AP Biology Summer Assignment 2015
Verona High School
Instructor: Mr. Harris
Email: charris@veronaschools.com
Congratulations on registering for AP Biology! I look forward to having you next year in
what will prove to be a challenging and rewarding class. Your summer assignment is
designed to get you involved in scientific fieldwork and analysis, as well as to prepare you
for an exam on the ecology unit of your textbook, Biology by Sylvia S. Mader. The exam will
take place during the first week of school and cover the information in Part VIII: Behavior
and Ecology (pages 818-939). There will be more information too come about this exam
and your preparation for it.
To get a head start on the variety of topics covered by the AP exam, I suggest you explore
some important resources over the summer. First, buy an AP Biology prep book. Princeton
Review, Barron’s, 5 steps to a 5 and Kaplan are all very respected sources. You should also
follow the “Bozemanbiology” youtube channel and start watching some of those short
videos. These two steps are not part of your summer assignment grade, but they are
strongly encouraged.
Your summer assignment is to perform an ecosystem analysis. This will be worth a quiz
grade, so it is vital that you complete it to the very best of your ability. Keep in mind that
this will be the very first work I see from you, and first impressions go a long way. Feel free
to reach out to me via email with any questions or concerns you have over the course of the
summer.
Ecosystem Analysis
Fieldwork: Conduct a series of observations in an ecosystem of your choice. Visit your
chosen ecosystem at least four times. At each visit, record your observations in a field
notebook.
Final products: You will turn in your field notes along with a typed report that responds to
all ecosystem analysis questions. Both pieces of work are due on September 4th.
Choosing an ecosystem:
An ecosystem is a biological community plus the non-living environment it inhabits, and it
can vary in size. The entire side of a mountain could be considered a single ecosystem, as
could a rotting log in the woods. Think toward the smaller end of the scale when picking
your site, as a large ecosystem would make the task more time consuming, but consider that
choosing an area too small might make certain aspects of the assignment difficult. Think
carefully about the analysis questions you will be answering before choosing a site. Your
ecosystem can be in a park or forest, on or near a beach or pond, in your own backyard, or
literally anywhere else. You could even pick an urban area, but again, think carefully about
what you’re being asked to do before choosing a site.
Ecosystem visits:
You will perform a minimum of four 30-minute observations of your ecosystem between
now and September 3th, so the area should be readily accessible to you. Ideally, the first
observation will happen in June or early July, the second and third from mid-July to early
August, and the fourth in the middle of August. This will allow you to gain perspective on
any changes that take place at your site over the summer. Performing more than four visits
is certainly encouraged, and can increase your grade, as demonstrating a curiosity and
interest in what you’re working on is important. In fact, four visits may not provide you
with all the data you will need. If summer travel plans conflict with my proposed
observation schedule, contact me.
Keeping a field notebook
Each time you visit your site, record the date and time, and make notes about sounds,
smells, and sights. Read through the analysis questions below carefully before beginning
your work, as this notebook is essentially your place to take the notes you will later write up
as your final report. In addition to collecting the notes for your ecosystem analysis, write
about anything else that you find interesting. Describe the weather. How might the weather
be affecting the ecosystem? Try to figure out how many different birdcalls you hear, and
make a note if you hear none. Describe anything that has changed in your ecosystem from
the last visit. Be creative and let your observations lead you to ideas of what to log in the
notebook, but keep your writing based on observations, not on personal reflection.
There is no required length for each entry, but again, you will need to collect enough data to
answer all the ecosystem analysis questions, so your entries cannot be sparse. Feel free to
type up your ecosystem log if you prefer, but handwritten, journal-style notes are what is
intended for this part of your summer assignment.
Ecosystem Analysis Questions - These are the questions that you will type up as your final
report. Include a photo of your ecosystem in this word document.
A. Classify your ecosystem. State where your ecosystem is located (state and town at least)
and identify it by name from the list given below, or suggest a different term based on your
own research. Your site may likely be a combination of two or more names. Explain what
factors led you to the pick the name/s that you did.
- Deciduous forest
- Tidal pool (could be challenging)
- Coniferous forest
- Saltwater marsh
- Freshwater ecosystem: stream,
- Estuary
river, pond, lake, marsh, swamp,
- Field
bog, fen
- Lawn/garden
- Shallow ocean
- Urban
- Beach
B. Describe the ecosystem. Why did you pick it? How large is the area? What are some of the
main elements or features of it? Give a general impression of what plants and animals exist
within the ecosystem. What are some of the main factors (natural or man made) you think might
affect this ecosystem? Add anything else that you think will give an informative overview of the
area you chose.
C. Throughout the summer, compile a list of every living species that inhabits, uses resources
from, or simply passes through your ecosystem. I’ve listed several resources at the end of this
info packet to assist you with flora and fauna identification.
