Unit 1&2
Book
Scientific Method &
Ecology
Name __________
Period ____
1
Unit 1 Key Understandings
1. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
Unit 2 Key Understandings
1. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
Unit 1 Vocabulary: Scientific Method
1. controls - factors in an experiment that are kept the same
2. dependent variable - the variable that is measured in an experiment
3. hypothesis - a tentative and testable statement that must be capable of being supported or
not supported by evidence
4. independent variable - variable that is changed in an experiment
5. problem - scientific question that can be answered by experiment
6. repeated trials - the number of times an experiment is repeated for each value of the
independent variable
7. science - the use of evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural
phenomena as well as the knowledge generated through this process
8. theory - a well-established and highly reliable explanation, but may be subject to change as
new areas of science and technologies are developed
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Unit 2 Vocabulary: Ecology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
abiotic factor
biotic factor
carnivore
carrying capacity
physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
all the living things in an ecosystem
organism that obtains energy by eating animals
The maximum number of individuals of any species that can be supported by a
particular ecosystem on a long-term basis
commensalism
the relation between two different kinds of organisms when one receives
benefits from the other without damaging it
6. consumer
an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
7. decomposer
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
8. detritivore
organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
9. ecological pyramid A diagram that shows the biomass of organisms at each trophic level
10.ecological
changes in the composition of species found in a community over time
succession
11.ecosystem
12.ecosystem
sustainability
13.food web
14.herbivore
15.limiting
factors
16.mutualism
a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their
physical environment
the ability of an ecosystem to return to a state of equilibrium following a
disturbance
network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the
various organisms in an ecosystem
organism that obtains energy by eating only plants
any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction,
or distribution of organisms
19.predation
a relationship between two species in which both species benefit
organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism
(the host) and consequently harms it
interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
20.primary
an organism that eats producers
17.omnivore
18.parasitism
consumer
21.primary
succession succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
an organism that makes its own food
23.secondary
An organism that eats primary consumers
consumer
24.secondary
succession on a site where an existing community has been disrupted
succession
25.symbiosis
the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent
22.producer
26.tertiary
27.trophic
consumer
level
An organism that eats secondary consumers
position that organisms occupy in a food web, which is defined by its
relationship to the primary energy source;
each step in a food chain or food web
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Extra Notes Page
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Unit 1 - Scientific Method
Steps of the Scientific Method
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Make an ___________________________
Ask a _______________________________
Form a ______________________________
Experiment
o _________________ the Hypothesis
Draw _____________________________________
o Hypothesis Valid or Invalid
_______________________________ Results
o Data
Hypothesis or not slides class discussion.
Do the hypothesis or not card activity. Write at least 2 examples from your cards of a
hypothesis and not a hypothesis in the table.
Hypothesis
Not a hypothesis
Developing a Hypothesis
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Observe something
Ask a question
Think of _______________________ and _______________________
Make it _________________________________
Is the Hypothesis Correct?
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You can tell if your original hypothesis was correct if the outcome is proven by
the _____________________________________.
_________________________ Supports your hypothesis
What kinds of data can you collect?
o _________________________
o _________________________
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How can you organize it?
o ____________________, Charts, and Tables
Data Support Activity on Smart board
Sometimes Data is Odd…
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The Dread Tomato Addiction
o by Mark Clifton
o 92.4% of juvenile delinquents have eaten tomatoes.
o 87.1% of the adult criminals in penitentiaries throughout the United States
have eaten tomatoes.
o Informers reliably inform that of all known American communists, 92.3%
have eaten tomatoes.
o 84% of all people killed in automobile accidents during the year 2006 had
eaten tomatoes.
Testing Promotional Claims
Promotional Claim Example
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Product: Red Bull
_____________________________________: “It Gives You Wiiiings”
Hypothesis: If you drink Red Bull, you will grow wings
Promotional Claim Example
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Procedure:
o Gather 20 people, and place them into two equal groups.
o One group will drink Red Bull, the other will drink water.
o Observe both groups for 3 hours after drinking.
o Record any sudden growth of wings.
