ECOLOGY UNIT
Priority Learning Standards
(LS1E, LS2A, LS2D)
Students know that:
1. In classifying organisms, scientists consider both internal and external structures as well as behaviors. (LS1E)
o Students are expected to:
 Use a classification key to identify organisms, noting use of both internal and external structures as
well as behaviors.
2. An ecosystem consists of all the populations living within a specific area and the nonliving factors they interact with.
One geographical area may contain many ecosystems. (LS2A)
o Students are expected to:
 Explain that an ecosystem is a defined area that contains populations of organisms and nonliving
factors.
 Give examples of ecosystems (e.g., Olympic National Forest, Puget Sound, and one square foot of
lawn) and describe their boundaries and contents.
3. Ecosystems are continuously changing due to both living and nonliving factors. Changes caused by nonliving factors
include (but are not limited to) the amount of light, range of temperatures, and availability of water. Changes caused
by living factors include (but are not limited to) the disappearance of different species through disease, predation,
habitat destruction, overuse of resources, or the introduction of new species. (LS2D)
o Students are expected to:
 Predict what may happen to an ecosystem if nonliving factors change (e.g., the amount of light, range
of temperatures, or availability of water or habitat), or if one of more populations are removed from or
added to the ecosystem.
Vocabulary
1. System: Anything that is made up of interrelated parts—if one part of the system is changed, the whole
system will be impacted/changed.
2. Ecology: The study of relationships/interactions between organisms and their environment.
3. Ecologist: Scientists that study the relationships between organisms and their environment.
4. Ecosystem: An ecosystem is a specifically defined area, and it includes all living and non-living factors
within the area that interact with one another. Ecosystems include humans, and all of the important
nonliving factors such as: water (quality & amount), habitat (amount & quality of space for living
populations), and gasses (type, quality, & quantity).
5. Habitat: The type of location / environment where specific organism can live based on certain types and
quantities of living “biotic” & non-living “abiotic” factors. Factors such as the amount and type of water,
surrounding temperature, and types of vegetation that organisms require, define their habitat.
6. Community: A group of plants and animals living and interacting with one another within a specified
space or place.
7. Niche: The function or position of a species within an ecological community. A species’ niche includes
the physical environment that it has adapted to as well as its role as a producer and/or consumer of
food resources.
8. Population: The total number of organisms of the same species that occupy a specific habitat,
community, or other defined area. Population sizes fluctuate due to ecological changes such as:
increased/decreased number of predators or prey, climate change, pollution, or loss of habitat.
9. Carrying capacity: The size of a species’ population that an area can support. Carrying capacities are
impacted by many biotic (living) & abiotic (non-living) factors. Such factors include the availability of
space, quantity of food, quality & quantity of water, oxygen, quantity of predators, environmental
impacts of humans, & competition with other organisms for shared resources. Because all the factors
influencing “carrying capacities” change over time, it follows that “carrying capacities” may also change
over time.
10. Introduce Species: Any living organism that is not indigenous (native) to a given location, but was
intentionally or accidentally introduced by human activity or by natural means. AKA: non-native,
exotic, and non-indigenous.
11. Invasive Species: Any non-native organism that causes environmental and/or economic harm and is
capable of overpopulating if left unmanaged.
12. Classification/classify: A systematic way of grouping living organisms according to their evolutionary or
structural relationships.
13. Vertebrate: Any animal having a backbone, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
They have internal skeletons of bone or cartilage, as well as a nervous system that include a brain and
a spinal cord. They have no more than two pairs of limbs.
14. Invertebrate: Any animal having no backbone, including insects, jellies, and worms. Most animals are
invertebrates.
15. Food Chain: The linear sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an
ecological community or ecosystem. Unlike a food web, food chains do not show all food energy
relationships in an ecosystem, because energy is not simply transferred linearly.
16. Food Web: A complex system of interrelated food chains in a particular ecological community that
visually shows the direction of the flow of energy (arrows point to the organism that energy is
transferred to). In a food web, the Sun provides the energy for plants (producers); plants provide the
energy for herbivores (primary consumers); they provide the energy for other omnivores and carnivores
(secondary consumers); all of the waste materials of producers and consumers (including when they
die) provide the energy for decomposers , often fungi (mushrooms and molds), bacteria, and some
small insects like worms and maggots. Decomposers break down the material and make essential
nutrients available to plants and other organisms.
17. Plankton: Small organisms that float or drift in great numbers in bodies of salt or fresh water. Plankton is
often the first level within a food web.
a. Zooplankton: Animal plankton (either small animals, or reproductive sperm & egg cells)
b. Phytoplankton: Plant plankton.
18. Photosynthesis: The process in green plants (producers) that involve taking the ingredients Carbon
Dioxide, Water, & Sunlight to produce Glucose (energy). During photosynthesis, Carbon Dioxide is
removed from the environment and replaced with Oxygen.
a. Formula: Carbon Dioxide + Water + Sunlight PRODUCES Glucose (Energy) + Oxygen.
19. Producer: A green plant (including microscopic phytoplankton & green algae) that “produces” food
energy within its cell structure (chloroplasts), by means of photosynthesis. Producers are typically the
first level within an ecosystem’s food web.
20. Consumer: An organism (usually an animal) that consumes its food energy by eating other organism
than can be producers, consumers, or both.
21. Decomposer: Organisms, usually “bacteria” & “fungus,” that get their energy by feeding on and breakdown dead plant or animal matter. In the process, “decomposers” return nutrients back into their
ecosystems that are essential for other organisms’ survival. Sometimes animals may be classified as
“decomposers.”
72 The Miracle Fish?
CASE STUDY
Lake Victoria
Melanie L.J. Stiassny
Extinct and endangered Lake Victoria cichlids.
Freshwater ecosystems around the world exist in a complex balance, and most face severe threats.
Prominent among these threats are overharvesting, pollutants (usually washed in from the land),
and the introduction of foreign or exotic species. Today, the combined effect of these three types
