ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT LAB
INTRODUCTION
This lesson serves as a culmination for this series of lessons and an assessment of student
learning. Students demonstrate their understanding of ecosystem structure by creating a well
adapted organism (Option 1) or a unique food web (Option 2). By justifying their designs,
students will show they have learned the material and progressed to applying the concepts in new
situations.
This lesson works well as a follow-up to a field trip experience to an aquarium or local
body of water, but can also be done using your students’ imagination.
OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to communicate the successful components of their organism in terms of its
adaptations to the biotic and abiotic components of their habitat (Option 1), or the complex
predator-prey relationships of their food-web (Option 2).
CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE STANDARDS
4th Grade Life Science
• 2a. Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food
chains.
• 2b. Students know producers and consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and
decomposers) are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for
resources in an ecosystem.
• 3a. Students know ecosystems can be characterized by their living and non-living
components.
• 3b. Students know that in any particular environment, some kinds of plants and animals
survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
4th Grade Investigation and Experimentation
• 6c. Formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships.
BACKGROUND
For information regarding ecosystems, food webs, and coral reef ecology, refer to
the previous lessons.
This is a student inquiry lab where students must apply the background knowledge
gained from previous lessons to tackle a challenge. There are several options for
completing this assessment. You may choose to assign the challenge, or allow your
students to choose.
Michele Kissinger Johnson
Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research Program
MATERIALS
 Paper
 Pencils, colored pencils, markers, or crayons
For Option 1, you may also decide to have students choose different materials to build models of
their organisms. Encourage students to bring items from home they would like to use, but also
provide some other materials for those students that forget to bring their own.
PREPARATION
 Gather art supplies for each student.
 If using the “model” approach for Option 1, start to gather everyday materials early and
designate a place in your room to store them. Ask students, friends, family, and other
teachers to start collecting toilet paper tubes, bottle caps, water bottles, etc.
ACTIVITY (45 minutes)
OPTION 1: The Perfect Organism
 Following a field trip to an aquarium or local body of water, have students reflect on the
organisms they observed and the adaptations they used to cope with sun, waves, predators,
competitors, etc.
o If you are unable to take your students into the field, this task may also be accomplished
using your students’ imaginations. Have them think about the adaptations discussed
throughout this unit.
 Have students draw or build “the perfect organism,” applying the adaptations from animals and
plants discussed during their field trip and previous lessons. Remind students to think about
the many biotic and abiotic factors their organisms should be prepared to handle.
o Use students’ application of adaptations to gauge understanding of the unit’s material.
OPTION 2: Food Web Frenzy
 Following a field trip experience to an aquarium or local body of water, have students reflect
on the organisms they observed and how they were all related.
o If you are unable to take your students into the field, this task may also be accomplished
using your students’ imaginations. Have them to imagine a food web in a familiar
environment.
 Have students draw a food web, linking as many organisms as they can think of. Remind
students to think about the many trophic levels involved in the interactions of a complex food
web.
o Use students’ diagrams to gauge understanding of the unit’s material.
Michele Kissinger Johnson
Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research Program
Name:______________________________ ______________ Date:__________________
__
The Perfect Organism
The Challenge: design the perfect animal or plant with successful adaptations for
the ocean environment.
Design Brainstorm…
List some of the abiotic and biotic environmental factors that could affect the
survival of your organism.
Abiotic factors
_____________________________
Biotic factors
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
Final Organism Design
Choose 3 of the physical adaptations in your design and describe how these
structures help your organism survive.
1. __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Name:______________________________ ______________ Date:__________________
__
Food Web Frenzy
The Challenge: design a food web linking as many organisms as possible.
Design Brainstorm…
List some of the producers and consumers you plan to include in your food web.
Producers
_____________________________
Consumers
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Final Food Web Design
Choose 3 of the Consumers in your food web and list whether they are herbivores,
carnivores, omnivores, or decomposers.
Consumers
Diet
1. ____________________________
______________________________
2. ____________________________
______________________________
3. ____________________________
______________________________