Independent Variable: People _____________________ Red Bull
Dependent Variable: ________________________________________
Control: Group drinking ____________________
Discussion
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What is science?
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What is the difference between a hypothesis and theory?
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Are any of them unchangeable?
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SCIENTIFIC THEORIES AND THEIR EVIDENCE
Cell Theory
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What is Cell Theory?
Cell Theory:
o All living things are made up of ________ or ________ cells. All cells arise
from _____________ cells. The cell is the basic unit of structure and
________________ for all organisms.
Evidence:
o First formulated in 1839
o Began from the work of three scientists: Schleiden, Schwann and Virchow
o Has since been verified by 1,000’s of scientists
Evolutionary Theory
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What is the theory of evolution?
o Change in the ______________________ of a population across
successive generations
Evidence:
o Work of Charles Darwin (Finches)
o Fossil Record
o _____________ Sequencing
o Anatomical Similarities between life forms
Gene Theory
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What is Gene Theory?
o ______________ are passed from parent to offspring via genes.
Evidence:
o Work of _______________________ on pea plants and other organisms
o 1,000’s of scientists, since Mendel’s time, have conducted experiments
that confirm this theory
o New DNA technologies continue to confirm this theory and help us learn
more about the role of genes in some diseases.
Germ Theory of Disease
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What is Germ Theory of Disease?
o ___________________________ are the cause of some diseases.
o Has led to important things such as antibiotics and good hygiene practices
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Evidence:
o Resulted from the work of numerous scientists, but is mainly attributed to
the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch
o Microscopic observations and experimental evidence since late 1800’s
continues to confirm this theory.
Scientific Hypothesis or Scientific Theory?
Instructions: Read each statement below. If you believe the statement is a
scientific theory, place a check by the statement.
_____ “Cells are the fundamental unit of life. New cells arise from existing cells.”
_____ “People who earn a college degree will have a higher income.”
_____ “If a woman takes one prenatal vitamin per day, her nails will grow longer.”
_____ “The Earth’s surface layer has 7 large and 18 small plates. These plates
move and interact in a variety of ways to cause the Earth’s seismic and volcanic
activity.”
_____ “All matter is made up of small units called atoms.”
_____ “If a fish lives in water with pH levels below six, it will not survive.”
_____ “If lemon juice is sprinkled over a cut apple, the apple will not turn brown.”
_____ “Microorganisms are the cause of many diseases.”
_____ “A gas is a large number of small particles that are all in random, constant
motion.”
_____ “The level of UV radiation from the Sun is highest between the hours of
10am and 2pm.”
Scientific Method in Action
The Strange Case of BeriBeri
In 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East Indies.
The disease was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite,
victims often died of heart failure. Scientists thought the disease might be caused by bacteria.
They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with beriberi. The injected
chickens became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with bacteria.
One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed something. Before the experiment, all the chickens
had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished rice. Dr.
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Eijkman researched this interesting case and found that polished rice lacked thiamine, a vitamin
necessary for good health.
1. State the Problem.
2. What was the hypothesis?
3. How was the hypothesis tested?
4. What is the independent variable?
5. What is the dependent variable?
6. What is the control?
7. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?
8. What should be the new hypothesis and how would you test it?
How Penicillin Was Discovered In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming was studying Staphylococcus
bacteria growing in culture dishes. He noticed that a mold called Penicillium was also growing in
some of the dishes. A clear area existed around the mold because all the bacteria that had
grown in this area had died. In the culture dishes without the mold, no clear areas were present.
Fleming hypothesized that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He
decided to isolate this substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred
the mold to a nutrient broth solution. This solution contained all the materials the mold needed
to grow. After the mold grew, he removed it from the nutrient broth. Fleming then added the
nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria. He observed that the
bacteria died which was later used to develop antibiotics used to treat a variety of diseases.
9. Identify the problem.
10. What was Fleming's hypothesis?
11. How was the hypothesis tested?
12. What is the independent variable?
13. What is the dependent variable?
14. What is the control?
15. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?
