Module 4.2
Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems
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Concepts |
Performance Expectation |
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Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems - How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems? 4.2 – All
organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for
survival. u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations. |
B10 Describe how animals, directly or indirectly, depend on plants to provide the food and energy they need in order to grow and survive. B11 Describe how natural phenomena and some human activities may cause changes to habitat and their inhabitants. |
GRADE-LEVEL CONCEPT: u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations.
GRADE-LEVEL
EXPECTATIONS:
1.
Living and
nonliving things interact in land and water environments called
ecosystems. Every ecosystem has
certain conditions (“abiotic factors”) and a variety of living things
(“organisms”) that are adapted for survival in those conditions. Abiotic factors include the quality and
amount of air, sunlight, water and soil, as well as the terrain and climate.
2.
Organisms
depend on other organisms and on the nonliving things in an ecosystem to meet
their basic needs for food, water and protection.
3.
Plants use energy from
the sun to produce their own food from air and water. The type of soil, amount of water and temperature range in
an area determine the plants that grow there.
4.
Animals that live in an area
get their energy and nutrients either directly or indirectly from plants that
grow there: herbivores consume only plants, carnivores consume animals, and
omnivores consume both animals and plants. Decomposers consume plant and animal waste and remains,
returning nutrients to the soil where they are used again by plants.
4. Some
of the sun’s energy is transferred from one organism to another when a plant or
animal is consumed by another animal.
A food chain is a simple model that illustrates the passage of energy
from one organism to another. Food
webs are more realistic models that show the varied energy-passing
relationships among plants and animals in an ecosystem.
5.
Environments are always
changing. Some changes occur
naturally (examples include disease outbreaks, violent storms, forest fires
sparked by lightning). Other
changes are caused by human activity (examples include establishing
conservation areas, passing laws to control pollution, clearing forests for
agriculture or construction, applying chemicals to lawns and crops, burning
fossil fuels, etc.).
6.
Changes in an
environment are sometimes beneficial to organisms and sometimes harmful. For
example, a newly created beaver pond provides habitat that attracts frogs and
raccoons to an area; but trees, earthworms and moles are no longer able to
survive in the area.
7.
When environments
change, some organisms can accommodate the change by eating different foods or
finding different shelters (for example, hawks nest on city buildings and
consume pigeons and rats). Those
organisms that can no longer meet their basic needs die or move to new
locations.
KEY
SCIENCE VOCABULARY: ecosystem, organism, abiotic factors, nutrient,
producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, food chain,
food web
Lesson
4.2.1 Organisms
and their Energy Needs
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Concepts |
Performance Expectation |
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Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems - How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems? 4.2 – All
organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for
survival. u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations. |
B10 Describe how animals, directly or indirectly, depend on plants to provide the food and energy they need in order to grow and survive. B11 Describe how natural phenomena and some human activities may cause changes to habitat and their inhabitants. |
Science Materials:
Per Individual
Organism Identification Kit
· Identity Card
· Energy beads - pop beads; number depends on organism
· Nutrient
token – penny; number depends on organism
Per Group
Container labeled “Energy lost to Atmosphere”
Student
Handouts: Sample Food Wed (A)
Vocabulary: ecosystem,
organism, abiotic factors, nutrient, producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore,
omnivore, decomposer, food chain, food web
Inquiry: In this activity, students will explore why organisms are interdependent upon each other by modeling the flow of energy and nutrients within an ecosystem.
Procedures and Directions:
Advance Preparation by Teacher
- The activity will begin and run smoother if each student’s “Organism Identification Kit” is prepared prior to class.
- The kits can be contained in a plastic bag. Each plastic bag would contain an “Organism Identification Card” and the items it lists.
1. Each student should receive an “Organism
Identification Kit.” The kits
should be distributed randomly.
2. Place containers labeled “Energy lost to Atmosphere” in areas of the classroom that are easily accessible to groups of students. If your student’s desks are already in a grouped arrangement then place the container in the middle of the group.
3. Discuss the information on the card.
- Each person is a producer, consumer or decomposer.
- “Stored energy” represents how much energy is presently stored in the tissues of that individual.
