Introductory ActivityComplete the assignment on Biomes prior to

the next classDo Video Activity 4 - Biomes

1.1 The Silence of the Frogs

-Amphibians can be found in most ecosystems around the world. An

ecosystem is a term used to describe the relationships among the many

species living in an environment and the non living components of the environment.

-Biologists have noticed a decline in the number of frogs, toads, and

salamanders in recent years. 30% of North America’s Amphibians are

in trouble.

-Frogs are also part of 2 very different food chains. A food chain is a

step by step sequence linking organisms that feed on each other, starting

at the food source such as plants (producers) and continuing with other

animals and other living things that feed on the plants and each other

(consumers).

-Frogs can be used to diagnose the health of the environment because they live in both an aquatic environment as tadpoles and in forest and grassland environments as adults. This means they are exposed to hazards in both ecosystems, instead of only one.

Adult Frog Food Chain

Grass Grasshopper Frog Ducks Humans

This food chain consists of producers (plants), herbivores (animals thateat plants), and carnivores (animals that feed on other animals). Humansare considered omnivores since they feed on both plants and animals.Other omnivores include raccoons and bears.

Tadpole Food Chain

This food chain consists of detritus(waste from plants and animals,including their dead remains), and decomposers (organisms that break down detritus to get nutrients for their own use ).

Algae Dead Algae Tadpole Water Beetle Fish Humans

Why are frogs disappearing?

Note Figure 4 and figure 5 pg 12 into your Text

•The loss of habitat (places where a species can live) like wetlands, ponds and lakes

•Pollution causes a decline in frogs because frog skin is thin and is not

protected by feathers, fur or scales.Frogs have lungs but they also

breath through their skin,which must be thin to let oxygen through.

Pollutants can also pass through their thin moist skin which causes

many problems for the frogs.

•The fact that frogs are so susceptible to all the above changes makes

the frog a good indicator species because what affects a frog population

will also affect the human population

•Climate change can cause a change in the local ecosystem which

makes it difficult for frogs to live and breed

•Ultraviolet radiation causes sunburn and has been linked to serious

cell damage.

Reasons for Frog Population Decline

Loss of habitat Climate change

UV radiationPoor air quality

Expansion of citiesdrought

Greenhouse effect

Acid rainMan made pollutionThinning ozone layer

Drainage of marshes

Assignment :Do Understanding Concepts 1-4a Pg 13

1.2 Canada’s Endangered Species

Around the Great Lakes in the 1700s and 1800s the bald eagle was very common . By the early 1900s the bald eagle populations began to decline due to 2 main reasons

1) settlers saw the bald eagle as a threat to their livestock even though bald eagles main diet is fish

2) toxic chemical waste produced by industry around the Great Lakes got into the food chain and wound up in the eggshells of the bald eagle. This caused a softening of the shell which could not withstand the pressure of the mother’s body weight as she sat on the egg. The result was many of the eggs broke before the chicks could be born.The health of top level carnivores like eagles indicates whether toxins are entering the ecosystem.

Classifying Species at Risk

There are over 250 species of plants and animals at various degrees of risk in Canada.

ExtinctA species that is no

longer found anywhere

Blue Walleye(the last fish of this species was taken from Lake Erie in 1965)

EndangeredA species that is

close to extinction in all parts of Canada or in a significantly large location

Eastern Cougar(sightings of this large cat are very rare)

ExtirpatedAny species that no

longer exists in one part of Canada, but can be found in others

Grizzly Bear (no longer found in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but still found in the mountains of Alberta and British Columbia)

ThreatenedAny species that is

likely to become endangered if factors that make it vulnerable are not reversed

Wood Bison (their number is small, and recently tuberculosis has become a problem)

VulnerableAny species that is

at risk because of low or declining numbers at the fringe of its range or in some restricted area

Grey Fox ( is beginning to return to southern Ontario, but needs woodlands)

Assignment :1) Do Understanding Concepts 1, 2 pg 15

2) Do the Endangered Species Poster Project

This assignment is an individual assignment

The final presentation can be done in a poster format

1.3 Extinction in the Modern World

In the 1850s flocks of passenger pigeons sometimes estimated at 2 billion were seen as they migrated south for the winter. By 1914 there wasn’t a single passenger pigeon anywhere on the Earth. Massive commercial hunting and the destruction of their habitat were the cause of the passenger pigeon extinction.