16. This experiment led to the development of what major medical advancement?
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The Scientific Method - Plop Plop Fizz Fizz - Lab
In this lab, you will develop and test a hypothesis, analyze data and draw conclusions.
You are given guidance at each step of the way. Fill out this form completely - do not
skip steps!
Step 1: Question or Observation
Question: What factors will make an alka-seltzer tablet dissolve faster
Variables to test:
.....Tap water, Warm water, Cold water, Salt Water, Acidic water (using vinegar)
Of the variables above, which should serve as your CONTROL group? __________
In this experiment, the independent variable is the type of water (warm, salt..etc).
What is the responding variable, or the thing you will be measuring?
_________________
Step 2: Develop a hypothesis. Finish this statement…
Alka seltzer will dissolve fastest in ______________ water, and the slowest in
_________ water.
Step 3: Design and Conduct and Experiment
Answer these questions regarding your experimental design:
1. Will you use a whole tablet or a half a tablet of alka seltzer? ______________
2. How will you measure how quickly it dissolves? ___________________________
3. How much water will you place in your beakers? __________________________
a. Will this amount be the same in all of your tests? _______________
4. What safety precautions should you take? _________________________________
5. What is the independent variable? ____________________________________
6. What is the dependent variable? ____________________________________
7. What is the control? __________________________________________
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Step 4: Record your results in the table.
Type of Water
Dissolve Time
Step 5: Draw Conclusions
– in a complete sentence, answer your experimental question by summarizing the data
Testing Promotional Claims Lab
Directions: In your group, design an experiment to test your group’s promotional claim.
On a piece of paper, follow the guidelines and design your experiment. Then show your
work to the teacher to be able to get the equipment to test your experiment. Once you
have your results, you will make a presentation on poster paper to present to the class.
Guidelines to design your experiment:
1) Experiment Question
2) Your hypothesis (include reasoning)
3) Your experimental design
i. Independent variable
ii. Dependent variable
iii. Control
iv. Controlled variables (multiple)
4) Data you will collect
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Groups’ experiments:
1. Oreo Cookie Challenge
Do Double-Stuff Oreos actually have double the stuffing or regular oreos?
Equipment: Scale, Beaker, Rulers, *Oreos and Double Stuff Oreos
2. Are Bounty paper towels more absorbant than generic paper towels?
Equipment: Beaker, Graduated Cylinder, Scale, Rules, Water, Two types of towels
3. How does surface are of a candy affect how quickly it dissolves in water?
Equipment: smarties or sweet tarts (or any sugary dissolvable candy that can be cut into
smaller portions), water, ruler, scale, *scalpel or blade, timer
4. Many gum brands claim that they have the longest lasting flavor. Design
and conduct an experiment to determine what type of gum has the longest
lasting flavor.
clock, a variety of different types of gum
5. Which type of polish remover works best, acetone or acetone free?
fingernail polish, polish remover (2 types), dishes, lids, or other surfaces to paint on,
variety is good so that students must consider the surface when conducting the
experiment.
Assessment:
After your group has designed and preformed your experiment, then you will make a
poster of your design, experiment, and results.
The following needs to be included on your poster:
1) Experiment Question
2) Your hypothesis (include reasoning)
3) Your experimental design
a. Independent variable
b. Dependent variable
c. Control
d. Controlled variables (multiple)
4) Data you collected
a. A graph showing your
data
5) Your result (supported
hypothesis or not)
You will then present your results to the class.
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Unit 2 - Ecology
Levels of Organization in Ecology
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What is the correct level of organization (card sort activity)
Populations vs. Communities
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What is the difference between a biological population and a biological
community?
o A biological population is a group of organisms, all of the
_________________________, which interbreed and live in the same
area at the same time, while a biological community is made of
________________________________in a certain time.
Competition
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What is competition?
o Competition is one of the many symbiotic relationships occurring in nature.