- “Stored nutrients” represents the amount of nutrients presently stored in the tissues of that individual.
- “Energy Source” identifies where they can receive more energy from.
4. Give the students the following information: A volcano has erupted releasing tons of ash into the atmosphere. The ash will gradually disperse across the earth’s atmosphere but at this point there are days when the cloud of ash blocks the sun’s rays.
5. Activity Directions:
- Teacher will call a students through each organism type to allow them to attempt to acquire energy (e.g., plants then caterpillars then mice then rabbits etc)
- The student will try to acquire energy by finding an energy source (i.e., another student).
- If a primary consumer finds an energy source then they take 2 beads for the energy source and 1 nutrient unit. One of the beads needs to be forfeited to the containers marked “Energy lost to Atmosphere.” It cost energy to search for energy and to maintain normal life functions.
- If a secondary or tertiary consumer finds an energy source then they take all the beads and nutrients from their prey. Half of the energy beads need to be forfeited to the containers marked “Energy lost to Atmosphere.” It cost energy to search for energy and to maintain normal life functions.
- If they do not find an energy source then they most forfeit a bead to the containers marked “Energy lost to Atmosphere.” It cost energy to search for energy and to maintain normal life functions.
6. Note to teacher:
- The teacher will flip a coin to determine whether a producer is experiencing a day when the sun’s energy can penetrate the ash cloud.
- Producer must also acquire nutrients. They can acquire nutrients from decomposers on turns when they can also acquire energy from the sun.
- Decomposers cannot obtain energy until another organism dies.
- Organisms die when they no longer have stored energy.
7. The teacher continues calling student’s names until the community crashes.
Questions to Guide Student Inquiry:
- Which type of organism do all other organism ultimately depend on for energy? Why?
Producers because unlike consumers and decomposers they can acquire energy from an inorganic source, the sun.
- Is there another organism that if was absent from the community would cause the community to crash?
If decomposers were absent then nutrients would not recycle. Although energy would be available from the sun for producers they would not be able to conduct life functions without the nutrients.
- Why did the producers start out with more energy and nutrients then consumers or decomposers?
Think of a tree and how long it lives and how large they get over their lifetime.
- Explain how the movement of energy and nutrients differ in the ecosystem.
Nutrients can be recycled but energy cannot. It is eventually lost to the atmosphere as heat. Heat is not a usable energy source for organisms.
- Would the cost of acquiring energy always be the same?
The cost is dependent on the population size of the energy source. If the energy source is common then less energy is needed to acquire it. Towards the end of the activity the population sizes decrease so the amount of energy needed to acquire energy is greater.
- What happens to productivity (energy production by producers) in areas like New England during winter season?
Productivity decreases because trees drop their leaves.
- Since the trees are still alive during the winter and need to continue life function where are they getting energy from to live?
They are relying on energy they have stored during spring, summer and part of the fall.
Science Concepts:
Consumers and decomposers rely on
producers to acquire energy from an inorganic source, the sun. Once the energy is acquired by
producers it flows in a one-way direction through the ecosystem as a result of
the feeding activity of consumers and decomposers. Eventually this energy will be lost to the atmosphere. Unlike energy, nutrients are not
readily lost from an ecosystem.
They can be recycled.
Extensions:
- Have the students draw the food web used in the activity.
- Have the students research how organisms change their diets as the seasons change.
- What options does a predator (e.g., the hawk) have as prey densities decrease in an area.
- Why doesn’t a tree, like a maple, retain it’s leaves during the winter? If there is still a sun then there must be some reason not to retain its leaves.
“Organisms and their Energy Needs” by James Ayers, University of New Haven, jayers@newhaven.edu
Background for the Teacher:
A group of organisms that interact with and depend upon one another is called a community. The community represents the biotic component of an ecosystem. An ecosystem contains both this biotic component and an abiotic component, the physical and chemical environment. Ecosystems are grouped according to dominant plant species or salinity into biomes.
The movement of matter and energy through a community can be studied by examining its food web. As organisms eat other organisms, energy and nutrients pass through various feeding levels. These feeding levels are called trophic levels.
