure. This causes

fissures in the rock that branch off, releasing gas, oil or water into the cracks created. The gases

and oils are forced into the horizontal wells and then flow up to storage tanks with the water that

comes back up.

So it's smooth sailing from there! The world gets to grab some hard-to-reach energy resources

and everybody wins, right? Except, of course, the process is extremely troubled with

environmental and safety concerns. From claims of groundwater contamination to reports of

destroyed land, critics have a growing list of fears when it comes to hydraulic fracking.

Questions:

Define the term hydraulic fracturing.

Identify both pros and cons of hydrofracking.

Predict what might occur if these horizontal veins came in contact with groundwater wells of

nearby towns.

Write one question that you could ask an engineer working on a hydrofracking well.

33

ECOLOGY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

CURRENT SCIENCE ARTICLES

Topic/Description Issue Article Title Page #s

"carbon capture" for power plants and

factories to reduce global warming

"What a Waste"

Oct 2009 Big Catch 10 & 11

species survival; disease v. population

decline; conservation

"What a Waste"

Oct 2009 England has the Blues 12

a botanist who climbs redwoods and

studies the species encountered

"High Life"

Dec 2008 High Life 4 & 5

describes several species who feed on

blood (popular vampire characters)

"Blood Thirst"

Apr 2009 Blood Thirst 4 & 5

harmful effects of pollution on species who

inhabit the Pacific and its coast

"Ear Ache"

Sep 2008 What a Dump 6 & 7

walrus habitats are threatened and their

species is endangered due to hunting

"Ion Flux"

Mar 2009 Tusk, Tusk 4 & 5

Gorilla's in captivity vs. the wild. "Heart Sick"

Oct 2008 Heart Sick 4 & 5

Storing wind energy “Heart Sick”

Oct 2008 The Air Down There 10 & 11

Solar energy “Heart Sick”

Oct 2008 Solar Dish Collects

Cheap Energy

15

Greenhouse Effect "War Torn"

Jan 2008 What Lies Beneath 8 & 9

Fuel Efficient Driving (Hypermiling) "War Torn"

Jan 2008 Hyper Active 10 & 11

cleaning contaminated water “Amazing Race”

Feb 2009 Pur and Simple 6 & 7

Depletion of the underground Water

Supply in Nebraska

"Auto Pilot"

Oct 2009 High and Dry 8 & 9

a homemade box oven can be built that will

help eliminate deforestation.

“Tag Team”

Nov 2009 Box oven Wins Prize 14 & 15

restoration of the Everglades in progress to

preserve species

“Save my Swamp”

Dec 2009 Restoring the

Everglades

6-9

Kenyans raise orphaned elephants and

return them to the wild

“Family Matters”

Jan2010 Family Matters 4 & 5

blobs of organic matter (containing E. coli)

are increasing in the oceans

“Ice Men”

Jan 2010 Blobs Infest Warming

Sea

13

cleanup of nuclear (plutonium) waste site

in Hanford Washington

“Small Wonders”

Feb 2010 Dirty Job 8 & 9

raising chickens in urban environments is

a "Green" idea

“Free Range”

Feb 2010 Free Range 4&5

agricultural runoff (sediment and feces)

leads to "dead zones" that can’t support life

“Free Range”

Feb 2010 Muddy Waters 8&9

Decline of America's songbirds is related to

pesticides and habitat destruction

“Life Saver”

Mar 2010 The Sound of Silence 10-12

34

ECOLOGY ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

INTERNET ENRICHMENT RESOURCES

Title/Description Link

Population Ecology: Impact of

plant seeds

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/population-ecology.html

Impact of Invasive species:

(article)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/impact-invasive-species.html

Explore Madagascar's

Ankarana: Abiotic & biotic

factors

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/madagascar-ankarana.html

Invasive Species Matching

Game

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/invasive-species-game.html

Orchid Gallery: Biodiversity http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/orchid-gallery.html

Amazing Ants: Biodiversity http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/amazing-ants-game.html

Pick the Pollinator: Symbiosis http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/pollination-game.html

Mother of Gardens:

Biodiversity

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/china-plants.html

Capturing Carbon: Where Do

We Put It?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/tech/carbon-sink.html

Your Favorite Smart Animal: (audio)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/favorite-smart-animal.html

Hurricane Katrina: Wetland

Destruction

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/earth/katrina-wetland-

destruction.html

Filming in a Disaster Area: Mt.