-
When possible, list the common and scientific name of the species.
If applicable, list any non-native plants in your ecosystem. Perform some research to
determine if this species is any sort of threat to the other native plants or animals
around it.
If there are any organisms you fail to identify, describe them (if possible add a photo
in the word document), and say who you think they might be related to and why.
D. Describe any evidence of animal presence that you see. This might include scat (droppings),
tracks, burrows, markings, etc. See identification resources at the end of this info packet.
E. Describe the niche of three species from your ecosystem. An organism’s niche refers to the
resources it uses and how it uses them. Descriptions of niche might include the organism’s range,
the food it eats, what eats it, how/where it builds shelter, other organisms it interacts with, etc.
While not technically a characteristic of niche, you should also describe behaviors of the
organism here. It would be great to draw purely upon observation, but this task will most likely
involve your own research about the organisms.
F. Create a realistic food web for your ecosystem, including at least 5-8 species from your
ecosystem.
G. Describe any human threats to your ecosystem that are evident to you during your visits.
Evaluate how this threat might be affecting plants and animals in your ecosystem. What
pollutants, if any, does this threat potentially introduce into your ecosystem? Consider whether
any roadways are nearby, which could increase salt levels in the soil, for example. Is there any
evidence of an impact on the organisms in the area?
H. Develop a research question to answer with a natural experiment conducted at your
ecosystem. A natural experiment is one where the data you collect comes simply from observing
nature, rather than doing a controlled experiment in a lab where you carefully set up
experimental and control groups.
Think about what type of research question would require an experiment simple enough to
accomplish easily but still be interesting. Here are several ideas/examples:
- Does the number of observable species change as the summer progresses?
- Does temperature affect the number of insects observed per square meter?
- Does precipitation affect what the dominant plant species is?
- At what time of day can the most bird songs be heard?
- At what time of day are ants most active?
- Are the leaves of plants in the shade most of the day larger than the leaves of plants
in the sun most of the day?
- Does the phenotype (height, number of flowers, etc) of a plant change the closer it is
to a water source?
- Do more fish feed on insects in the morning or the afternoon?
Write a simple report of your experiment including a null hypothesis, an alternate hypothesis
(your hypothesis) and a procedure that describes your methods. Design a data table to record
the data you collect and write a conclusion stating whether your hypothesis was supported or
refuted
A null hypothesis assumes that there is no difference between the groups you are comparing in
your experiment. Lets say my experimental question is “Is the number of earthworms in the soil
near the road in my ecosystem different from the number of earthworms in the soil far away
from the road?” My hypothesis (sometimes called the alternate hypothesis) might be “The
number of worms per square foot of soil increases with distance from the road”. On the other
hand, the null hypothesis would state that there is no difference in the number of worms found
in the soil in the two locations. In the fall, you will learn a ways to analyze the data you collect in
this experiment so that you know whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. If the null
hypothesis is rejected, that means there is some variable that is, in fact, causing a difference
between your experimental groups.
In order to be able to do a statistical test on your data in the fall, you will need to have data
(duh). So just to be clear, you can keep your report simple over the summer – you do not need to
do any statistical analysis – but you do need to have data that we can analyze together in the fall.
If doing a natural experiment proves difficult for you, I will potentially give you permission to do
more of a controlled experiment instead (meaning setting up experimental and control groups in
more of a lab setting).
Resources for flora and fauna identification (the list below is the tip of the
iceberg. Feel free to use any online or print field guides that you find):
NJ Wild Plant information - http://www.njflora.org/
“What Tree Is That? “ Online:
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/whatTree.cfm?ItemID=E6A
Online field guides: http://www.enature.com/home/
Online dichotomous keys: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Trees
Plant and animal ID: http://www.backyardnature.net/i-ident.htm
There might be some useful information here: http://www2.epa.gov/science-andtechnology/ecosystems-science
Unsurprisingly, there are also a ton of smartphone apps that might help you with this
project. Check out a long list of them at this url:
http://blog.nwf.org/2011/08/the-best-wildlife-and-nature-iphone-and-android-apps/
Books:
-
What Tree Is That? Published by the
Arbor Day Foundation
Trees Published by Smithsonian
Handbooks
Birds of New Jersey by William J
Boyle
A Field Guide to the Pine Barrons of
New Jersey by Howard P. Boyd
Eastern Forests by Ann Sutton
Scat and tracks identification
Scats and Tracks Guide to the Northeast Online:
http://books.google.com/books?id=bkxqRjiTYykC&pg=PR35&dq=northeastern+scat+ident
ification&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KXePU6rYJsGeqAbq3oLYDA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&
q&f=false
Internet center for Wildlife Damage Management (Scat and feces ID):
http://icwdm.org/inspection/Scat.aspx
AP Biology Free Response Questions Index
See the complete questions and scoring rubrics here:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/biology/samp.html
Summer Assignment Rubric
3 – Exceeds standard
(10pts)
2 – Meets standard (8pts)
1 – Below standard (6pts)
Field notebook
Contains more than four
entries that show great
attention to detail. Includes
more than enough
information to answer all
analysis questions, including
observations aligned with the
student’s unique interests.