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Three major types of organisms can be found living
in an ecosystem: producers, consumers, and decomposers. Producers create
their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Consumers must hunt or
forage for the nutrients they need to survive. Decomposers obtain nutrients
by breaking down parts of organisms into simple forms; for example, mushrooms
feed off plant tissues on tree bark, and bacteria on a forest floor feed off
the leaf tissue of fallen leaves, causing them to decay. |
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There are three types of consumers: herbivores,
carnivores, and omnivores. Herbivores are animals that eat only plant
material, such as the caterpillar. Carnivores eat animals; for example,
forest ants eat other insects. And omnivores eat both plant material and
animal flesh along with decomposers like mushrooms. |
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Food webs are diagrams that show how organisms living
in an ecosystem depend on one another to obtain the nutrients and energy they
need to live. A food chain is a smaller, less complicated diagram that
examines one piece of the food web to show how specific organisms obtain
their energy from other organisms. Food chains show a single line of energy
transfer. An example of a food chain would be maple
tree—caterpillar—mouse—owl (the caterpillar eats the leaves
from the tree, the mouse eats the caterpillar, and the owl eats the mouse). |
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Lesson
4.2.2 In
the Beginning
|
Concepts |
Performance Expectation |
|
Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems - How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems? 4.2 – All
organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for
survival. u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations. |
B10 Describe how animals, directly or indirectly, depend on plants to provide the food and energy they need in order to grow and survive. |
Science Materials:
Package toothpicks (thicker round type)
Per group:
20-30 lima beans (Beans purchased from a grocery store can be used for the dissection but they will not grow because they have been irradiated. The beans that will be planted need to be purchased from a garden center or seed catalog (e.g., Park Seeds)
three 3-5oz Dixie cups
magnifying glass
Plastic
party bowl
Student
Handouts: Bean Growth Diagram (A)
Vocabulary: organism, abiotic factors, nutrient, producer
Inquiry: In this inquiry, students will explore the life cycle of a plant.
Procedures and Directions:
Advance
Preparation by Teacher
The teacher should soak 4-5 beans per group in lukewarm water 30 min. prior to the start of the lesson for dissection use later in lab.
1. Students will determine how many lima beans they can get to fit into a Dixie cup. The beans cannot be damaged or go higher then the rim of the cup.
2. Each group should share the maximum number of beans that got to fit into the Dixie cup and other groups should record these numbers.
3. Students calculate the class average of beans that fit in the Dixie cups.
Remind them that they concluded at the start of the lesson that an organism requires energy and nutrients to live.
4. Students decide on method to observe whether beans take-in water.
Example:
· Have the students take half the seeds from their cup and put them in the second Dixie cup. Both cups should be filled to the rim with water.
· Soak seeds for a minimum of 20-30 minutes in lukewarm water. If time is available then have the students begin the experiment in the morning and check on the seeds throughout the day with the final measurements occurring at the end of the school day.
If graduated cylinders are available then the students can measure the change in the volume of water in the bowl. They can start with 100ml and then measure how much water was taken in by the seeds by measuring how much of the 100ml remains in the bowl after soaking the seeds.
· Have repeat steps 1-3 with their soaked beans and a dry Dixie cup.
5. Students dissect a soaked lima bean to seek evidence of an embryo using a bean that the teacher started soaking prior to the start of class, a toothpick and a magnifying glass. Have them begin by comparing and contrasting a dry bean versus a soaked bean and then they can begin their dissection.
6. Have the students draw a diagram of the seed with labels.
7. Students will plant 4 soaked lima beans in a plastic bowl. Soil should remain moist but not wet. Soil that is too wet will kill the beans and encourage fungus growth.
8. Plant the beans in the top/bottom orientation shown in Handout A. Angle the top of the beans off in the four direction of a compass (N – E – S – W).
9. Have students make predictions about the growth of these bean plants, whether growth patterns will be the same or different within the bowl. Why?
10. Over the next 2-3 weeks they should make observations on their plants and maintain the soil so that it stays slightly damp and does not dry out.
Questions to Guide Student Inquiry:
- What is the source of the energy required by organisms?
- Do organisms have requirements other than energy to conduct life functions?