of threats has put one of the world’s great ecosystems—Lake Victoria—close to death.
Lake Victoria—called the freshwater heart of Africa—is the world’s largest tropical lake; it covers an area about the size of
Scotland. It was once home to an astonishing diversity—more than 350 species—of cichlid (pronounced “sick-lid”) species found
nowhere else. Although cichlids are small fish, they were a major food resource for millions of people in the three countries
surrounding the lake: Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Popular for home aquariums because of their typically vivid colors, cichlids are almost unique among fish in the way they protect
their newborns from predators. They carry their newly hatched young in their mouths until the fry are large enough to have a good
chance of defending themselves. The drawback of this behavioral adaptation is that it severely limits the number of offspring; in
contrast, typical fish lay thousands of eggs and let them fend for themselves. This limit to the cichlid’s reproduction rate makes
them very vulnerable to overfishing; however, for thousands of years they thrived in Lake Victoria while playing a key role in
keeping the lake’s ecosystem in balance.
Around 1900, the colonial British government established a large fishing industry on the lake. They introduced gill nets, which
allowed larger numbers of cichlids to be caught. For decades the lake was heavily overfished. Simultaneously, more and more local
people began to settle by the lake. As land was cleared for agriculture, soil and fertilizer began washing into the lake in the runoff
from the region’s frequent rains. The fertilizers caused an increase in the population of surface algae. When these died, they sank,
and their decomposition absorbed oxygen, reducing the oxygen available for fish living in deeper layers of the lake.
After undergoing these stresses, the lake’s ecosystem suffered its severest blow of all in 1954—with the introduction of the Nile
perch, a huge, voracious predator. Weighing up to 136 kilograms, the perch were introduced to give the local fishers a bigger fish
to catch. Unfortunately, bigger was definitely not better. The local people had preserved the much smaller cichlids by drying them
in the sun. But the only way they could preserve the much bigger Nile perch was to fry them or smoke them. Ever more forest land
was cleared for the needed firewood, and this additional deforestation increased the harmful runoff into the lake while devastating
the surrounding forest ecosystems.
For reasons not fully understood, the perch population remained small until the late 1970s; then it exploded—largely at the expense
of the cichlids, its prey. In 1978, cichlids were about eighty percent of the biomass—the total mass of living organisms—in Lake
Victoria; the Nile perch then were only about two percent of the biomass. Fewer than ten years later, the Nile perch were more than
eighty percent of the lake’s biomass, while cichlids were a tiny portion of the remaining twenty percent. Today less than one
percent of the mass of fish caught in Lake Victoria comes from cichlids. More than half of the cichlid species may now be extinct
or close to extinction.
The devastation of cichlids has led to drastic changes in Lake Victoria; even the perch’s future is in doubt. The disappearance of
most algae-eating cichlids allowed algae to flourish unchecked; this further depleted the lakes oxygen levels through the process
described above. Today, the Nile perch and most other fish can survive only in a thin region near enough to the surface to receive
sufficient oxygen from the atmosphere. The perch has virtually eaten its way through all its potential prey species except one: a
species of small shrimp that appears to thrive in oxygen-depleted water. How long will the shrimp hold out? No one knows. If the
shrimp goes, the whole ecosystem will collapse; Lake Victoria will die. This would be a catastrophe of enormous proportions. It
could spell famine, or even starvation, for millions of people across East Africa who depend on the lake for their survival.
Although there is no way to exterminate the Nile perch, researchers are looking for ways to stabilize and possibly save the
surviving cichlid populations. In 1993, conservationists introduced a Species Survival Plan for the lake’s cichlids. This plan called
for a widespread educational effort for people who use the lake, cichlid captive breeding programs in the United States and Europe,
further assessments of the status of the remaining wild cichlid populations, and attempts to reintroduce cichlids to the lake in the
future.
Will these attempts be enough to save Lake Victoria? It is too soon to know for sure, but scientists will keep trying.
Super-Fast Evolution?
Certain cichlid fish in Lake Victoria seem to have adapted super-fast to
changing circumstances. Dr. Frans Witte from the Integrative Zoology
section has been awarded an NWO subsidy (approx. € 240,000) to carry
out PhD research into the rapid changes apparent in this fish species.
The gills of cichlid H. pyrrhocephalus seem to have increased in size
since the 1970s.
Super-fast evolution
The cichlid fish in the lakes of East Africa are a classic example of rapid
evolution and extreme adaptation, In Lake Victoria, more than 100,000 to
400,000 species of cichlids have evolved and probably even in a much
shorter period, because there are indications that 14,600 years ago the lake was completely dry.
Nile perch
The cichlid population has suffered heavily in recent decades as a
result of major ecological changes. The Nile perch, a predator
introduced into Lake Victoria in 1954, underwent explosive
growth in numbers in the 1980s. In the same period, algae
flourished, oxygen concentrations and the clarity of the water
reduced and the food chain in the lake also changed.
In 1984 Nile perch were almost the only fish to be caught.
Diversity of species
As a result, the number of cichlids reduced dramatically and the
diversity of species diminished, from more than 500 species to just
250. Intensive fishing in the 1990s meant that the Nile perch
population again fell and some cichlid species recovered. Species which lived in shallow water
close to the banks of Lake Victoria, where the Nile perch was not found, managed to survive,
while the majority of the species that lived in open water lost the battle to the Nile perch. A few
species recovered, however, and even flourished.
Adaptation
Frans Witte compared fish caught in 1999 and 2001 with examples of the same species caught in
1977/1978, and discovered differences in the shape of the head, the surface area of the gills, the
size of the eyes, the structure of the retina and a masticatory muscle. This indicates adaptations to
the changed environment within the brief period of just twenty years. He now wants to carry out
further research on this super-fast evolution.
Natural selection
Detailed research on six types of fish is expected to reveal whether the morphological changes
took place gradually or more suddenly, and whether it is indeed a question of adapting to
environmental changes. Data on this has also been collected over the past thirty years. Witte wants