Members of species compete for _______________, especially for
________________ natural resources.
Examples?
o 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
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What happens to competition between individuals as population size increases?
o Competition will also_________________________.
o If the demand for resources ______________ the supply, then the
population size will eventually __________________________.
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Limiting Factors
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Do populations often grow exponentially?
What are limiting factors?
o Limiting factors are any factors (things) that affect an organism’s ______
_________________________in its environment. These factors affect
population growth.
Examples?
o availability of food and ____________, predators, temperature,
space/shelter, and ________________________.
Density-Dependent Factors
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What are density-dependent factors?
o Factors that depend upon the _______________________________.
These factors will have an increasing ___________ as the population size
______________________.
Examples?
o availability of food and water, competition, predators, and disease
Density-Independent Factors
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What are density-independent factors?
o Factors that are _______________________________ upon the size of
the population and can affect any population.
Examples?
o temperature, weather (storms, floods, drought), and habitat disruption by
humans
Carrying Capacity – draw graph
Carrying Capacity
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The _______________________ of individuals that an environment can support.
o “Food Source Sustainability”
Why is knowing carrying capacity important to ecologists?
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Abiotic vs. Biotic Card Sort
Write three examples for each category from the card sort.
Abiotic
Biotic
Symbiotic Relationships
Write 4 examples of each type of symbiotic relationship from the cards posted around
the room.
Commensalism
Mutualism
Parasitism
Predation
Definition:
Definition:
Definition:
Definition:
Faces Picture:
Faces Picture:
Faces Picture:
Faces Picture:
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Predator Prey Simulation Lab
Objective: Students will simulate
predator prey interactions using cards.
The number of predator and prey in
their “ecosystem” will be recorded and
graphed which will show a predator
prey cycle in an ecosystem.
Materials (Prepared in advance) Each
group will receive 200 small squares
cut from index cards (approximately 1
inch squared) -- The small squares
represent the prey population.
Each group will receive 50 large
squares cut from index cards (cut
index cards in half) -- The large squares represent the predator population. Each group
will receive a data table (prepared) and blank graph paper to graph the data.
*It is possible to substitute other materials to represent prey and predators, such as beans,
paper plates, foam squares, pennies..etc*
Instructions:
Your lab table or desk will represent your ecosystem (Please clear all objects, such as
purses and backpacks)
1. Place 3 prey; on your table.
2. Toss 1 predator onto the table (evenly dispersed) and attempt to make the card touch
as many prey; as possible. In order to survive, the predator must capture at least 3 prey.
It will be impossible for your predator to survive at this point.
3. Remove any prey; captured and record your data for the 1st generation.
4. The prey population doubles each generation. Count how many prey (small squares)
you have left on your table, double that number and add prey cards to the table. Record
the number in the data table under the 2nd generation “number of prey staring”. (It
should be 2x the number you have under the “hares remaining” for generation 1)
5. Your predator died during the first round, but that’s okay, a new predator moves in for
the second round. Put a 1 in the “number of predators” for generation 2 to represent the
new arrival. Repeat the tossing procedure and record your data for the second
generation.
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6. Again, number or prey doubles, if your predator didn’t “capture” 3 prey, it died. But a
new one moves in for the next round. Keep going, adding to the number of prey each
round.
7. Eventually your predator will be able to capture enough prey to survive. Guess what
happens? The number of predators double. Add to your predator population by adding
predator cards. Now when you toss your predators, you will be tossing more than one.
Don’t forget to remove any “captured” prey.
8. Continue to record the data through 20 generations.
Construct a graph. On the X-axis, put generations 1 through 20, on the Y-axis you will
have the population numbers for each generation (number of predators, number of
prey). Use one line for the predator and one line for the prey to graph the data.
GENERATIONS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
# of Predators Starting
# of Prey Starting
# of Predators Remaining
# of Prey Remaining
Analysis
1. Describe what happens to the predator and the prey population as time goes by.
2. Make a prediction about what would happen to your prey population if a new predator
is added to the system.
3. Explain how this simulation models a real ecosystem.
4. Name 2 other factors that could affect the populations of predators or prey.
a.
b.
