UNITS 1+2: ECOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC THINKING

Day 1:Ecosystems Bell Ringer

Write down these words with a blank line between them. Try

to get their meaning from a video we are about to watch.

Ecosystem Biotic Species Population Community

Click here for the video. If the video goes too fast, dont

worry . . . well go back over it.

Day 1:

Ecosystems

What is an ecosytem?
A community interacting with its environment

What are some examples of ecosystems?

Pond, lake, desert, forest, grassland, etc.

Day 1:

Ecosystems
:

Other vocab words from the video

(write them ONLY if you left them blank during the video)

Biotic: living

Species: group of organisms that share similar

traits and can reproduce with each other

Population: members of a species that live in the

same place
Community: all the living organisms in an area

Day 1:

Ecosystems

What is a biome?
A group of ecosystems with similar climate, and

similar plant and animal species

Day 1:
biomes?
Tundra Taiga

Ecosystems

What are some examples of different

Tropical Rainforest Grassland Desert Deciduous Forest

Have extra time? Try this Video or this site

for more exploration!

Day 1: Ecosystems
Now, in pairs or groups, try the Levels of Organization Card Sort Do this: After your teacher has checked your card sort, write the levels of organization down in your notes from smallest to largest

Levels of Organization in Ecology

atom molecule organelle cell tissue organ organ system organism population community Ecosystem Biome

Wikimedia Commons free use from NASA

Day 2:

Bell Ringer

Populations vs. Communities : Describe

the difference between population and a community. (You can use yesterdays notes)
A biological population is a group of

organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time, while a biological community is made of interacting populations (different types of species) in the same area.

Day 2: Symbiotic Relationships

Your teacher will lead you in an activity to

explore symbiotic relationships.

Day 2: Symbiotic Relationships

What is symbiosis?
An ecological interaction between organisms

What are the symbiotic relationships

between organisms in an ecosystem?

Predation

Parasitism
Commensalism Mutualism

Day 2:
ex:

Symbiotic Relationships

Predation: one organism preys on another

Parasitism: one benefits while the other is

harmed ex:

Day 2: Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism: one benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped

ex:

Mutualism: both organisms benefit

ex:

Day 3:

Ecosystems

Get your notebook and copy of the

Ecosystems Outline.

Bell ringer: Go back to day 1 notes. Re-

write the definition for the word biotic. If you have time, write what you think abiotic means.
Youll need the handout Ecosystems

Outline for todays notes.

Day 3:

Ecosystems

Now, were going to do an activity to practice our knowledge of biotic and abiotic factors. (Card Sort)

Day 3:

Ecosystems Outline

There are some terms in ecology that it is important to understand. They are outlined on your worksheet titled

Ecosystems Outline. For the following slides, we will write down a summary of each slide.

Limiting Factors
Do populations often grow exponentially?
What are limiting factors?
Limiting factors are any factors (things) that affect

an organisms ability to survive in its environment. These factors affect population growth.

Examples?
availability of food and water, predators,

temperature, space/shelter, and disease

Density-Dependent Factors
What are density-dependent factors?
Factors that depend upon the size of the

population. These factors will have an increasing effect as the population size increases.

Examples?
availability of food and water, competition,

predators, and disease

Competition
What is competition?
Competition is one of the many symbiotic

relationships occurring in nature. Members of species compete for resources, especially for limited natural resources.

Examples?
trees that grow very close together vie for sunlight

and soil nutrients, lions and tigers that vie for similar prey, and a farm of rice paddies with weeds growing in the field

Competition
What happens to competition between individuals as population size increases?
Competition will also increase.

If the demand for resources exceeds the supply,

then the population size will eventually decrease.

Density-Independent Factors
What are density-independent factors?
Factors that are not dependent upon the size of

the population and can affect any population.

Examples?
temperature, weather (storms, floods, drought),

and habitat disruption by humans

Carrying Capacity

Cephas Wikimedia Commons free use

Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of individuals that an environment can support. Why is knowing carrying capacity important to ecologists?

Day 3:

Exit Ticket

Correct any answers or missing concepts on your Ecosystems Outline, and you will turn it in on your way out the door.

Day 4: Ecology Mini-Project

We will go to the pond to investigate one of several ecosystems.

Day 5: Ecosystems and Energy Flow

Bell Ringer: In your spiral or on a lined sheet

of paper. Write down everything youve eaten for the past 24 hours.
Why do we eat food?
Organisms eat food to obtain energy

Where does the food that we eat get its

energy?
Ultimately, all energy comes from the sun.

Day 5:

Energy Flow

Activity: Energy Flow

On the same paper that you did your warm up,

pick a meat item that you have eaten in the past 24 hours. (*If you havent eaten a meat item, pick a dairy item, or pick a cheeseburger) Trace the flow of energy from the Sun to the item you ate to you.
Example: Chicken fajitas: Sun Grain Chicken Me

Day 5:

Energy Flow

What do we call this kind of representation of energy flow?

A food chain

What does a food chain show?

Graphically shows the flow/transfer of energy

from one organism to another

Day 5:

Energy Flow
The arrow points to the MOUTH.

What does this graphic represent?

Food web = many interconnecting food chains;

How is a food web different from a food chain?

food webs represent that most organisms eat more than

one type of thing.

Day 6:

Trophic Levels

* Bell Ringer: Complete the independent assignment Is it True?

Day 6:

Trophic Levels

Ecologists assign every organism in an

ecosystem a feeding level or trophic level (from the Greek trophos, nourishment)
Heterotroph gets energy by eating other organisms

Autotrophs makes its own food

Trophic Levels Vocab

Producers belong to the first trophic level (autotrophs) Primary Consumers belong to the second trophic level (eat

producers) Secondary Consumers belong to the third trophic level (eat other consumers)

Day 6:

Energy Flow

Reminders . . .
(Copy if needed for your reference)
Meat only = Carnivore Plants only = Herbivore Both meat and plants = Omnivore Dead tissue = Detrivore (aka Decomposers)

Tomorrow . . .
Tomorrow we will be breaking out of our

homeroom biology classes and moving into different, larger groups. For the next three class days you will do a different lab activity in a different classroom.

Check in here each day before you migrate

over to the lab areas.