to investigate whether it really is a case of evolution as a result of natural selection, or of
adaptation by individual fish. In the first case the adaption should be visible as a change in DNA.
A catch in 2006 with cichlid species showing recovery.
Factors
The research should also give an insight into the
factors that are decisive in adaptation. Biologists
are currently debating the question of whether the
changes in the cichlid population are caused by
the introduction of the Nile perch, or by other
factors, such as climate change or eutrophication,
that is the greater diversity of food in the waters of
the lake. This last is the consequence of
settlements and fertilization around the lake,
resulting in the growth of algae and the
consequent reduction in oxygen concentration.
The almost yearly series of specimens makes it possible to track the process of adaptation over
time. It is possible to establish what change took place first, which can indicate the importance of
a particular factor. When the first changes in the gills appeared is an indication of changes in
oxygen concentration. A reduction in head size is more likely to indicate the Nile perch as fish
threatened by predators, as such prey often develop a more streamlined head to make it easier to
escape their enemies.
A conclusion on the importance of different factors is again relevant for similar lakes, such as
Lake Malawi. No exotic species are expanding there, but there is evidence of eutrophication and
climate change. The question is whether this could in time lead to the extinction of particular
species.
http://www.news.leiden.edu/news/super-fast-evolution.html
First & Last Name
Date
Period/Subject
72 The Miracle Fish?
Reading, Data Analysis, & Persuasive Writing
Learning Target(s)
o I can identify the “trade-offs” of introducing non-native species into a new environment or
ecosystem.
Vocabulary
1. Systems: Anything that is made up of interrelated parts—if one part of the system is
changed, the whole system will be impacted/changed.
2. Ecology: The study of relationships/interactions between organisms and their environment.
3. Ecologist: Scientists that study the relationships between organisms and their environment.
4. Ecosystem: An ecosystem is a specifically defined area, and it includes all populations living
within that area as well as the nonliving factors they interact with. Ecosystems include
humans, and all of the important nonliving factors such as: water (quality & amount),
habitat (amount & quality of space for living populations), and gasses in atmosphere
and/or aquatic environments (type, quality, & quantity).
Procedure
Work with your group to read and discuss the story of Nile perch in Lake Victoria. Then work
together on your Analysis.
Analysis Do 1-7 and make sure you explain with data & use IQIA if it’s a question!
1. Refer to data in the reading.
2. Refer to data in the figure 2.
5. Connect the Nile perch to the cichlids and algae (they were part of a balanced ecosystem).
6. Write at least one detailed persuasive paragraph that includes data to support opinion. Your
paragraph(s) needs to discuss both the positive and negatives (trade-offs) of your position.
Consider making a “for” / “against” T-Chart.
ADVANTAGES
TRADE-OFFS
 Consider the long-term effects on Lake Victoria’s ecosystem--Living factors: people,
cichlids, Nile perch, algae (was eaten [controlled] by cichlids—now oxygen depleted deadzones) & nonliving factors: oxygen level in water, quality of water (effect of large
commercial fishing boats—gasoline/oil, pollution…).
 Consider the quality of life for people—working for themselves to provide food for their
families as well as profits from selling in local markets (independent) vs. working for
company for money so that they can earn money to provide for family (dependent). Excess
fish sold/exported to neighboring countries can bring in money to modernize towns around
Lake Victoria.
Homework Finish Activity!
Name____________________________________________________ Date___________________ Period_____ Score_____________
Nature: Invasion of the Giant Pythons (and other species)
Navigate to PBS to watch video from home: http://video.pbs.org/video/1411970145/
Answer questions using IQIA
1) Give two of the ways that pythons and other introduced/exotic/non-native species have been freed in Florida?
a.
b.
2) How many miles can snakes swim?
3) How long can snakes hold their breath?
4) Why is the snake attracted to the red balloon with warm water in it?
5) How many rows of teeth do Burmese pythons have? (top and bottom)
6) Why are ecologists worried about the Eastern Indigo Snake?
7) Explain what determines the predator advantage between pythons and alligators!
a.
b.
8) What other animals are on a python’s menu?
9) How is the endangered American Crocodile at greater risk because of the introduced Nile Monitor?
10) Why are ecologists concerned about the wood rat?
11) How many other exotic species have been introduced into Florida?
12) What is the Pet Amnesty Day and why do they have it? (the term amnesty means forgiving past offenses)
13) What should all people do with their exotic pets when they no longer want them?
a.
b. Why?
14) After watching, explain two ways that humans are most to blame for causing the extinction of animals.
a.
b.
73 INTRODUCED SPECIES
Learning Target(s)
o I can explain the effect an “introduced species” can have on an ECOSYSTEM.
o I can explain how non-native species are introduced to new ECOSYSTEMS—both
intentionally and unintentionally.
Vocabulary
 Introduced Species: Any living organism that is not indigenous (native) to a given location,
but was intentionally or accidentally introduced by human activity or by natural means.
AKA: non-native, exotic, and non-indigenous.
 Invasive Species: Any non-native organism that causes environmental and/or economic
harm and is capable of spreading if left unmanaged.
 Ecology: The study of relationships/interactions between organisms and their environment.
 Ecologist: Scientists that study the relationships between organisms and their environment.
 Ecosystem: An ecosystem is a specifically defined area, and it includes all populations living within that area as well as the
nonliving factors they interact with. Ecosystems include humans, and all of the important nonliving factors such as:
water (quality & amount), habitat (amount & quality of space for living populations), and gases in atmosphere and/or
aquatic environments (type, quality, & quantity).
Procedure
 Read introduction on page E-10 and then read about the introduced species on pages 12-15.
 Working with your table group and using the class sets of reading material for one of the
eight invasive species in this activity, fill in the information on the “Introduced Species
Information” worksheet. Each group will give a presentation on their introduced species
during the next class.
 If working from home, go to the SEPUP website and click on the links for your species under
Ecology, Activity 73,
 http://www.sepuplhs.org/middle/sali/students/index.html#unitE
 If your reading materials do not include the scientific name and classification, include at least
the scientific name that is italicized in your textbook.