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Food Web
1. For the food web, label each organism: (Some may have more than one label)
P = producer | 1 = Primary Consumer | 2= Secondary Consumer | 3 = Tertiary
Consumer | | 4 Quartenary Consumer
2. Now label each animal as either a : H = herbivore C = carnivore O = omnivore
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3. Create your own food web. You do not need to draw pictures, you could just write the
words. Draw the arrows the correct direction!! Animals to put on your web: SHRIMP,
PHYTOPLANKTON, HERRING, ZOOPLANKTON, JELLYFISH, SHARK, SEAL, and
PENGUINS.
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Is It True? Ecosystems and Energy Flow
Instructions: Read each statement below, and decide if it is true or false based on your
own background knowledge. In the blanks, mark “T” for true and “F” for false. After
marking all of the statements as true or false, use the resources provided by your
instructor to determine if you were correct. For any false statement, rewrite the
statement to make it true.
1. ____ In ecosystems, producers are organisms that are autotrophic and generate their
own energy. Consumers are organisms that obtain energy from feeding on other
organisms or organic matter.
2. ____ A herbivore is a consumer that eats only meat.
A herbivore is a consumer that eats only plants.
3. ____ A carnivore is a consumer that eats both plants and meat.
A carnivore is a consumer that eats only meat.
4. ____ A detritivore is a consumer that feeds on dead organic material.
5. ____ An omnivore is a consumer that eats only plants.
An omnivore is a consumer that eats both plants and meat.
6. ____ A decomposer is an organism that breaks down organic material. Examples
include fungi and bacteria.
7. ____ A food chain represents many different feeding relationships within an
ecosystem.
8. _____ Each organism in a food web or food pyramid is said to be at a specific trophic
level with other organisms that have the same feeding habits.
9. _____ The graphic below is called an ecological pyramid. It is a graphical
representation that shows the feeding relationship of a group of organisms and flow of
energy or biomass through different trophic levels in a given ecosystem.
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10. _____ When energy is transferred from one organism to the next in a food chain,
food web, or food pyramid, 10% of the energy is lost and 90% of the energy is
transferred. Therefore, an organism at the top of the food pyramid has almost all of the
energy from all the organisms below it.
11. _____ An organism at the top of a food pyramid is a predator to all of the organisms
beneath it.
12. _____ As a result of biological magnification, predators at the top of a food web or
food pyramid may have very low levels of dangerous chemicals such as pesticides and
mercury.
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon is an important element to living things. As we learned earlier, the most
abundant substance in organisms is water. The second most abundant substance is
carbon. Much of the solid portions of lifeforms is made up of great amounts of carbon.
How do living things obtain carbon?
Carbon is extracted from the atmosphere by plants through the process known as
photosynthesis. This carbon is combined with other elements in complex ways to form
organic molecules important to life. This carbon is later transferred to animals who
consume, or eat plants. When plants and animals die, much of their carbon is returned
to the atmosphere as the organisms decompose. Every so often, a plant or animal does
not decompose right away. Their bodies are trapped in locations where decomposition
can simply not take place. This is most common at the bottom of oceans and seas
where the lifeforms become buried by sand. Instead of returning to the atmosphere, the
carbon from these lifeforms is trapped within the Earth. Over millions of years, more and
more of the carbon on Earth has been trapped in this manner. Today, almost 99% of all
the carbon on Earth has been locked up deep within the Earth.
As rocks weather, this carbon is slowly
released back into the atmosphere,
creating a balance. For the past several
hundred million years, the amount of
carbon being locked up in the Earth and
the amount being released by weathering
rocks was almost perfectly balanced.
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This important balance has been altered significantly in the past century as humans
have begun using fossil fuels to produce energy. By burning the Earth’s store of carbon,
mankind is able to create the energy needed to operate our communities. However, we
must be careful as we do so. By releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than is
being locked up, we risk causing damage to the delicate carbon cycle.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen is the most abundant element in our planet’s atmosphere. Approximately 78%
of the atmosphere is comprised of this important element.
