NATURE UNBOUND
LESSON 1 – WHAT IS ECOLOGY
Conservation
Mr. Dieckhoff
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THIS PICTURE?
(WRITE DOWN AT LEAST 5 – BE CREATIVE)

Missouri Grassland
near Nevada, MO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THIS PICTURE?
(WRITE DOWN AT LEAST 5 – BE CREATIVE)

Missouri River near
Lexington, MO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THIS PICTURE?
(WRITE DOWN AT LEAST 5 – BE CREATIVE)

Mark Twain National
Forest, Southeast MO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ECOLOGY

Ecology –

Divided into:
Biotic –
 Examples:
 Abiotic –
 Examples:


Atoms-Molecules-Organelles-Cells-Tissues-OrgansOrganisms-PopulationCommunity-Ecosystem-Biosphere
WHAT ARE THE BIOTIC (UNDERLINE) AND ABIOTIC (BOLD)
ITEMS IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES (PG 4, PARAGRAPH
2)
Muskrats and cattails both need water to survive. If a wetland
dries up, cattails in the wetland soon die, and muskrats leave
the wetland to look for new homes. In turn, living things can
influence properties of water. Muskrats use plants, such as
cattails, for food and to build their houses. In doing so,
muskrats remove patches of vegetation and create areas of
open water. With less vegetation to restrict air flow, more
oxygen is mixed into the water when wind causes waves.
Removing vegetation also removes shade, allowing sunlight to
penetrate the water, increasing its temperature.
ORGANISMS:

All Need
1.
2.

How does Cattail, Muskrat, and Mink get energy)

Minerals, Protein, Vitamins
3.
4.

Adaptations to Space (Muskrat)
 Dense coat of fur, waterproof, buoyant, webbed hind feet,
flattened tail for rudder, can reduce heart rate, store
oxygen, tolerate high levels of carbon dioxide, stay
underwater for 17 minutes
VIDEOS

Muskrat


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mj36HTIJFY
Mink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5ss_YIVbI
POPULATIONS

Definition:

Boundaries are determined by

Population Size –
+ births
+ immigration
- deaths
- emigration


Study to help
Webquest – what is the typical
population size of one of the mink’s
largest predator’s in northern Missouri?
COMMUNITIES

Definition:

Tied together by:
1.


Muskrat feed on cattails
Mink feed on muskrat kits
2.


Plants compete for sunlight (why grass is taller next to
unmowed grass)
Songbirds compete for nesting sites
3.

Ducks eat smartweed & its seeds
 Some seeds pass through digestive system to get
distributed over other areas
ECOSYSTEMS
Definition:
 What kind of ecosystem is this?

BIOSPHERE
Definition:
 Layer that supports all living things
 5.5 miles below sea to 3.5 miles above sea level

ECOLOGISTS
Develop hypothesis –
 Independent Variable –
 Dependent Variable –
 Experimental Group –
 Control Group –

HOW WOULD YOU SET UP EXPERIMENT:
In the early 1980s, ecologists began observing a
sharp decline in populations of birds nesting in
large tracts of forest. From previous studies, most
ecologists believed the decline was connected to
habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation
occurs when large, continuous blocks of habitat are
broken up into smaller portions when land is
cleared to build roads, subdivisions or crop fields.
John Faaborg and Rick Clawson, two ecologists in
Missouri, noticed that large forests in the Ozarks
were being fragmented when trees were cut for
timber. These observations led them to ask the
question: Are forest birds affected by timber
harvests?
CONSERVATION


Gifford Pinchot vs. Aldo Leopold
Using page 12 of the Chapter, answer the
following questions:

What do Pinchot’s and Leopold’s idea of conservation
have in common?

How do Pinchot’s and Leopold’s idea of conservation
differ?
CONCLUSION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ecology
Organisms
Populations
Communities
Ecosystems
Biosphere
What Ecologist Do
Conservation