Between 8000 B.C. and A.D. 1600 the species extinction rate is estimated at one species every 1000 years. Between 1600 and 1900 the estimate is that one species went extinct every 4 years. Today the extinction rate is one species every 30 minutes.

Causes of extinction are :• Mass Extinction Events like an asteroid hitting the Earth•Climate changes like the ice age•Competition from other species forces organisms to adapt or die•Human Activities like forest clear cutting, building of cities and water diversion

Effects of Extinction•The number of species in an ecosystem is described as the biological diversity or biodiversity of the ecosystem •Because each organism in an ecosystem is connected to all other organisms the reduction of biodiversity caused by the extinction of a single species can cause a “domino effect”. When a species is removed from the food chain it can cause the collapse of the whole food chain.

Kelp Sea Urchins Sea Otters

Kelp Minnows Cod Fish Fishing Industry in BC

How would the extermination of the Sea Otter affect these food chains?

Restoring the Balance

The reintroduction of the Sea Otter to the Pacific Northwest is an example of an attempt to restore a natural balance.

The efforts of wildlife biologists are preventing the whooping crane from becoming extinct. Some young birds are being hand raised but, to prevent the chicks from associating humans with safety, the caregivers disguise themselves as adult cranes.

Allowing or forcing just one species to become extinct could possibly be disastrous, and we would not know the extent of the disaster until much later.

Assignment :- Do Understanding Concepts 1-3a pg 19- Continue working on your Endangered Species Assignment- Learn to play Extinction (2 classes)- Test 1 – Chapter 1 (1.1-1.3 in your text)

1.5 Ecology

To better understand living things scientists must examine organisms within their natural settings. Ecology was first used to describe how organisms interact with each other.

Scientists hope to study how an individual interacts with its environment and how factors in the environment affect its growth, feeding habits, and reproduction

Non living factors or influences on organisms such as amount of sunlight, temperature, and strength and direction of wind are called abiotic. Factors caused by the presence and roles of other living things are called biotic.

Organisms do not live in isolation. Organisms that usually group with others of the same species in the same ecosystem or habitat are referred to as a population. Since there is usually more than one species in an ecosystem, there is also more than one population. The collection of all the populations in an ecosystem or habitat is called the community.

When studying a community an ecologist would study how biotic factors affect each population. For example, an ecologist studying a forest community might study the interactions between different types of plants and animals in the area. The ecologist could also study the same forest community and how much sunlight reaches the forest floor and what affect it has on plants and animals in the ecosystem. This would be a study of the abiotic affects on the forest ecosystem.

Ecosystems rarely have sharp boundaries and organisms can move back and forth from one ecosystem to another. The transition area between ecosystems is called an ecotone which contains species of both ecosystems.

Copy Figure 2 pg 22 into your notes.Use a Venn Diagram

Assignment :

- Do Understanding Concepts 1-6 pg 23- Do 1.8 Case Study : Comparing Ecosystems pg 28 This is a group activity. Present your findings in a Google

Docs Format.

Students should be able to:•Make predictions that are based on prior knowledge•Determine appropriate controls for an investigation•Collect, record, and interpret data from an investigation•Use equipment to measure light intensity and wind speed•Use mathematical formula to calculate the density of weed coverage

Question? How do the buildings humans build affect the environment

•By law, buildings must have minimal impact on the environment•Must consider how the building will affect normal wind patterns•Windows that provide lines of sight may cause birds to hit the building and injure themselves•Lights at night may attract night flying birds and cause their death•Building may be to close to environmentally sensitive area and cause the destruction of a population

1.6 Investigation: A Schoolyard Ecosystem1.5 Activity: A Schoolyard Ecosystem

(OPTIONAL)

1.10 Energy in Ecosystems

The source of all energy for ecosystems is the Sun. Of the energy released from the Sun only about one billionth reaches the Earth.Much of the energy that reaches the Earth is filtered out by our atmosphere.Of the energy that reaches and penetrates to the lower atmosphere :•30 % is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface•70 % warms the surface of the Earth, causing water to evaporate and generating the water cycle and weather.•0.023 % is used by green plants for photosynthesis, the process by which green plants use sunlight energy to produce carbohydrates(sugars)

Albedo is the measurement of the % of light that an object reflects . The higher the albedo, the greater the object’s ability to reflect sunlight.

Assignment :-Do Understanding Concepts1-4 pg 33

1.11 Following Energy Movement in Ecosystems

•We can see how energy flows through an ecosystem by looking at the trophic levels (the way organisms gain their energy).

