Unit 3 Powerpoints

An Introduction to Ecology and Ecosystems - 10/28
Niches: Roles in Ecosystems - 10/29
Investigating Primary Productivity: Part 1 - 11/12
Nitrogen Cycle - 11/20
Phosphorus Cycle - 11/22
Ecological Succession - 11/27
Invasive Species - 12/2

10/31/13

At this point, your written documents should be submitted. If this is not the case, then please rectify that ASAP. For tomorrow, you should prepare for your presentations and look over your notes from this week.

Sample Handout

Name:  _______________________________ Unit 3 – Project 1: Part 2

Date:  ________________________________

         

Polar Ice Cap Biome

Where are they found?

What is the climate of the polar ice cap?

What factors determine its climate?

Arctic Food Web

Discussion Question and Answer

Polar ice cap – An increase in the greenhouse effect has worked to raise average temperatures worldwide. How might an increase in average temperature affect producers and consumers at the polar ice caps? Be specific whenever possible.

Ocean temperatures are increasing all around the world by an average 0.1 degrees Celsius as a result of global warming. This change may seem insignificant, but it has ramifications that are felt by producers and consumers alike. For example, producers such as phytoplankton are sensitive to changes in water temperature (and as a result, dissolved oxygen content). In the Bering Sea (located between Alaska and Russia), phytoplankton populations have been hurt by increases in water temperature. Consequently, the organisms that feed upon them, such as copepods and humpback whales have suffered. A decrease in food supply continues up the food chain, affecting other secondary and third-level consumers, such as seals, fish, polar bears and orcas.

Rising temperatures have also produced other problems for consumers living near the polar ice caps. The ice that makes up the polar caps has been melting at an increasing rate with less replenishment as a result of the higher temperatures. This means the habitats and hunting areas of predators such as polar bears and seals are being reduced in size. If hunting continues to become more and more difficult then it is expected that the populations of these animals will continue to drop, possibly to extinction.

Notes

Bibliography

Climate change: the effects on ocean animals. New England Aquarium Home. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://www.neaq.org/conservation_and_research/climate_change/      effects_on_ocean_animals.php

Polar Icecaps Biome. (2011). Untamed Science. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://www.untamedscience.com/biology/world-biomes/polar-icecaps-biome

Nixon, D. Ecology: Trophic levels. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/teaching/bio/ecology/ecology15.html.

Sea Temperature Rise -- National Geographic. (n.d.). The Ocean -- National Geographic. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-temperature-rise/

10/30/13

Tonight's homework is to:

1. complete Assignment 16, due in class tomorrow.
2. work on the written documents (due tomorrow) and presentation (taking place Friday) for the Know Your Role! project.

Assignment #16 - Ecosystem Roles Review Questions

Answer all of the following questions to the best of your ability. Use your notes as a reference. Write in complete sentences for all short answer questions.

1. Use the following information to construct a food web in a meadow ecosystem:

• Red foxes feed on raccoons, crayfishes, grasshoppers, red clover, meadow voles, and gray squirrels
• Red clover is eaten by grasshoppers, muskrats, red foxes, and meadow voles
• Meadow voles, gray squirrels, and raccoons all eat parts of the white oak tree
• Crayfishes feed on green algae and detritus, and they are eaten by muskrats and red foxes
• Raccoons feed on muskrats, meadow voles, gray squirrels, and white oak trees

2. Create a table and identify all of the herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and detritivores in the food web/ecosystem.