No Analysis!
Classification System
 Kingdom
 Phylum
 Class
 Order
 Family
 Genus
 Species
75 CLASSIFYING ANIMALS
How are the cabinets in your kitchen organized?
Learning Target(s)
o I can explain how & why biologists use a system of classification to group living organisms.
o I can work cooperatively with my classmates: listening & evaluating other’s opinions; sharing my
thoughts & opinions; when disagreeing, doing so respectfully & thoughtfully explaining why using
evidence.
Vocabulary
 Classification/classify: A systematic way of grouping living organisms according to their evolutionary or
structural relationships.
 Vertebrate: Any animal having a backbone, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
They have internal skeletons of bone or cartilage, as well as a nervous system that include a brain and a
spinal cord. They have no more than two pairs of limbs.
 Invertebrate: Any animal having no backbone, including insects, jellies, and worms. Most animals are
invertebrates.
Classification System Mnemonic Device
Kingdom

King
Phylum

Class
Phillip

Order
Came

Family
Over

Genus
For

Species
Green

Soup
Classification of Humans
(Homo-sapiens) FOR the test, know that the “Homo” in Homo sapiens is the “genus.”
 Kingdom

Animal
 Phylum

Chordate
 Subphylum

Vertebrate
(internal skeleton & backbone)
 Class

Mammal
(young fed with milk—mammary glands)
 Order

Primate
(include us, apes, monkeys, & lemurs)
 Family

Hominid
 Genus

Homo
 Species

sapiens
(scientific name = Homo sapiens)
Procedure
Part One: Exploring the Animal Kingdom 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  (6.  ?)
Follow the procedures in the book as well as the additional instruction on this Agenda.
4. You are to come up with a way to group/classify the 18 animals based on their common characteristics.
5. Organize your paper to record this information for each separate group. Describe the common characteristics of the
animals in the group. Record each animal that you put into the group—it’s number and not the name that you think
it is. If we have time, we will do #6.
Part Two: A Biologist’s Perspective 7.  8.  9. 
9. Each of you needs to make a data table to record the scientific classification of each animal as shown in class.
Phylum
Cnidaria
(jellies, anemones &
corals)
Platyhelminthes
(flatworms)
PHYLUM COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
#-Name
Shared / Common Characteristics
1 jelly
radial (like a pizza) symmetry, same opening for mouth &
5 sea anemone
anus, breath through skin, have stinging tentacles, no
9 red fan coral
skeleton or shell
3 tapeworm
bilateral symmetry, same opening for mouth & anus, breath
4 planarian
through skin, no conventional circulatory system
7 flatworm
Annelids
13 bristleworm
17 leech
18 earthworm
Segmented bodies, bilateral symmetry, have digestive tract
with different opening for mouth & anus, circulatory system
Molluscs
6 squid
8 zebra mussel
12 cowrie
Breath through lungs or gills, have digestive system with
different opening for mouth & anus, have soft bodies, have
muscular foot, have a shell or the remnants of a shell.
Arthropods
2 longhorn beetle
11 tiger mosquito
15 shrimp
Segmented bodies, bilateral symmetry, digestive tract,
Chordates
10 Nile perch
14 nutria
16 starling
Have circulatory system, breath through lungs or gills, have
digestive tracts, bilateral symmetry
(segmented worms)
(clams, muscle, octopi,
squid, cuttlefish)
(insects, arachnids,
crustaceans)
(includes vertebrates)
Analysis Complete numbers 1-4 and make sure you explain and use IQIA if it’s a question!
#76 PEOPLE, BIRDS, & BATS
Learning Target(s)
o I can classify the sub-phylum vertebrates into one of five classes (amphibians, birds, bony fish,
mammals, & reptiles) based on descriptions of their characteristics.
Vocabulary
 Exothermic (Cold-blooded) Animals that adjust their body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler
locations. They are not necessarily cold.
 Endothermic (Warm-blooded) Animals that have the ability to regulate their body temperature within
their bodies. They are not necessarily warm.
 Classification A systematic way of grouping organisms according to their structural and genetic relationships.