•Organisms that make their own food from basic nutrients and sunlight are placed in the 1st trophic level. These organisms are producers or autotrophs. Plants, algae and, bacteria would be found at this level.

•The 2nd trophic level contains organisms that feed on producers. These organisms are called primary consumers. Examples would include field mice, insects, and rabbits.

•Secondary consumers are animals in the 3rd trophic level. They rely on primary consumers for their energy, but they are also dependent on the autotrophs in the ecosystem at the 1st level. Wolves, hawks, and owls would be found at this level.

•Consumers at any level can be referred to as heterotrophs. Heterotrophs cannot make their own food and must get their energy from other heterotrophs or autotrophs. Humans are heterotrophs.

1st TROPHIC LEVEL PRODUCERS

2nd TROPHIC LEVEL PRIMARY CONSUMERS

3RD TROPHIC LEVELSECONDARY CONSUMERS

4TH TROPHIC LEVEL TERTIARY CONSUMER

PLANTS

HERBIVORES

CARNIVORES

TOP CARNIVORE

Food chains are a way of showing a step by step sequence of who eats whom in an ecosystem

Spruce Tree Deer Wolf

Producer 1st trophic

level

Primary Consumer2nd trophic

level

SecondaryConsumer3rd trophic

level

The wolf is also a top carnivore (animals not eaten by other animals while they are alive)

Food Webs - in an ecosystem each individual organism is involved in many food chains. They call this interlocking food chain or feeding relationship a food web.

-The most stable ecosystems, those with the greatest biodiversity have very complex and well developed food webs. If one type of organism is reduced or removed from the ecosystem it will only have a small affect on the ecosystems well being.

WolfOwl Hawk

Mice Rabbits

Grass Bacteria

Insects

Human

Deer

Shrubs

Trophic LevelsFood Web NRG Transfer

Limits on Energy Transfer

Every time energy is transferred in an ecosystem some of the energy changes form. Most of the energy at a trophic level is used by the organisms to grow, reproduce and avoid predators. When that organism is eaten by an animal at a higher trophic level only about 10% of the original energy in the lower level is transferred up. This is why an owl must eat several mice in a day to survive.The farther up a food chain you go the less energy is available

The other limitation is that the energy from the Sun flowing through an ecosystem must obey the Laws of Thermodynamics.

1) Although energy can be transformed (changed) from one form to another, it cannot be created or destroyed

2) During energy transformation, some of the energy is changed to an unusable form, usually heat, that cannot be passed on.

Ecological Pyramids can be used to represent energy flow in food chains and food webs. These pyramids help ecologists visualize the relationships in an ecosystem and to compare ecosystems.

Pyramid of Energy- at each trophic level the energy found in the bodies of the organisms is graphed. The larger the volume of the level, the greater the energy at that level

Pyramid of Numbers- represents the number of organisms in total in each trophic level. The larger the volume of the level, the greater number of individual organism at that level.

Pyramid of Biomass

- the dry mass (after water has been removed) of the dry tissue in the plants and animals is measured and graphed.

Assignment :-Do Understanding Concepts 1 – 14 pg 39-Do Pyramid Activity 9 in your Class Activities Section of yourNotebook

1.12 Roles in Ecosystems

Each organism has its own place within an ecosystem. The organism’s place in the food web, its habitat, breeding area, and the time of day it is most active is it’s ecological niche.

Each species in an ecosystem tends to have a different niche, a different role to play. This helps reduce competition between species for the same territory and resources.

When a new species enters an ecosystem, it causes a disturbance because it will come into competition with one or more of the species already in the ecosystem. This new species is known as an exotic species and they can often have devastating results on the ecosystem.

Native to the Caspian and Black Seas, the tiny striped-shelled mussel was discovered in North America in 1988. Marine biologists believe it arrived by transatlantic ship-an undetected stowaway in ballast water that was discharged, mussel larvae and all, into Lake St. Clair, between Lakes Huron and Erie. Since then, the prolific creature has spread rapidly throughout lakes and waterways of the eastern United States and Canada, from the Great Lakes through the Mississippi River drainage. It remains unchecked by predators or parasites.

Zebra mussels are considered an exotic species because they are not native to their habitat

Because they cement themselves to any and all submerged hard surfaces, zebra mussels exact a heavy economic and ecological toll.