- Is the lima bean before them living?” “Does it share any characteristics of something we agree is living, like ourselves?
- Does the lima bean have energy and nutrients?
You can read the nutrition information from the package.
- So the bean has everything it needs to complete its life?
No. The students should reply that it also needs water.
When this lesson concludes in 2-3 weeks, the students will have completed the other lessons in this Ecology Unit and should see that they relate to each other. Students will write a report to assess whether the students understand the material and have united the individual lessons into a unifying concept. Discuss with the students all they have learned over the last weeks (see below). Tell them you want them to express all they have learned in a format of their own choice (e.g., report, story, poster, poem, etc.). Whatever their choice of format, they should have both written and visual elements (e.g., illustration of plant growth, graph of change in size of beans, etc)
- They have followed the cyclic nature of nutrients as they move through an ecosystem.
- They know that energy cannot be recycled and flows through the ecosystem in a one-way direction.
- They have learned that the ultimate source of all energy is the sun.
- They have learned producers can acquire energy from the sun.
- They have learned consumers and decomposers acquire energy from other living or dead organism.
- They have learned that, along with energy and nutrients, water is required to conduct life functions.
- They have learned that a seed is living and most rely on stored energy during its initial growth.
- They learned that the nutrients in the soil come from the activity of decomposers and these nutrients move into the plant from the soil with water.
- They have learned that the environment can have major influence on a developing organism.
Science Concepts:
A plant seed contains an embryo
which is living. It is triggered
from a sort of hibernation by a specific amount of water entering its
shell. Because embryos begin
growth in the dark (buried inside a seed coat) they need stored food. Cotyledons are energy storage
sites. The initial stages of
growth rely on this stored energy.
Once it breaks through the soil’s surface it can rely on the sun as an
energy source.
“Organisms and their Energy Needs” by James Ayers, University of New Haven, jayers@newhaven.edu
Background for the Teacher:
Characteristics of Life:
- Uses energy (metabolism)
- Reproduces
- Made of cells
- Shows organization
- Growth
- Regulates its internal life functions (homeostasis)
A Google image search of “lima bean embryo” will provide you with a reference for dissection.
Best orientation of bean in soil
Lesson 4.2.3 Metamorphosis:
A Time of Change
|
Concepts |
Performance Expectation |
|
Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems - How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems? 4.2 – All
organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for
survival. u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations. |
B11 Describe how natural phenomena and some human activities may cause changes to habitat and their
inhabitants. |
Science Materials:
Per
lab group:
· (4)
Magic Grow® capsules
· Warm/hot
water
· Vinegar
· Bleach
· Cooking
oil
· Plastic
spoon
· (4)
200ml beakers or container of similar size
· (2) 4” x 4” squares of plastic wrap
· (2) rubber bands
Student Handouts: Data
Tables (A & B), Worksheet (C)
Vocabulary: metamorphosis
Inquiry: In
this inquiry, students will explore how events during metamorphosis can
potentially affect survival as adult frogs in the real world. Students will be able to develop ideas
for reducing sources of frog malformations in their community.
Procedures and Directions:
Advance Preparation by Teacher:
To save time and to prevent spills, the teacher should pour chemicals into the beakers before class starts.
· Pour
~2 in. of liquid into each beaker (warm/hot water, vinegar, bleach, and
vegetable oil).
· Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bleach and vinegar beakers, secure with a rubber band. This will prevent fumes from building up in the lab area.
· Bleach
is a good choice because it also causes discoloration. If you are not comfortable with bleach
container at each group, then you can set one container up at the front of the
class to allow for class observations.
- Give a brief explanation of the activity to the students and asked them to write predictions/hypotheses about will happen in each of the liquids and why they think this will happen?
You are looking for very general responses (e.g., I think the bleach will be different then the water because I know it is bad for me to drink)
- Obtain
four capsules from your teacher.
These capsules represent tadpoles waiting to go through
metamorphosis.
-
The water should be referred to as your control. Metamorphosis will
proceed naturally in the water beaker.
- Make
sure your beakers are labeled with: Bleach, Water, Vinegar, and Oil.