 Vertebrate Any animal having a backbone, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. They have internal skeletons of bone or
cartilage, as well as a nervous system that INCLUDES a brain and a spinal cord. They have no more than two pairs of limbs.
Procedure 1.  2a.  2b.  2c.  Read the introduction!
 NOTE: The two Analysis questions are not on the last page!
 1, 2A, & 2B: Follow procedures in book.
 For 2C, complete the data table shown below:
o Draw a quick (not perfect) sketch of the animal.
o List all the clues to classifying characteristics followed by the “=” sign, and then state which
characteristic you can infer it has. Some clues are incorrect interpretation of what they see. All
animals are in the Sub-Phylum Vertebrates, so you don’t need to include that it has a backbone.
o Record the class that you believe the animal belongs to considering all the clues. Note: each animal
has at least one characteristic that suggests it belongs to an incorrect class, so be careful.
Student Sheet #76 People, Birds, and Bats
#
1
ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION BY CLASS:
AMPHIBIAN, BIRD, BONY FISH, MAMMAL, & REPTILE
SKETCH
CLASSIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
CLASS
SUNNING ITSELF = COLD BLOODED
HOT & DRY, NOT MOIST = DRY SKIN
STARTED TO BREATH FASTER = LUNGS
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Analysis Complete numbers 1-2 and make sure you explain and use IQIA if it’s a question!
Write answers to procedures?
77 UPS & DOWNS


Remind me to give the answers to the 76 animals and explain their classifying exceptions.
Homework will be to finish what you don’t finish in class because we need all of next class for the owl pellet lab.
Learning Target(s)
 I can use numerical data to make a line graph of zebra mussel population changes in a lake, in order to
make predictions about their future population size.
Vocabulary
 Population A group of organisms of the same species that occupy a specific habitat, community, or other
defined area.
Procedure 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.  7.  8.  Follow the instructions bellow.
Part One: Initial Observations
1. Same as in textbook.
2. Your groups will not divide up the tasks--Everybody does both graphs.
3. Your two graphs are titled and have the years for the X-axis (1959-1969 & 1970-1981).
 You MUST label the X & Y axis correctly & include the correct unit of measurement to avoid
losing points.
4. Plot out data for both graphs and connect the dots to form your two line graphs. Don’t use straight
lines, but instead, round-out the curvature of the lines. On your lined paper: Using IQIA, answer
the two questions shown at the bottom of your worksheet—only once.
Part Two: A More Complete Analysis
5. Discuss each graph with your group, noting the overall population trend for each time period—is the
population increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
6. Same as in textbook.
7. Place your two graphs together by folding the Period Two graph just to the left of the Y-axis
population measurements. Then, match that fold with the right-side of Period One graph--this leaves
space between both graphs to allow for the one year period of time between 1969 & 1979. Lastly,
draw a line to connect the plots between 1968 & 1971.
8. Same as in textbook.
Analysis Complete numbers 1-7 (pages 35-37). Use IQIA and the data as your evidence in your explanations.
1a. There is only room on your graph for up through 1980, so fold it to continue your graph on the back
to cover up to 1985. Then follow instructions in your textbook.
1b.
1c.
2a.
2b.
3. Answer all parts!
4a.
4b.
4c.
5.
6a.
6b. Be sure to label your X & Y axis. When it says “today, the population…has reached as high as
70,000…” “Today” means 2006. Hint, your Y-axis needs to include up to the highest number per
square meter, so if you predict more than 70,000, you need to plan for such.
7.
78 COUGHING UP CLUES
Learning Target(s)
 I can work cooperatively and safely with others.
 I can make qualitative and quantitative observations about an owl’s diet and the health of its ecosystem, by dissecting
an owl pellet.
 I can draw from my observations to construct a food web for owls.
Vocabulary
Sun