The influence of an Exotic Species on an ecological system

A recent invader, the zebra mussel is overwhelming aquatic systems throughout the Great Lakes and Mississippi basins, and could lead to a massive extinction of native freshwater mussels.

CompetitionWhen two or more organisms in the same community seek the same resource (e.g., food, water, nesting space, ground space), which is in limiting supply to the individuals seeking it, they compete with one another.

If the competition is among members of the same species, it is called intraspecific

Competition among individuals of different species is referred to as interspecific competition

Assignment:-Do Understanding Concepts 1-4 pg 44- Do Activity 5 Zebra Mussels

Test 2 – Chapter 1 Ecology1.5, 1.8, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12

Ecology - Unit 2 - Change and Stability in Ecosystems

To maintain life on Earth matter must be recycled

Organic substances always contain atoms of carbon and hydrogen as well as oxygen and nitrogen. Matter that does not contain a combination of carbon and hydrogen atoms is called inorganic.

The focus of this unit is to understand the cycling of organic substances within living things

Decomposers break down complex organic molecules into inorganic matter, which may be used by plants. Plants reassemble these inorganic substances (also called nutrients) to make food for themselves. In turn, animals may eat the plants, continuing the cycle of matter. Copy Figure 3 page 51 into your notes.

2.2 Case Study of Pesticides Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests. A pest is an organism that people consider harmful or inconvenient, such as weeds, insects or rodents.Pesticides can be grouped into 4 different categories:

Type of Pesticide Target ExamplePersistence

Insecticide insects DDT high 2-15 years

Malathion moderate 1-12 wks

 

Herbicide weeds 2,4-D low days to wks

Round Up

 

Fungicide moulds and fungus Captan low days

 

Bactericides Bacteria Penicillin low

Bioamplification – Pesticides that contain chlorine, like DDT, are soluble in fat but not in water. As a result, these toxins cannot be released in urine or sweat, so they accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals. As primary consumers are eaten by secondary consumers and these are in turn eaten by tertiary consumers more and more toxins are consumed. The higher the trophic level the greater the concentration of toxins. This process is referred to as Bioamplification. Note Figure 4 page 54 into your Text.

One of the animals most affected by bioamplification is the Bald Eagle

- Pesticides are used to kill insects (DDT)

- DDT is washed into the lakes as rivers as runoff

- DDT is eaten by small insects and fish

- Larger fish feed on the insects and small fish

-  Bald Eagles feed on the large fish

-  Lifespan of a bald eagle is 25 years which helps increase the amount of toxins consumed

-   Result is that the toxins weaken the egg shell of the bald eagle making them easily broken when the female tries to incubate the eggs.

Fewer eggs survive = fewer bald eagles

2.5 The Carbon Cycle Carbon is the key element for life on EarthCarbon can be found in:-         atmosphere as carbon dioxide-         dissolved in ocean water as carbon dioxide and bicarbonates  Each year 50 to 70 billion tonnes of carbon is recycled by the

process of Photosynthesis.

Plants use light to combine carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water, into more complex organic substances in the process we call photosynthesis:   Some organic carbon is released back into the environment by cellular respiration as carbon dioxide. 

Sugar (glucose) + Oxygen Water + Carbon Dioxide + Energy Because photosynthesis and cellular respiration are complementary processes, and because the carbon they use is repeatedly cycled through both processes, this relationship is often called the Carbon Cycle.

Carbon dioxide + water + light energy sugar (glucose) + oxygen

Reservoirs (pools) of Inorganic Carbon-  Storage areas of carbon not in an organic form- The oceans (dissolved CO2)- Earth’s Crust (limestone, bicarbonate)- The atmosphere ( CO2)- Industry and vehicles(gasoline)- fossil fuels ( oil and natural gas) 

-Reservoirs (pools) of Organic Carbon-The bodies of living things – animals, bacteria + fungi, vegetation-  decomposing material in bogs ( peat moss)- litter and waste

 

Human impact on the Carbon Cycle

human industrialization has increased the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere and at the same time decreasing the reserve of organic carbon as we burn fossil fuels

Do The Carbon Cycle Game Activity 10

Carbon Cycle TerminologyCarbon Cycle Carbon Cycle – Movement of carbon atoms

through the environmentCombustionCombustion – burning carbon based materials

(wood,gas,coal) to do work, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct into the atmosphere

HumificationHumification – changing organic matter that is too complex to breakdown by bacteria and fungi, becomes carbon in the soil

InorganicInorganic – molecules that are not of biological origin (carbon dioxide, bicarbonates)

Carbon Cycle TerminologyOrganicOrganic – molecules that are biological in

origin(wood, leaves, sugars, starches)Organic matterOrganic matter – various molecules and

pieces of dead tissue that are biological in origin

Photosynthesis Photosynthesis – conversion of carbon dioxide into sugars by plants using the sun as a source of energy

RespirationRespiration – conversion of sugars into carbon dioxide to release energy used by organisms

 Life depends on the cycling of nitrogen. Nitrogen atoms are

needed so that animals can make proteins like muscle and also DNA in cells.