- CAUTION:
·
Make sure
there is plastic wrap over the bleach and vinegar containers to prevent fumes
in the lab area.
·
DO NOT
breathe the fumes of these liquids directly
·
Be careful
handling the water since it is HOT!
- Record
your Start Time on the data sheet.
- Drop-in
one capsule per container.
-
Swirl the beakers at will to make sure the capsules don’t
stick to the sides
of the beakers. Do NOT put your
fingers in the liquids.
- Watch for signs of metamorphosis
- Write these changes on your data table.
- Record your observations at two minute intervals, in the table.
· when it starts opening
· when it’s done opening
· color changes
· bubbling, etc.
- Record
your observations at two minute intervals on Handout A and B..
- After 30 min., use the spoon to remove all capsules/frogs.
- Once their data sheets are complete, have each student complete Handout C.
It is important for each student to do this separately so that they each have the chance to express themselves.
Questions to Guide Student Inquiry:
- Which
capsule is the control capsule?
- Which
capsule do you think will open first? Why?
- Do
you think all of your capsules open?
If not, which will not open?
- Did you think any capsules change color?
- Do
you think that a color change means something is good or bad for the frog?
- What
if a capsule completed the metamorphosis very quickly once it started
opening. Do you think this
would affect the adult frog in real life? How?
- If a
capsule does not open at all then how would this affect frog populations in
a real pond?
- Can
you think of ways to reduce this problem from continuing in the real
world?
Science Concepts:
As an organism develops it can be
influenced by its environment.
Environments tend to change over time. Some environmental changes occur naturally while some
changes are caused by human activity.
Development in organisms is regulated and needs to proceed within a
restricted framework. Alterations
to this optimal framework may affect an organism’s ability to survive.
Extensions:
1.
Acid rain topics regarding frog malformations would work
nicely in a chemistry setting, discussing pH.
2.
List 3 things you can do to reduce aquatic pollution.
3.
Take a field trip to a local water resource (pond, stream,
lake, or wetland). Identify what,
if any, kinds of aquatic pollutants are present.
4.
Discuss
point source pollution and non-point source pollution.
5.
Attain information about current national and state laws
protecting water quality in the U.S. Make a timeline of the U.S. Clean Water
Act.
This lesson was adapted from “What Effects Anuran
Metamorphosis” by Brooke Talley and Doris Raven at Spice. http://spice.ees.ufl.edu/Amphibian%20Malformations/Lesson%204.doc
Last accessed
July 24, 2007.
Background for the Teacher:
The three distinct life stages of amphibians include the (1)
egg, (2) larvae, and (3) adult. In Anurans (frogs and toads) the larval stage
is called a tadpole. A tadpole
transforms into an adult in a process known as metamorphosis. This process is one of the most
spectacular and important events in the life cycle of anurans. When the anurans hatch into a tadpole
their development into an adult may be very rapid or slow, depending on the
species. This development rate has
also been found to depend on environmental factors.
In nature, tadpole metamorphosis may be sped up when
breeding areas become overcrowded or begin to dry up. However, human activities probably cause environmental cues
that slow, speed up, or cause more negative effects on metamorphosis. For example, water pollutants disrupt
the normal chemistry involved in tadpole development. These disruptions cause abnormal limb development, sexual
organ development, etc. For
example, hind limb deformities of frogs were found in agricultural areas of
Ontario, Canada. Insecticides,
herbicides, and fungicides are chemicals associated with agriculture. When human activities like agriculture,
forestry, and urbanization are present near anuran populations there is a
chance that malformations may occur.
Environmental pollution has been linked to amphibian
population declines as well as individual malformations. Amphibians may be sensitive biological
indicators because their permeable skin absorbs toxins in the environment. In this lab, assume that the frogs are
sensitive indicators of pollution.
Pesticides, high concentrations of heavy metals, and toxins from mining,
logging, and urbanization are all examples of pollutants that affect
amphibians. These effects include
death and malformation.
Malformations are a result of an error that occurred early in development. Therefore, some malformations may come from natural developmental fluctuations in nature. Emphasize the natural occurrence of malformations to students learning this topic. Some scientists hesitate to say that malformations can serve as signals of ecosystem disturbance. They argue that these signals may not be indicative of how these disturbances will affect other organisms in the same ecosystem.