3. Which of the members in the food web has the most biomass? Explain why.

4. Describe how the muskrats would be affected if disease kills the white oak trees.

Know Your Role! Rubric (tentative)

Criterion/ Score	Mastery (5 points)	Satisfactory (4 points)	Needs Improvement (3 points)	Score
Biome Summary (Content Knowledge)	- Summary of biome’s climate is detailed, specific and correct - Summary of biome’s geography is detailed, specific and correct - Presenters demonstrate thorough knowledge of material	- Summary of biome’s climate is detailed and correct - Summary of biome’s geography is detailed and correct - Presenters demonstrate adequate knowledge of material	- Summary of biome’s climate lacks detail or is incorrect - Summary of biome’s geography lacks detail or is incorrect - Presenters demonstrate little knowledge of material
Food Web (Content Knowledge)	- Food web is complete and specific (includes at least 8 specific organisms, producers/consumers, etc.) - Food web is correct and clear - Presenters demonstrate thorough knowledge of material	- Food web is complete (includes at least 6 organisms, producers/consumers, etc.) - Food web is almost completely correct and clear - Presenters demonstrate adequate knowledge of material	- Food web is incomplete (less than 6 organisms, no producers, etc.) - Food web contains errors and/or is difficult to interpret - Presenters demonstrate little knowledge of material=
Discussion Question Answer (Content Knowledge)	- Answer to discussion question is correct - Answer to discussion question is detailed and contains references to specific organisms in biome	- Answer to discussion question is correct - Answer to discussion question lacks details/specific references to organisms in biome	- Answer to discussion question is incorrect - Answer does not discuss organisms in the biome adequately
Work Habits	- Project is submitted on time - Written portions are completely free of errors - Bibliography is correct and written in APA/MLA format	- Project is submitted on time - Written portions are almost completely free of errors - Bibliography is almost completely correct and written in APA/MLA format	- Project is submitted late - Written portions contain errors - Bibliography is missing OR Bibliography contains serious errors or is not formatted	x 2

10/29/13

Tonight's homework is to:

1. Work on Assignment 16 - due Thursday
2. Work on your projects - documents due Thursday and presentations will be held on Friday.

Unit 3 – Project 1 Know Your Role!

Introduction

Biomes are regions of the Earth with similar geography, climate, plants and animals. The climate of a region is determined to a large degree by its latitude. How does latitude influence climate?

Life is found in almost all environments – on all seven continents and all types of oceans, lakes and seas. You task is to investigate the types of life found in an environment and create a product that describes the flow of energy through the ecosystem.

The task for you and your partner (located at your table) is as follows:

1. Choose a biome from the list below.
2. Conduct research (using textbooks and/or the Internet) to learn about: the climate of your biome, the geography of your region, the animal and plant species in the biome, and the relationships between organisms in your biome.
3. Write a summary paragraph about the climate and the geography of your biome.
4. Create a correct food web for your biome with at least six organisms involved. (The food web can be typed or created by hand. It can include pictures of the organisms or simply the names of the organisms.)
5. Answer the discussion question associated with your biome (found on the back).
6. Produce a handout for your classmates containing all of the above information.
7. Produce a bibliography stating the resources used to produce your product.
8. Create a 3 to 5 minute presentation about your biome and the members of its ecosystems.

All written documents are due at the end of the day on Thursday, October 31, 2013 and presentations will take place on Friday, November 1, 2013.

Terrestrial Biomes

- Tundra - Desert

- Taiga (boreal or coniferous forests) - Tropical savanna

- Temperate forest - Tropical seasonal forest

- Temperate woodland and shrubland - Tropical rain forest

- Temperate grassland

Discussion Questions – How does/can change affect biomes and ecosystems?

Tundra – An increase in the greenhouse effect has worked to raise average temperatures worldwide. How might an increase in average temperature affect producers and consumers in the tundra? Be specific whenever possible.

Boreal forest (taiga) – In Siberia (northern Russia), large areas of boreal forest have been harvested for lumber. Describe in detail how the removal of trees from boreal forests will affect consumers. Be specific whenever possible.

Temperate forest – Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn. Describe in detail how the loss of leaves would affect various consumers in the temperate forest. Be specific whenever possible.

Temperate woodland and shrubland – Fires have played a role in shaping the ecology of temperate woodlands and shrublands. Describe in detail in fires can affect producers and consumer in the temperate woodlands and shrublands. For example, can a fire be viewed as good for the ecosystem? Be specific whenever possible.

