UNIT
What is the Connection?
(Let’s Get Started)
•
In any natural environment, each component is important and
affects the other components. Components of a natural
environment include:
sunlight, soil, water, air, plants, animals, and other living
things.
1. Select one of the components listed above. In your notebook,
explain how the component affects the other components.
2. Form a group of six. As a group, create a concept map showing
the connections between the different components. Once you
have marked a connection, include a label indicating what the
connection is. Each component may have more than one arrow.
3. Each group will then share their ideas with the rest of the class.
B
UNIT
Naturalizing Your Community
(Unit Task Preview)
B
In this Unit Task, you will select an area in your community that would benefit
from “naturalization” – adding plants and changing the landscape ina way that
will attract local animals and also make it attractive to humans.
You will analyze the area you select and create a plan to naturalize the area in a
way that reflects the local natural environment. You will study your selected area
and identify factors that must be considered to ensure the plan will be
successful. The plan must involve both living and non-living elements, as well
as the needs of the people in the area.
Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you
• show your knowledge and understanding of the local ecosystem
• develop a reasonable place to naturalize your area
• propose practical solutions for naturalizing your area
• evaluate the impact your plan will have on living things that will inhabit
the area, as well as on humans living nearby
UNIT
B
A Walk in the Park
(Discovering Science and Technology)
Environmental Print
Our environment “speaks” to us through signs and
symbols everything: signs on stores, menu boards
in drive-throughs, billboards, road signs, and even
signs in natural settings like parks and nature
trails. Readers need to be able to read messages
in all places so that they can follow directions,
instructions, and rules and regulations.
Read the sign on this page. Discuss the following
with a partner or small group:
•
How is this sign related to what Grandpa talks
about in the story?
•
After reading the sign, describe in your own
words what naturalization means to you.
•
What other signs might be posted in the park?
Think about messages for park users to protect
the environment, learn about plants and
animals, and help them enjoy the park.
CHAPTER
Healthy Ecosystems
• KEY QUESTION: What are the essential elements of a healthy ecosystem?
Looking Ahead
• Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living elements.
• The living things in an ecosystem depend on each other and on non-living
elements for survival.
• Living and non-living elements interact with each other in many different
ways.
• The skills of scientific inquiry can be used to investigate the living and nonliving elements in a model ecosystem.
• Humans are part of ecosystems and affect ecosystems.
4
CHAPTER
Healthy Ecosystems — Activity
• Think of a time when you have been outside and saw a living
thing (animal, insect, bird, plant) interact with another living
thing or perhaps with something non-living.
• As best you can, describe that interaction in a paragraph.
Were they competing for something? Did one “win” over the
other? Were they helping each other? What made this
interaction stick out in your mind?
• Draw a picture of the interaction to accompany the paragraph.
4
CHAPTER
Getting a Chuckle from the Environment
(Reading Science and Technology)
4
Text Genres: The Comic Strip
Comic strips can be written as very
sophisticated texts. They require readers
to make connections between
illustrations, text, and what they already
know about a topic. Sometimes a
message is hidden and the reader must
“read between the lines”, or make an
inference to figure out the comic strip’s
meaning.
Read each of the comic strips on this
page or in your textbook.
1. How does the cartoonist use humour in
each comic strip?
2. Read the words in the last comic strip.
What message does the written text give
you? How does the picture help you to
“read between the lines” to see a different
message?
3. What is Milton’s opinion of zoos?
Whose point of view might be in favour of
the benefits of zoos?
4.1
What is an Ecosystem?
• The interactions among the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic)
parts of an environment are called an ecosystem.
• An ecosystem can be large or small, but the biotic and abiotic parts
always interact.
• Some ecosystems contain smaller ecosystems within them.
• Within ecosystems, living things can be organized into species,
populations, and communities. Each species within a community
plays an important role.
abiotic element
biotic element
community
ecology
micro-organism
organism
population
species
Interactive Activity: The Living Parts of the
Environment
Click anywhere on the image below to launch the activity in your web browser
4.1
4.2
The Needs of Living Things
• Think of what you need to survive.
• An organism can only live in a habitat where its basic needs are
met.
• Many elements determine which organisms can live in a particular
habitat. These elements include:
• Sunlight to provide energy and warmth.
• Water to digest food and form body fluids.
• Air to provide oxygen for animals and carbon dioxide for plants.
• Ideal temperature range to prevent freezing or over heating.
• Food to provide organisms with nutrients.
habitat
nutrient
Creating Your Own Model Ecosystem
(Perform an Activity)
•
In this activity, you will study biotic and abiotic elements by
creating your own model ecosystem and observing the
interactions among the living and non-living elements.
Equipment and Materials
4.3
Creating Your Own Model Ecosystem
4.3
(Perform an Activity)
Safety
Notify the teacher of any allergies that you have.
Wash your hands upon completing your ecosystem.
Treat animals with care and respect. Do not use
mercury thermometers
4.4
Interactions among Living Things
• Three important interaction among living things (biotic elements) include:
competition, predation, and mutualism.
• Competition occurs when more than one organism tries to obtain the same
basic resources in the same habitat.
• This limits the number of organisms in an ecosystem.
• Predation refers to animals hunting other living things, usually other animals,
for food.
• The number of predators is affected
by the number of prey in the
ecosystem, and vice versa.
• The predator-prey cycle can also
affect plant populations. More prey
in the population means more plants
are eaten, making the plant population smaller.
• Mutualism is an interaction between individuals of different species that
benefits both individuals.
E.g. Bees and flowers.
competition
predator
prey
mutualism
How Do Humans Fit into Ecosystems?
• Humans tend to change the ecosystem they inhabit.