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Complete this data table with your observations;
be specific. |
Start Time:_________
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10 min. |
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8 min. |
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6 min. |
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4 min. |
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2 min. |
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0 min. |
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Type of Liquid |
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Handout A
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Complete
this data table with your observations; be specific. |
Start
Time:_________
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20 min. |
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18 min. |
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16 min. |
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14 min. |
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12 min. |
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10 min. |
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Type of
Liquid |
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Handout B
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Complete
this data table with your observations; be specific. |
Start
Time:_________
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30 min. |
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28 min. |
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26 min. |
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24 min. |
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22 min. |
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20 min. |
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Type of
Liquid |
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Handout C
Student Name: Date:
(1)
Which capsule was the control capsule?
(2)
Which capsule opened first?
(3)
Did all of your capsules open? If not, which did not open?
(4)
Did you see any capsules change color? Which changed? How did it change? Do
you think that a color change means something is good or bad for the frog?
(5)
What if a capsule completed the metamorphosis very quickly
once it started opening. Do you
think this would affect the adult frog in real life? How? ?
Think about what would happen to a recipe that wasn’t cooking long
enough in the oven. Did any of
your capsules open very quickly?
(6)
If a capsule does not open at all then how would this affect
frog populations in a real pond?
(7)
Can you think of ways to reduce this problem from continuing
in the real world?
Lesson
4.2.4 An
Island Home*
|
Concepts |
Performance Expectation |
|
Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems - How do matter and energy flow through ecosystems? 4.2 – All
organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for
survival. u When the
environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, and others die or
move to new locations. |
B11 Describe how natural phenomena and some human activities may cause changes to habitat and their inhabitants. |
Science Materials:
Per Group
· Large physical map of the world
· Drawing paper
· Colored
pencils
Student
Handouts: Data Sheets
Vocabulary: ecosystem, organism, abiotic factors, nutrient,
producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, food chain,
food web
Inquiry: In this inquiry, students will explore the potential
effect people can have on their natural environment, through a simulation
activity.
Procedures and Directions:
For Teacher:
In this simulation activity, the students will act as owners
and developers of a lush, 14-square kilometer tropical island. Groups of
students will select the forms and extent of development on their island by
considering the benefits of the development and the risks their actions pose
for the island and the planet.
The activity is best scheduled over 2 or 3 days,
depending on the level of sophistication in student planning and the extent to
which each team will report to the entire class upon completion of the project.
- Recite
the following to get the students attention:
"Suddenly from
behind the rim of the Moon . . . there emerges a sparkling blue and white
jewel, a light, delicate sky-blue sphere laced with slowly swirling veils of
white, rising like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery. It takes more
than a moment to fully realize this is Earth . . . home." - Edgar
Mitchell, astronaut, USA, 1971
- Say this to the class:
Congratulations.
You have just been awarded ownership of a tropical island in recognition of
your concern for the environment and your wisdom in management. As owners of
this island, you have some responsibilities.
First,
it is important to create jobs for your fellow citizens. There is a native
population living in thatch-roofed huts and subsisting on fish, fruit, and
nuts. Second, you must develop your island as a model environment for business
and for natural habitats.
The
island is covered by virgin rain forest and is surrounded by well-developed
coral reefs. Both of these types of ecological systems are in danger all over
the world. The island is in your care. Consider your actions carefully.
- As a
class, brainstorm the possible range of businesses that could be developed
on a tropical island. A few suggestions to get the class thinking:
- Scuba
diving resort
- Timber
company
- Pharmaceutical
research station
- Golf
resort
- Naval
base
- These
and other suggestions can be written on the board for students to select
a topic of interest.
- Discuss
the ways the outcomes of this project could be presented. Use the list
below for possibilities:
- A
scale map of the island using graph paper
- A
physical map of the island using white drawing paper
- A
brochure, with a map, advertising the company and island
- A
group report about the island and its efforts to protect the environment.