Food Chain The linear sequence of the transfer of food energy from
one organism to another in an ecological community or ecosystem.
Unlike a “food web,” “food chains” do not show all food energy
relationships in an ecosystem, because energy is not simply transferred
linearly.
 Food Web A complex system of interrelated food chains in a
particular ecological community that visually shows the direction of
the flow of energy (arrows point to the organism that energy is
transferred to). In a food web, the Sun provides the energy for plants
(producers); plants provide the energy for herbivores (primary
consumers); they provide the energy for other omnivores and carnivores
(secondary consumers); all of the waste materials of producers and
consumers (including when they die) provide the energy for decomposers, often fungi (mushrooms and molds), bacteria, and
some small insects like worms and maggots. Decomposers break down the material and make essential nutrients available
to plants and other organisms.
Procedure 1.  2.  3.  4.  5. 
o Carefully follow instruction in the textbook and agenda—after reading
intro. Remember to check-off steps as you go.
1. Divide pellet so that each member has a piece.
2. Do quickly—you won’t hurt the bones by dismantling the pellet quickly.
3. Quickly!
4. Quickly organize bones into categories, & record your counts for each
category.
5. Sketch quickly & you are not likely to have a complete skeleton.
Analysis Complete numbers 1-3 (pages 41-42).
1.
Answer in a paragraph.
2a. Your food web needs to have pictures, labels, and arrows pointing in the
direction that energy (from food) is being transferred. You will be
adding plants and other animals to your food web in 2b & 2c, so leave
room.
2b. Add insects for the shrews, plants for the voles, and DON’T FORGET to
include the SUN as the energy for plants. Remember to include arrows
and labels.
2c. Add the great horned owl.
3. Your line graph will represent the populations of 3 species, so it will have 3 lines. You should use either 3 different styles
of lines or 3 different colors for your lines.
3a. Draw your second line for voles.
3b. Draw your third line for great horned owls that already lived in that ecosystem. Make a key for your graph.
78 COUGHING UP CLUES
Learning Target(s)
 I can work cooperatively and safely with others.
 I can make qualitative and quantitative observations about an owl’s diet and the health of its ecosystem, by dissecting
an owl pellet.
 I can draw from my observations to construct a food web for owls.
Vocabulary
 Food Chain The linear sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community or
ecosystem. Unlike a “food web,” “food chains” do not show all food energy relationships in an ecosystem, because energy is
not simply transferred linearly.
 Food Web A complex system of interrelated food chains in a
particular ecological community that visually shows the
direction of the flow of energy (arrows point to the organism
that energy is transferred to). In a food web, the Sun provides
the energy for plants (producers); plants provide the energy for
herbivores (primary consumers); they provide the energy for
other omnivores and carnivores (secondary consumers); all of
the waste materials of producers and consumers (including
when they die) provide the energy for decomposers, often fungi
(mushrooms and molds), bacteria, and some small insects like
worms and maggots. Decomposers break down the material
and make essential nutrients available to plants and other
organisms.
Procedure
Analysis Do all! NOT using complete IQIA and/or NOT EXPLAINING = NO POINTS!!!
79 EATING FOR ENERGY
Learning Target(s)
o I can illustrate energy transfers in an ecosystem by constructing & labeling a food web.
o I can explain what consumers and producers are and discuss their roles in ecosystems.
Vocabulary
 Plankton: Small organisms that float or drift in great numbers in bodies of salt or fresh water. Plankton
is often at the bottom of food webs.
o Zooplankton: Animal plankton (either small animals, or reproductive sperm & egg cells)
o Phytoplankton: Plant plankton.
 Photosynthesis: The process in green plants (producers) that involve taking the ingredients CARBON
DIOXIDE, WATER, AND SUNLIGHT to make glucose (sugary food energy). During photosynthesis,
CARBON DIOXIDE is removed from the environment, and OXYGEN is released back into the
environment.
Equation: CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER + SUNLIGHT  GLUCOSE (FOOD) + OXYGEN
 Producer: A green plant (including microscopic phytoplankton & green algae) that “produces” food
energy within cell structure (chloroplasts), by means of “photosynthesis.” Producers are typically the first
level within an ecosystem’s food web.
 Consumer: An organism (usually an animal) that consumes its food energy by eating other organism
than can be producers, consumers, or both.
Stopping To Think Use IQIA & Explain all answers!
1. Make a list of ways they might be spread to another lake.
2. Give lots of thought to this question before answering using IQIA—they are important in many ways.
3. & 4.
a.Using ½ of your page, copy Figure 3 (pictures, arrows, & labels), but add the Sun as the source of
energy for “Producers” & include arrows pointing from the Sun to the producer(s). Identify
“Producers” with a “P” and consumers with a “C.” You will later add the zebra mussel, so leave
room.
b. Follow instructions in your textbook.
c. Provide examples with your explanation. Think before answering!
4. You need to add the zebra mussel to your web and include the arrows for their energy source as well as
arrows showing what they are energy for.
5. Make all three predictions & make sure you provide logical explanations for each.
Analysis Do all! NOT using complete IQIA and/or NOT EXPLAINING = NO POINTS!!!
1. Explain each “cause & effect” relationship for all the organisms. Be detailed and logical with your
explanations. You should give examples of the effects. Remember, in an ecosystem, organisms are
interdependent on each other.
2. Again, be detailed and provide examples.
3. Again, be detailed and provide examples.
Homework Finish Activity!
79 EATING FOR ENERGY & 80 NATURE’S RECYCLERS
Complete both activities on the same paper but separate them with a horizontal line across the
paper and give a title for both sections’ work.
79 EATING FOR ENERGY
Learning Target(s)
o I can illustrate energy transfers in an ecosystem by constructing & labeling a food web.
o I can explain what consumers and producers are and discuss their roles in ecosystems.
Vocabulary