Nitrogen is used by lifeforms to carry out many of the functions of life. This element is
especially important to plant life. Yet, nitrogen in its gaseous form is almost entirely
unusable to lifeforms. It must first be converted or ‘fixed’ into a more usable form. The
process of converting nitrogen is called fixation.
There are specialized bacteria whose function it is to fix nitrogen, converting it, so that it
can be used by plants. There are still other bacteria who do the reverse. That is, they
return nitrogen to is gaseous form.
After nitrogen is fixed, it can be absorbed and used by plants, and subsequently by
animals.
The process of nitrogen being fixed, used by plants and animals, and later returned to
the atmosphere is referred to as the nitrogen cycle.
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Ecological Succession
Examples of Changing Ecosystems
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A forest could have been a shallow lake a thousand years ago.
Mosses, shrubs, and small trees cover the concrete of a demolished building.
Ecological Succession
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________________ process of change and replacement of the types of
_____________________in a community.
May take _____________ or ______________________of years.
Newer communities make it _________________ for the older ones to survive.
Example: Younger birch trees will have a harder time competing with taller, older
birch trees for sun, but a shade loving tree may replace the smaller birch trees.
Primary Succession
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Type of succession that occurs where there was ______ ecosystem before.
Occurs on _______________, cliffs, and sand dunes.
Primary succession is very _______________________.
Begins where there is ______________________________.
Takes several hundred years to produce fertile soil naturally.
First species to colonize bare rock would be ____________________________.
Lichens
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Do not require soil.
Colorful, flaky patches.
Composed of two species, a ____________ and an _________________.
The algae photosynthesize and the fungi absorbs nutrients from rocks and holds
water.
Over time, they ____________________________________the rock.
As the rocks breaks apart, water freezes and thaws on the cracks, which breaks
up the rocks further.
When the lichens die, they accumulate in the cracks.
Then mosses begin to grow and die, leading to the creation of fertile soil.
__________________________ is made up of the broken rocks, decayed
organisms, water, and air.
Secondary Succession
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More ______________________
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Occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has _______________________.
Occurs on ecosystems that have been ____________________ or
____________________ by humans, animals, or by natural processes such as
storms, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes.
Secondary Succession: Mt. St. Helens
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Erupted in 1980.
44,460 acres were ______________________ and flattened.
After the eruption, plants began to colonize the volcanic debris.
Pioneer species: the first organism to colonize any newly available area and
begin the process of ecological succession.
Over time, the pioneer species makes the area habitable by other species.
Today, Mt. St. Helens in the process of secondary succession.
Plants, flowers, new trees and shrubs have started to grow.
If this continues, over time they will form a climax community.
Climax community: the ___________________________ community.
Climax community will continue to change in small ways, but left undisturbed, it
will remain the same through ________________.
Fire and Secondary Succession
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Natural fire caused by lightening are a _________________ part of secondary
succession.
Some species of trees (ex: Jack pine) can only release their seeds after they
have been exposed to the intense heat of a fire.
Minor forest fires remove brush and deadwood.
Some animals depend on fires because they feed on the newly sprouted
vegetation.
Foresters allow natural fires to burn unless they are a ______________ to
human life or property.
Old-field Succession
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Occurs in farmland that has been ________________________.
Grasses and weeds grow quickly, and produce many seeds that cover large
areas.
Over time, taller plants grow in the area, shading the light and keeping the
pioneer species from receiving any light.
The longer roots of the taller plants deprive the pioneer species from water.
The pioneer species die.
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Taller trees begin to grow and deprive the taller plants of water and light.
Followed by slow growing trees (oaks, maples) takeover the area.
After about a ____________________, the land returns to a
_______________________ community.
Succession Comic Strip
You will be drawing, coloring and adding dialogue to 2 comic strips about your assigned
“disturbance.” One will be on primary succession, and the other on secondary
succession.