 Nitrogen that is moved through the air and soil is called the

nitrogen cycle Nitrogen cycling in the air-         79% of air is nitrogen-         atmospheric nitrogen is unusable by animals-         to be useful it must be turned into nitrates (NO3

-)-         2 methods can change atmospheric nitrogen into useful

nitrates by a process called nitrification1)  nitrogen fixation by lightening2) nitrogen fixation by bacteria in soil

2.6 The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycling in the soil-         Once the nitrogen has been fixed into the soil in

the form of nitrates it is then available to be used by plants (natural fertilizer).

-         Plants convert the nitrates into proteins-         Animals eat the nitrogen rich plants making more

proteins-         Animal either dies and decays or poops releasing

ammonia (NH3) into the soil- Nitrogen fixing bacteria then turn that ammonia

back into useful nitrates by a process called nitrification

Denitrification – at certain stages in the decaying process, denitrifying bacteria can break down nitrates into nitrites (NO2

-), and then nitrites into nitrogen gas which eventually is released back into the atmosphere.

Copy Figure 1 Page 66 into your notes

Do The Nitrogen Cycle Smart BoardDo The Nitrogen Cycle Game Activity 11

2.9 Monitoring Changes in PopulationsHuman population increase has had a major impact on the ecosystem and the cycling of matter in the ecosystem.

Year Population Doubling Time1650                                                     500 million1850                                                  1 billion 200

years 1850                         1 billion

1930 2 billion 80 years

 1930                          2 billion

1975 4 billion 45 years

 1975                         4 billion

2014 8 billion 39 years

Human population is increasing exponentially

-         Natality – Births or number of offspring born in one year

-         Mortality – deaths or the number of individuals of a species that die in one year

-         Immigration – number of individuals of a species moving into and existing population

-         Emigration – number of individuals of a species moving out of and existing population

Changes in population size in a community occur when individuals are added to or removed from a population

Population growth formula

Population growth = (births + immigration) – (deaths + emigrations)

Open populations are populations where all of the above factors are allowed to occur

Closed populations are populations in which only natality and mortality affect their population size

Activity 13 Human Population Growth

2.10 Limits on Population Size The maximum number of offspring that a species could produce ,

if resources are unlimited is called biotic potential

Biotic potential is regulated by 4 factors:

1)      birth potential – maximum # of offspring per birth

2)    capacity for survival – # of offspring that reach reproductive age

3)    procreation - # of times a species reproduces each year

4) length of reproductive life – age of sexual maturity and the number of years the individual can reproduce

Limiting Factors to Population

Abiotic factors:

Biotic factors:

O food

o       predators

o       disease and parasites

o       competition for resources

O    Amount of light

o       Temperature

o       Chemical environment

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that can be supported indefinitely by an ecosystem.

The carrying capacity is determined by:

-         the availability of water-         availability of food

If a species exceeds the carrying capacity of the ecosystem populations will decline.

Limits of Tolerance There are 2 laws that control the survival and reproduction of an organism

2) Law of Tolerance – an organism can survive within (tolerate) a certain range of an abiotic factor. Above or below the limit it cannot survive

1)      Law of Minimum – the nutrient in least supply is the one that limits growth

Density Independent Factors – affect members of a population regardless of population density (i.e. # of animals/area)

1. -         flood2. -         fire3. -         pesticides4. -         change in climate or temperature5. -         loss of habitat6. -         drought

Factors that cause changes in population

Density Dependent Factors – affect a population because of the density of the population

1. -     food shortage

2. - competition for mates

3. -     disease

4. -     introduction of an exotic species

5. -     increased predation

6. - competition for water and other resources

Do Understanding Concepts 1 – 3 Pg 80

Option 1: Do Activity 16 Environmental Action Simulation

Option 2: Do Activity 17 Environmental Issues Project