Contains four entries that
show some attention to detail.
Includes sufficient data to
properly address all analysis
questions.
Contains fewer than four entries, and/or
the entries do not contain enough notes
to properly answer all analysis
questions.
Grammar and
formatting
All analysis questions are
answered and additional
questions for further research
are posed at the end of the
report. Grammar is correct.
Attached pictures help the
reader understand the
analysis. Work is properly
cited.
The ecosystem is classified
correctly and evidence is
given for why the ecosystem
type was chosen.
All analysis questions are
answered. No evidence of
plagiarism is present.
Grammar or punctuation
mistakes are infrequent and
aren’t distracting. Attached
pictures help the reader
understand the analysis. Work
is properly cited.
The ecosystem is classified
correctly and evidence for why
is given, but the term is too
general. For example,
“deciduous forest” instead of
“temperate deciduous forest”
The answer is detailed. The
writing gives the reader a clear
picture of the area and
describes a range of biotic and
abiotic factors.
Some answers are incomplete or contain
evidence of plagiarism. Grammar and
punctuation mistakes are occasionally
distracting.
Several tree species are
identified by scientific name.
Over ½ of the animals
observed are correctly
identified.
It is apparent that the student did not
put forth sufficient effort to identify the
species observed by scientific name – or
– No plants are identified
The niches of three organisms
in the ecosystem are properly
described and are scientifically
accurate. Details of the niche
include most of the following:
food sources, predators,
sheltering behavior, range,
climate preferences, and some
unique behaviors or
adaptations. Shows evidence of
research.
There are fewer than three niches
described or the descriptions lack detail
or contain scientific inaccuracies or
shows no evidence of research.
A. Ecosystem
classification
B. Ecosystem
description
The answer is descriptive and
detailed. The writing gives a
clear picture of the area and
describes a range of biotic and
abiotic factors. In addition to
the question prompts given,
the student describes or
explains unique features of
the chosen area.
C. Species
identification
Nearly all tree species are
identified by scientific name.
Over ¾ of animal speices are
correctly identified. 1-2
examples of scat are identified
and/or accounts of invasive
species are given
The niches of three organisms
in the ecosystem are
described in detail and are
scientifically accurate. Details
of the niche include all of the
following: food sources,
predators, sheltering
behavior, range, climate
preferences, and several
unique behaviors or
adaptations. Shows evidence
of research and observation.
E. Three niches
The ecosystem is classified correctly but
no evidence is given as to why the
ecosystem was classified in this way – or
– the ecosystem is classified incorrectly.
The description lacks detail or doesn’t
give the reader a good idea of what biotic
and abiotic factors affect the ecosystem.
F. Food webs
G. Environmental
threats
H. Research
question
3 – exceeds standard
More than 5-8 species are
included are show
scientifically accurate
relationships. The species
are identified by common
or scientific name. 2nd
level consumers are
present.
The student describes
more than one
environmental threat and
gives evidence for an
observable impact impact
on a species of the
ecosystem. One way to do
this is to compare your
ecosystem to another
where you think the
threat isn’t present and
describe those
differences. Research
beyond observation is
evident.
The research question is
unique and the report
demonstrates strong
knowledge of
experimental design.
The data collected directly
connects to the question
and the conclusion refers
back to whether the
hypothesis is supported
or refuted or if the data is
inconclusive. Sources of
error are suggested.
Questions for further
research are posed.
2 – meets standard
5-8 species are shown
and are scientifically
accurate. The species
are identified by
common or scientific
name. 2nd level
consumers are present.
1 – below standard
Fewer than 5-8 species are
shown on the web, and/or
the web shows scientific
inaccuracies, and/or no
second level consumers are
present.
The student describes
a potential
environmental threat
to the ecosystem but
evidence of how it
damages the
ecosystem is lacking.
Research beyond
observation is evident.
The environmental threat
description is generic and
does not include evidence of
where the specific threat
may come from.
The report
demonstrates
knowledge of
experimental design.
The data collected
directly connects the
question and the
conclusion refers back
to whether the
hypothesis is
supported or refuted
or states if the results
are inconclusive.
The research question is not
unique, is overly simple, or is
too complex to properly
collect data for, or no
conclusion is drawn.