Instructions:
1. Each comic strip must include 6 panels (scenes)
2. For Each comic strip:
a. The 1st panel should show the assigned disturbance as it is occurring.
b. The 2nd panel should show what the scene looks like after the
disturbance has ended.
c. The 3rd, 4th and 5th panels should show the seral stages, meaning the
stages of regrowth that occur.
d. The 6th panel should show the climax community.
e. All scenes need to be colored.
f. All scenes need to have written information about what is happening in
terms of growth. Use your creativity and humor. Use a rock, plant or
animal as your narrator, for example.
NOTE:
Remember that primary succession starts with bare rock with lichens and mosses as
pioneer species. Secondary succession starts with soil already present.
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Primary Succession:
Secondary Succession:
Disturbance____________________________________
Disturbance _________________________________
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Biomes Concept Map
WORD BANK:
elephant
Northern Africa
Eastern U.S.
Lion
moose
Seasons
squirrels
farmland
giraffe
prairie dogs
Central U.S.
pine trees
Canada
reptiles monkeys rainfall
dry climate
Central Africa
cactus equator
canopy
maple trees
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Ecology Project
Objective: You will create a power point presentation over one ecosystem to present to
the class.
Procedure:
1. Choose an ecosystem to research. (May be assigned to you)
Make a slide for each of the following, answering the questions in depth. Don’t forget to
add pictures, graphs, and graphics that relate to what the question is talking about.
**All questions pertain to the ecosystem you choose.**
2. List seven abiotic and seven biotic factors
3. List three limiting factors that may affect carrying capacity.
4. List three organisms that have an adaptation, what that adaptation is, and how it
helps them survive.
5. List 20 organisms that live in your ecosystem. The organisms should come from
a variety of kingdoms (animal, plant, fungi, protist, bacteria).
6. Construct 3 food chains using the organisms you listed.
Label the following on each food chain:
a. Producer
b. Primary consumer
c. Secondary consumer
d. Tertiary consumer
e. Decomposer
f. Detritivore
g. Herbivores
h. Carnivores
i. Omnivores
j. All tropic levels
7. Using your three food chains you already made, construct a food web that
contains 12 organisms.
8. Name a symbiotic relationship – commensalism.
9. Name a symbiotic relationship – mutualism.
10. Name a symbiotic relationship – parasitism.
11. Name a predator – prey relationship.
12. Describe an example of competition.
13. Name a density – dependent factor that could affect the survival of an organism.
14. Name a density – independent factor that could affect the survival of an
organism.
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15. Construct an energy pyramid.
a. Include 9 organisms in the pyramid
b. Label each level with the correct tropic level
c. Label each level with correct type of producer or consumer (primary, etc.)
d. Assume the lowest level has 100,000 units of energy. Label the units of
energy that will be transferred to the remaining levels.
16. Draw and label a carbon cycle for your ecosystem.
17. Draw and label a nitrogen cycle for you ecosystem.
Released EOC Questions
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Ecology Test Review
1. Name some organisms that act as decomposers in an ecosystem.
2. Put the following into the correct order, from smallest to largest:
3. Where does all energy within an ecosystem originate?
4. Define carrying capacity.
5. Draw and label a carrying capacity curve.
6. Define competition and give an example:
7. Define predation and give an example:
8. Define commensalism and give an example:
9. Define mutualism and give an example:
10. Define parasitism and give an example:
11. Define carbon cycle.
12. Briefly draw and label a carbon molecule as it goes through the carbon cycle.
13. Define Nitrogen cycle.
14. Briefly draw and label a nitrogen molecule as it goes through the nitrogen cycle.
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15. Define hypothesis.
16. Define scientific theory.
17. Compare and contrast scientific theory and hypothesis
18. What are the steps of the scientific method?
19. Draw an energy pyramid. List the following on your energy pyramid: Animals,
producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer,
quarternary consumer.
20. How much energy is transferred from one level on the energy pyramid to
another?
21. Define biomagnification. Where is it usually greatest in a food pyramid and
why????
22. Define primary succession. Give examples of how and when this occurs.
23. Give me an example of when scientific theories can change? What can cause
these changes?
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