E.g. we cut down forests to build houses or to create farmland.
• When humans change an ecosystem to meet their needs, other
organisms may not be able to live there any longer.
• Humans compete with other species for basic needs and resources
in an ecosystem, although humans often win.
• Farming and mining are two common techniques humans use to
obtain resources from the environment.
• When humans take resources from ecosystems, they often leave
pollution, which affects other organisms.
4.5
The Impact of Vehicles on the Environment
(Explore An Issue Critically)
•
Many of us depend on vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and vans,
everyday. However, vehicles also cause air and water pollution.
Building roads for vehicles also contributes to the destruction of
natural habitats for living things.
Goal
To research the impacts that vehicles have on the environment and to
create and present a public awareness campaign outlining these
impacts.
Communicate
•
Working in groups, you will create a public awareness campaign
in the form of a commercial, brochure or pamphlet,
announcement, billboard or multimedia presentation, that
highlights the impact of vehicles on the environment.
4.6
CHAPTER
Summary – Looking Back
• Ecosystems are made up of living and non-living elements.
• Biotic elements in ecosystems are living things, such as plants,
animals, and micro-organisms.
• Abiotic elements in ecosystems are non-living things, such as
sunlight, air, water, and temperature.
• Within ecosystems, living things can be organized into
individual species, populations, and communities.
• All ecosystems, whether large or small, are
interconnected. Some ecosystems contain
smaller ecosystems within them.
4
CHAPTER
Summary – Looking Back
• The living things in an ecosystem depend on each other and on
non-living elements for survival.
• All organisms have basic needs. An organism can only live in a
habitat where its basic needs are met.
• The abiotic elements in a habitat often determine which organisms
can live in that particular location. These include sunlight, water, air,
and an ideal temperature range.
• Living and non-living elements interact with each other in many
different ways.
• Some organisms in an ecosystem compete for the same resources.
Competition limits the number of organisms that can live in an
ecosystem.
• The number of prey affects the number of predators that can live in an
ecosystem. In a similar way, the number of predators affects the
number of prey in an ecosystem.
• Mutualism is an interaction between two species in an ecosystem in
which both species benefit from the relationship.
4
CHAPTER
Summary – Looking Back
• The skills of scientific inquiry can be used to investigate the
living and non-living elements in a model ecosystem.
• Model ecosystems can be designed and built using everyday
equipment and materials.
• Model ecosystems can be used to observe biotic and abiotic
elements and the interactions between these elements.
• Humans are part of ecosystems and affect ecosystems.
• Humans interact with living and non-living elements of the
environment. They compete with other organisms for resources.
• Human often win competitions with other organisms because
humans can develop technology to help them survive. Farming
and mining are two common techniques humans use to obtain
resources from the environment.
• When humans take resources from ecosystems, they often leave
pollution, which affects other organisms.
4
CHAPTER
Quiz
Multiple choice
For each question, select the best answer from the four alternatives.
1. Which of the following is a biotic element in an ecosystem?
a) Sunlight.
b) Lake.
c) Algae.
d) Water.
2. A population contains members of the same…
a) Ecosystem.
b) Species.
c) Size.
d) Family.
3. Plants provide us with oxygen to breathe, and we provide plants with
carbon dioxide. What type of biotic interaction is this?
a) Predation.
b) Competition.
c) Mutualism.
d) Distilled water.
4
CHAPTER
Quiz
True/False
Indicate whether each of the statements is TRUE or FALSE. If you
think the statement is false, rewrite it to make it true.
4. All living things need water to survive.
5. A population is a group of different species in a given area.
6. Predator-prey cycles can impact plant populations.
7. Mutualism best describes the interaction between two plants
growing beside each other.
4
CHAPTER
4
Quiz
Fill in the blanks
Copy each of the following statements into you notebook. Fill in
the blanks with a word or phrase that correctly completes the
sentence.
farming; biotic; habitat; abiotic; mining
8. Ecosystems contain
elements that interact.
and
9. The physical space where an organism lives is called its
.
10. Humans have developed technologies to extract resources
from the environment.
allows us to grow food
crops, while
is how we obtain metal.
CHAPTER
4
Quiz
11. Label the diagram
Population; Community; Species
(c)
(b)
(a)
CHAPTER
Quiz Answers
Multiple choice
For each question, select the best answer from the four alternatives.
1. Which of the following is a biotic element in an ecosystem?
a) Sunlight.
b) Lake.
c) Algae.
d) Water.
2. A population contains members of the same…
a) Ecosystem.
b) Species.
c) Size.
d) Family.
3. Plants provide us with oxygen to breathe, and we provide plants with
carbon dioxide. What type of biotic interaction is this?
a) Predation.
b) Competition.
c) Mutualism.
d) Distilled water.
4
CHAPTER
Quiz Answers
True/False
Indicate whether each of the statements is TRUE or FALSE. If you
think the statement is false, rewrite it to make it true.
4. TRUE; All living things need water to survive.
5. FALSE; A population is a group of THE SAME species in a
given area.
6. TRUE; Predator-prey cycles can impact plant populations.
7. FALSE; COMPETITION best describes the interaction between
two plants growing beside each other.
4
CHAPTER
Quiz Answers
Fill in the blanks
Copy each of the following statements into you notebook. Fill in
the blanks with a word or phrase that correctly completes the
sentence.
farming; biotic; habitat; abiotic; mining
8. Ecosystems contain biotic and abiotic elements that interact.
9. The physical space where an organism lives is called its
habitat.
10. Humans have developed technologies to extract resources
from the environment. Farming allows us to grow food crops,
while mining is how we obtain metal.
4
CHAPTER
Quiz Answers
11. Label the diagram
Population; Community; Species
4