Plankton: Small organisms that float or drift in great numbers in bodies of salt or fresh water. Plankton is often at the
bottom of food webs.
o Zooplankton: Animal plankton (either small animals, or reproductive sperm & egg cells)
o Phytoplankton: Plant plankton.
Photosynthesis: The process in green plants (producers) that involve taking the ingredients CARBON DIOXIDE,
WATER, AND SUNLIGHT to make glucose (sugary food energy). During photosynthesis, CARBON DIOXIDE is
removed from the environment, and OXYGEN is released back into the environment.
Equation: CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER + SUNLIGHT  GLUCOSE (FOOD) + OXYGEN
Producer: A green plant (including microscopic phytoplankton & green algae) that “produces” food energy within cell
structure (chloroplasts), by means of “photosynthesis.” Producers are typically the first level within an ecosystem’s food
web.
Consumer: An organism (usually an animal) that consumes its food energy by eating other organism than can be
producers, consumers, or both.
Stopping To Think Use IQIA & Explain all answers!
Analysis Do all! NOT using complete IQIA and/or NOT EXPLAINING = NO POINTS!!!
Homework Finish Activity!
80 NATURE’S RECYCLERS
Instructions
 Read & discuss the introduction with your group.
 The nematode lab does not cover concepts that will be on the test, so we are not doing the lab,
which simply has you look at nematodes (very small worms that are found in soil) with a
microscope.
 Complete all of the Analysis. The lab is not required in order to complete the Analysis.
Vocabulary
 Decomposer: Organisms, usually “bacteria” & “fungus,” that get their energy by feeding on and break-down
dead plant or animal matter. In the process, “decomposers” return nutrients back into their ecosystems
that are essential for other organisms’ survival. Sometimes animals may be classified as “decomposers.”
Analysis Do all! NOT using complete IQIA and/or NOT EXPLAINING = NO POINTS!!!
Homework Finish Activity!
80 NATURE’S RECYCLERS
Instructions
 Read & discuss the introduction with your group.
 The nematode lab does not cover concepts that will be on the test, so we are not doing the lab,
which simply has you look at nematodes (very small worms that are found in soil) with a
microscope.
 Complete all of the Analysis. The lab is not required in order to complete the Analysis.
Vocabulary
 Decomposer: Organisms, usually “bacteria” & “fungus,” that get their energy by feeding on and break-down
dead plant or animal matter. In the process, “decomposers” return nutrients back into their ecosystems
that are essential for other organisms’ survival. Sometimes animals may be classified as “decomposers.”
Analysis Do all! NOT using complete IQIA and/or NOT EXPLAINING = NO POINTS!!!
Homework Finish Activity!
81 A PRODUCERS SOURCE OF ENERGY - 82 THE CELLS OF PRODUCERS
& 83 A SUITABLE HABITAT
Instructions:
 Write out your Vocabulary terms.
Vocabulary
 Producer: A green plant (including microscopic phytoplankton & green algae) that “produces” food energy within cell
structure (chloroplasts), by means of “photosynthesis.” Producers are typically the first level within an ecosystem’s food web.
 Photosynthesis: The process in green plants (producers) that involve taking the ingredients CARBON DIOXIDE, WATER,
AND SUNLIGHT to make glucose (sugary food energy). During photosynthesis, CARBON DIOXIDE is removed from the
environment, and OXYGEN is released back into the environment.
Equation: CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER + SUNLIGHT  GLUCOSE (FOOD) + OXYGEN
 Habitat: The type of location / environment where a specific organism lives. Specific organisms require certain types and
quantities of living “biotic” & non-living “abiotic” factors for them to survive, and such requirements define their specific
habitat(s) / types of location where they can live.
 Read & discuss the introduction of Activities 81 and 82 with your group.
 Do the following 82-Analysis items following the below instructions.
82-Analysis
#1. Draw and label Figure 2: Plant Cell.
#2. Skip!
#3. Draw and label Figure 3: An Animal Cell.
#3a. Answer using IQIA.
#3b. Begin your answer by writing, “Based on the above drawings, I would expect to find the following
structures in both plant and animal cell:” and then list the structures bellow the statement using
bullets. Example:
Based on the above drawings, I would expect to find the following structures in both
plant and animal cell:
 Nucleus
 Mitochondria
 Cell membrane
 Cytoplasm
#3c. Begin your answer by writing, “Based on my comparison of the above drawings, the structures within
a plant cell that I think are the most important in food production are the _______________.”
#4. Skip!
#5a. Answer using IQIA.
#5b. Skip!
#5c. Answer using IQIA. Hint: They are the green structures that make some parts of plants green.
#6a. Answer using IQIA.
#6b. Answer using IQIA.
 Read & discuss the introduction of Activities 83 with your group.
83-Analysis Complete numbers 2 and 4 only, make sure you explain and use IQIA.
83 A Suitable Habitat
Activity Outline
o Make sure you indent correctly and put frames around Subtitles and any Sub-sub titles.
o Write out your vocabulary.
o Read the intro to activity 83.
o Do only #2 & #4 in the Analysis.
o Homework: Without taking home your Science Notebook, finish the assignmentat home on lined paper. You can glue it into
your Science Notebook when back in class. Remember that the textbook pages are on my website, or you can check-out a
book from Mrs. Coley.
o Unit Test: The test will be on Friday, 5/7/10, and it will have 36 multiple choice questions.
Vocabulary