St. Helen’s succession

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/hissen-disaster.html

Ingredients for Life: Water http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/evolution/ingredient-life-

water.html

Life in the Abyss: (article) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/life-in-the-abyss.html

Plant vs. Predator: (article) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/plant-vs-predator.html

The Lives of Extremophiles:

(article)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/lives-of-extremophiles.html

Mt St Helens: Back From the

Dead: Ecological succession

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/mt-st-helens.html

What Triggers Ice Ages? (article)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/cause-ice-age.html

35

ECOLOGY STUDYGUIDE

Key Vocabulary

1. ecosystem

2. producer

3. consumer

4. decomposer

5. autotrophic nutrition

6. heterotrophic nutrition

7. ecology

8. energy

9. herbivore

10. carnivore

11. cycling of materials

12. food web

13. energy pyramid

14. carrying capacity

15. recycle

16. bacteria

17. fungi

18. competition

19. population growth

20. limiting factors

21. carrying capacity

22. predator/prey

23. parasite/host

24. scavenger

25. biodiversity

26. pollution

27. deforestation

28. extinction

29. global warming

30. ozone layer

31. fossil fuels

32. industrialization

33. acid rain

Learning outcomes

You should be able to …

identify renewable/nonrenewable resources

diagram and explain cycles of nitrogen, carbon/oxygen and water

discusses how human activities can decrease biodiversity

justify a solution to an environmental problem based on given information

evaluate pros and cons of industrialization

map flow of energy in an ecosystem by making energy pyramids and food webs

explain transfer of energy within an ecosystem

define carrying capacity and limiting factors

compare and contrasts the three forms of symbiosis and other relationships between

organisms

describe the benefits of biodiversity in addition to its cause

interpret a series of diagrams showing terrestrial and aquatic succession

list causes of ecosystem disturbance/instability (Global Warming, etc)

describe the recovery of an altered ecosystem

Essential Questions

How do human activities improve or degrade ecosystems?

Why don't natural populations just keep growing?

Why is biodiversity important?

How does an ecosystem maintain stability?

36

Topic #1

List five typical abiotic factors that could be found in an environment (remember plants are

living organisms).

Put the following terms in order from most complex to least complex and define each term.

Ecosystem, population, biosphere, community, species.

Define and provide an example of each symbiotic relationship:

Mutualism –

Commensalism –

Parasitism –

Topic #2

Define climax community.

Define pioneer organism, include an example.

Sketch a simple diagram of either aquatic or terrestrial succession over time.

Time (years)

37

Topic #3

Complete the chart below

Term Synonym(s) Definition Example

Producer

Primary consumer

Secondary consumer

Match each organism in the food web with a level on the energy pyramid.

Approximately what percentage of the energy from each level is available to the level above it?

What would happen to the food web/energy pyramid if the grasses all died? Why would this

happen?

Topic #4

Define the following terms:

Carrying capacity –

Limiting factors –

How do limiting factors impact the carrying capacity of a population?

38

Topic #5

Draw a diagram of one of the three chemical cycles we discussed in class.

What is nitrogen fixation?

Describe one way humans influence the carbon cycle.

Topic #6

What is global warming? What do most people believe to be the cause of global warming?

What causes ozone depletion? Why is ozone depletion a problem?

What are some of the main reasons for deforestation? Why is deforestation a “double-whammy”

when it comes to global warming?

What is an invasive species? Give an example of one.

Why are invasive species so successful and why are they such a problem?

What is biomagnifications?

Why was DDT bad for bald eagles even if the eagles weren’t eating it themselves?

39