LESSON PLANS—HONORS
Ecological Relationships
Objective: ACOS 13a To describe the interdependence of biotic/abiotic
factors in an ecosystem
ACT QUALITY CORE: Explain how organisms cooperate and complete in
ecosystems and how interrelationships/interdependencies
of organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable
for thousands of years
Describe examples of competition, symbiosis, predation
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do biotic and abiotic factors influence an
ecosystem and what interactions occur between different organisms?
LEARNING TARGET: I can analyze data to determine rainfall effect on
primary productivity.
BEFORE (Strategy: Interpretation of Data)
A. Using the graph on page 84, determine what happens to primary productivity
when rainfall increases. What factors other than water might affect
primary productivity? (Rainfall increases, productivity increases; sunlight,
types and amounts of nutrients in soil, number of herbivores)
LEARNING TARGET: I can identify the causes of climate and the 3 main
climate zones.
DURING (Strategy: Graphic Organizer—Wagon Wheel)
B. Using the 4 subtopics in chapter 4-1, create a 4 spoke wagon wheel to
summarize the main ideas about climate.
Climate
1. Average year-after-year conditions of precipitation and temperature.
2. Greenhouse effect is natural situation in which heat is retained by carbon
dioxide, methane, and water vapor.
3. Solar radiation hits the Earth at different degrees latitude which creates
the different climate zones.
4. Unequal heating of land surfaces and water drives wind and water currents
which transport heat throughout the biosphere.
LEARNING TARGET: I can identify the symbiotic relationships in ecosystems.
AFTER (Strategy : Pre-read)
C. Create graphic organizer while reading pp. 92-97 defining and giving
examples for each symbiotic relationship. (plant-plant; plant-animal; animalanimal)
Relationship
Define
Examples
Mutualism
both benefit lichen; yucca plant-moth; gazelle-ostrich
Commensalism + 0
orchid-tree; bird-tree; shark-remora
Parasitism
+ mistletoe-spruce; aphids—roses; tick-deer
EQ: Abiotic factors such as precipitation and temperature affect the climate of a
region. Climate regions have particular biotic factors that are characteristic of
the region. Within these regions, there are symbiotic relationships that enable
organisms to be more successful. An example is the orchid which lives high in the
canopy of trees in the rainforest to allow it access to more sunlight and moisture.
HOMEWORK
Study for chapter 3 test