Habitat: The type of location / environment where a specific organism lives. Specific organisms require certain types and
quantities of living “biotic” & non-living “abiotic” factors for them to survive, and such requirements define their specific
habitat(s) / types of location where they can live.
Procedure No Procedure!
Analysis Do only 2 & 4, making sure you provide logical explanations & use IQIA!
84 Clam Catch & 85: Is There Room for One More?
Complete both activities on the same paper but separate them with a horizontal line across the
paper and give a title for both sections’ work.
The Unit Test will be on Monday!
84 Clam Catch
Activity 84 Instructions
o Write out your vocabulary.
o Read the introduction to activity 84.
o Skip the Procedures.
o Do only Analysis 5a & 5b.
Vocabulary
 Population A group of organisms of the same species that occupy a specific habitat, community,
or other defined area.
Analysis Do only 5a & 5b, making sure you provide logical explanations & use IQIA!
85: Is There Room for One More?
Learning Target(s)
o I can explain the meaning of “carrying capacity” and also explain the types of “biotic” and
“abiotic” factors that may affect “carrying capacity.”
o I can analyze and interpret population line graphs to answer questions about a lake’s
“carrying capacity” of zebra mussels.
Vocabulary
 Carrying capacity: The size of a species’ population that an area can support. Carrying
capacities are impacted by many “biotic” (living) & “abiotic” (non-living) factors. Such
factors would include the availability of space, quantity of food, quality & quantity of
water, oxygen, quantity of predators, environmental impacts of humans, & competition
with other organisms for shared resources. Because all factors that influence “carrying
capacities” change over time, “carrying capacities” also change over time.
 Habitat: The type of location / environment where specific organism can live based on
certain types and quantities of living “biotic” & non-living “abiotic” factors. Factors such
as the amount and type of water, surrounding temperature, and types of vegetation that
organisms require, define their habitat.
Stopping to Think (1-4) Write logical explanations & use IQIA!
STT 1a)
STT 1b)
STT 2a)
STT 2b)
STT 3a)
STT 3b)
STT 3c)
STT 3d)
STT 4)
Analysis Do 1a, 1b, 1c, & 2 only, making sure you provide logical explanations & use IQIA!
85: Is There Room for One More?
Learning Target(s)
o I can explain the meaning of “carrying capacity” and also explain the types of “biotic” and “abiotic” factors that may affect
“carrying capacity.”
o I can analyze and interpret population line graphs to answer questions about a lake’s “carrying capacity” of zebra
mussels.
Vocabulary


Carrying capacity: The size of a species’ population that an area can support. Carrying capacities are impacted by many
“biotic” (living) & “abiotic” (non-living) factors. Such factors would include the availability of space, quantity of food,
quality & quantity of water, oxygen, quantity of predators, environmental impacts of humans, & competition with other
organisms for shared resources. Because all factors that influence “carrying capacities” change over time, “carrying
capacities” also change over time.
Habitat: The type of location / environment where specific organism can live based on certain types and quantities of living
“biotic” & non-living “abiotic” factors. Factors such as the amount and type of water, surrounding temperatures, and
types of vegetation that organisms require, define their habitat.
Stopping to Think (1-4) Write logical explanations & use IQIA!
STT 1a)
STT 1b)
STT 2a)
STT 2b)
STT 3a)
STT 3b)
STT 3c)
STT 3d)
STT 4)
Analysis Do 1a, 1b, 1c, & 2 only, making sure you provide logical explanations & use IQIA!
Activity 85: Is There Room For One More?
Type your answers to the questions in the space below.
1a.
1b.
1c.
2.
3.
4.
# 87: Too Many Mussels?
4/15 & 4/18
Up to 5 extra credit points will be given for a well written paragraph that includes evidence from the unit to
support your position.
Learning Target(s)
o I can evaluate different suggested strategies for dealing with a problematic introduced & invasive
species, and then explain the “trade-offs” of each.
Procedure Read E80-E83
Analysis Do the Analysis by writing a persuassive paragraph (minimum five sentences).
o Make sure you use evidence (logos) to support your opinion.