- Form
interest groups of three to five students. Provide resources from the
internet or from your school library for deliberating what business
opportunities these environments offer and potential solutions to counter
the risks presented by their development plans.
“What is a Tropical Rainforest?”
Rainforest Action Network
http://ran.org/fileadmin/materials/education/factsheets/RAN_WhatIsARainforest.pdf
“Coral Reefs: A Fact Sheet” Center
for Marine Conservation
http://www.usm.edu/aquarium/old/coralreef/01.pdf
Questions to Guide Student Inquiry:
- Are rain forest and coral reefs important to the
world?
- Are
there benefits to rain forest or coral reef destruction?
- What
are the immediate and long-term costs to rain forest or coral reef
destruction? Who pays?
- What business opportunities do either of these environments offer to you?
- What risks are associated with your development plans?
- What specific solutions can you propose to
counter the risks presented by their development plans?
Science Concepts:
Organisms have requirements for
survival. An organism’s presence
in a particular ecosystem is dependent on the availability of those
requirements in the environment.
Environments change and whether an organism can remain in the ecosystem
depends on the extent of the changes.
Some environmental changes occur naturally while some changes are caused
by human activity.
Extensions:
- This
exercise can be done using other environments including wetlands, deserts,
polar regions, etc. Adjust the text of the story and the project
requirements accordingly.
- Ask
teams of students what components would be necessary to create a habitable
environment on another planet. What unique equipment and risks would have
to be considered for such a project? For example, what would it take to
transform an area on the planet Mars to make it acceptable for human
habitation? (Mars has no ocean and four times the land area of the Earth.)
- Groups of students can create a model of their
island.
*Global Change: Earth as Home Lesson – An Island Home” at USGS:
The Learning Web.
http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/textonly/teachers/globalchange_earth.htm
Last accessed July 25, 2007.
|
Risks and Solutions of Your Development Plan |
||
|
Considerations |
Risks |
Solutions |
|
Clearing of land |
Loss of habitats |
. |
|
Extinction of species |
. |
|
|
Buildings |
Need for natural
resources for building materials from other areas |
. |
|
Water supplies |
More needed |
. |
|
Loss of quality |
. |
|
|
Electricity |
Need for power plants:
coal, oil, or nuclear |
. |
|
Pollution from the
burning of fossil fuels |
. |
|
|
Marine life |
Overfishing |
. |
|
Damage by people and
boats |
. |
|
|
Death of coral, changing
food sources and modifying water flow patterns |
. |
|
|
Automobile traffic |
Air pollution |
|
|
Noise |
|
|
|
Road requirements |
|
|
|
Solid and liquid waste
disposal |
Pollution |
. |
|
Shore and land plants
and animals |
Destruction of beaches
and dunes |
. |
|
Extinction of plant and
animal species |
. |
|
Application
Problems
Module
4.2 Ecosystems
These assessment items are intended to provide closure for each lesson and help teachers determine how well the students understand the science concepts. The assessments are also intended to provide students additional practice with the lesson content. Teachers should use the assessment items as they deem appropriate. For example, teachers may wish to assign them for homework, assign them as an additional class activity or “quiz” at the end of a lesson, or ask students to answer them individually as they leave the class (as “exit passes”). Teachers may wish to use the problems as a closing class activity, asking students to solve the problem in groups and then share their answers in a whole group closing activity.
- The circle below represents an ecosystem with four organisms.
- Explain how these four organisms make up a food chain.
- Explain how the food web explains the relationship between organisms in an ecosystem
- The science class is studying pond life. Students looked at some pond water under a microscope.
- Name two organisms that the students might expect to see under the high power of a microscope.
- Explain why these two organisms live together in the pond.
- In the back of the school is a wooded area with oak and chestnut trees. Based on your knowledge of ecosystems, explain why you might expect to find many squirrels in this wooded area. Use at least two scientific terms in your response.
- Mushrooms make the soil rich in nutrients by feeding on dead plant material; the mushrooms cause the plant life to decay.
Mushrooms are:
a) primary consumers
b) producers
c) secondary consumers
d) decomposers
6. Explain why plants need light to grow.
7. Which animals are herbivores?
a) cat
b) dog
c) rabbit
d) lion