Temperate grassland – Fires have played a role in shaping the ecology of temperate grasslands. Describe in detail in fires can affect producers and consumer in the temperate grasslands. For example, can a fire be viewed as good for the ecosystem? Be specific whenever possible.

Desert – Desertification is a major concern in some areas of the world. What is desertification? Where is desertification a problem and how are humans contributing to it? Be specific and detailed whenever possible.

Tropical savanna – Humans, through hunting and poaching, have impacted the biological makeup of the tropical savanna. Describe how specific human actions have affected the consumers of the tropical savanna. Be specific whenever possible.

Tropical seasonal forest – Humans, through hunting and poaching, have impacted the biological makeup of the tropical seasonal forest. Describe how specific human actions have affected the consumers of the tropical seasonal forest. Be specific whenever possible.

Tropical rain forest – Tropical rain forests are the most diverse of all terrestrial biomes. However, human actions are working to alter the tropical rain forests and their non-human residents. Describe how specific human actions have affected the producers and consumers of the tropical rain forest. Be specific whenever possible.

10/28/13

Tonight's homework is to complete Assignment 15 and complete your conclusions about the soil productivity (tomorrow you will be submitting your hypothesis, conclusion, and supporting evidence).

Resources for reading more about today's discussion/activity:
The Storybook version...
What really happened...

“The Day They Parachuted Cats into Borneo” Comprehension and Thinking Questions

Answer all of the following questions to the best of your ability in complete sentences in the space below

1. Before learning the actual answer, explain how you imagined the course of events that occurred to lead to cats parachuting into Borneo.

2. Read about what actually happened and then summarize the situation.

3. How does this situation relate to our discussion so far/your understanding of ecology?

4. At this point in the unit, what questions do you have about ecosystems?

10/25/13

This weekend's homework is to read and take notes about the basics of ecology. The reading is found in 5.1 (The Ecosystem: Sustaining Life on Earth), 5.2 (Ecological Communities and Food Chains), and 5.3 (Ecosystems as Systems) of Botkin and Keller.

When reading/taking notes, obviously focus on new vocabulary/ideas but also think about answering the general question, "How do ecosystems work?"

10/22/13

Tonight's homework is to complete the Quest assignment (Earth Systems and Resources Practice Questions) and Assignment 14 as well as prepare for Thursday and Friday's exam. The Quest assignment can be accessed by logging in through quest.cns.utexas.edu.

Unit 2 Exam Topic List

12A

·         Requirements for life

·         Properties of water

·         Composition of Earth – layers of Earth and characteristics

·         Composition of Earth’s atmosphere – organization, chemical composition

·         Weather and climate – convection, weather v. climate, greenhouse effect

·         Plate tectonics

·         Properties and characteristics of soil – soil horizons and their characteristics, nutrients – N/P/K, humus, sand, clay, silt, permeability

·         Human impact upon soils – fertilizers and runoff, salinization, erosion – and how to combat them

·         Rock cycle – types of rocks, their characteristics, and how they form

·         Carbon cycle – sources, sinks

·         Volcanoes – types of volcanoes and characteristics, connection to plate tectonics

·         Earthquakes – P and S waves

12CD

·         Requirements for life

·         Properties of water

·         Composition of Earth – layers of Earth and characteristics

·         Composition of Earth’s atmosphere – organization, chemical composition

·         Weather and climate – convection, weather v. climate, Coriolis effect, greenhouse effect

·         Plate tectonics

·         Properties and characteristics of soil – soil horizons and their characteristics, types of soils, nutrients – N/P/K, humus, sand, clay, silt, permeability

·         Human impact upon soils – fertilizers and runoff, salinization, erosion – and how to combat them

·         Rock cycle – types of rocks, their characteristics, and how they form

·         Carbon cycle – sources, sinks, fluxes

·         History of Earth and mass extinctions

·         Volcanoes – types of volcanoes and characteristics, connection to plate tectonics

·         Earthquakes – P and S waves, types of faults