Page 1 Ecology Part I Principles of Ecology: Communities, Biomes and Ecosystems Name: __________________________________________________________________ Date Classwork Homework Wed 4/16 Notes on Principles of Ecology Read Ch 2.1 and answer questions Thurs 4/17 Finish Notes (through Nutrient Cycles) Read Ch 2.2 and answer questions Spring Break Wed 4/23 Introduce Nutrient Cycle Activity Day 1 Read Ch 2.3 and answer questions Thurs 4/24 Nutrient Cycle Activity Work Day 2 Finish Nutrient Cycle Activity Fri 4/25 Nutrient Cycle Poster Day Succession Worksheet (pages 15-16) Ecology Article: Ecological Changes Linked to Wolves Read and answer questions Finish Worksheet and Article Questions Mon 4/28 Notes – Communities, Biomes and Ecosystems Read Ch 3.1 and answer questions Study for Quiz on Nutrient Cycles Tues 4/29 Quiz Nutrient Cycles Finish Notes, if needed Ecology Review Worksheets (not in packet) Read Ch 3.2 and answer questions Finish worksheets Wed 4/30 Go over questions on Ecology Review Worksheets Biome Project Work Day 1 Work on Biome Brochure and PPT Thurs 5/1 Biome Project Work Day 2 Work on Biome Brochure and PPT Fri 5/2 Review For Test / Biome Project Work Day 3 Mon 5/5 Biome Project Presentations Tues 5/6 Finish Biome Project Presentations Questions on Study Guide? Study for Exam Wed 5/7 Ecology Part I Test/ Packet Due Grading Rubric Worksheet Possible Points Your Points Reading Questions 30 PowerPoint Notes 20 Nutrient Cycle Organizer 20 Succession Worksheet 10 Succession Article Questions 10 Biome Brochure/Presentation Graded separately, See Rubric Biome Graphic Organizer 20 Total
1. Gather needed materials: poster board, markers, paper, etc. 2. Research your nutrient.
a. Begin with your text book in your packet. b. Then go to the internet for more information
3. Research human impacts on your nutrient 4. Draw your nutrients cycle on your poster
a. Your drawing must be: i. Accurate
ii. Detailed iii. In color iv. Neat and Creative
b. Human impacts on your nutrient cycle 5. Prepare information to explain the process of your nutrient cycle. All group members should
understand how it works. a. Provide me with a typed sheet of all the information you will discuss. b. Make sure you understand your cycle; if you don’t talk with your teacher.
6. Presentation: a. Your poster will be displayed in the classroom. b. It must be able to stand alone. c. Students must be able to obtain all necessary information from the poster.
Rubric:
1 point 3 points 5 points Participation Day 1: ______ Day 2: ______
• Little participation • Little was accomplished
• Your group need extra encouragement to work
• Only some information was obtained
• Your group started working immediately
• Your teacher only had to help you with the project
Poster: Cycle
• Cycle is not complete • Cycle is not accurate
• Cycle is complete but is not detailed, in color or creative
• Cycle is accurate, detailed, neat, and creative
Poster: Human Impact
• There is little or no evidence of a human impact
• Human impact is not accurate
• Human impact portion is complete but is not detailed, in color or creative
• Human impact portion is accurate, detailed, neat, and creative
Page 14
Nutrient Cycle Notes
Nutrient Cycle Drawing Information
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
Page 15
Succession Worksheet
Correctly complete the following statements:
1. The process of one community replacing another as a result of biotic or abiotic factors is called _________________________________________________________.
2. The final stable state of a succession is called the ____________________________ community.
3. The first organism in a succession is called the __________________________________.
4. Which organisms would most likely be the pioneer organisms on a newly formed volcanic island? a. Conifers b. Lichens
c. Deciduous trees d. Tall grasses
5. Starting on bare rock, what is the usual ecological succession of organisms?
a. Lichen grasses shrubs trees b. Grasses shrubs lichens trees c. Lichens shrubs grasses trees d. Shrubs grasses lichens trees
6. Which statement concerning the climax stage of an ecological succession is correct?
a. It is the first community to inhabit an area. b. It consists entirely of plants. c. It persists until the environment changes. d. It changes rapidly.
Base your answers to questions 7 and 8 on the chart and your knowledge of Biology.
Stage Dominant Flora A None (freshly plowed land) B Annual Grasses C Various Shrubs D Birch and Cherry Trees E Beech-Maple Forest
7. Which stage represents a pioneer community?
a. A b. B
c. C d. D
e. E
8. Which stage would best represent a climax community?
a. A b. B
c. C d. D
e. E
Page 16
Use the diagram below and your knowledge of Biology to answer questions 9 and 10.
9. What would most likely be the predominant life-form found in stage I? a. Ferns b. Shrubs
c. Trees d. Lichen
10. Stage 4 will persist until it is altered by:
a. A major change in an abiotic or biotic factor b. Seasonal dieback of vegetation c. The reappearance of lichens and mosses d. The growth in diameter of the trees
11. What is a major limiting biotic factor for animal succession in each stage?
a. Plant species b. Sunlight
c. Soil minerals d. Moisture
Use the sequence of diagrams below to answer questions 12 through 14.
12. This sequence or diagrams best illustrates: a. Ecological succession b. Organic evolution
c. The effects of acid rain d. A food chain
13. If no human intervention or natural disaster occurs, by the year 2050, this area will most likely be a:
a. Pond b. Field
c. Forest d. Desert
14. The natural increase in the amount of vegetation from 1840 through 1930 is related to the :
a. Use of pond for fishing b. Increasing amount of sunlight c. Decreasing water depth
d. Increase in number of bottom dwelling organisms
Page 17
News Article: Originally published Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at 12:00 AM
Ecological changes linked to wolves Ten years ago today, the first of eight travel-weary wolves stepped out of its cage and into Yellowstone National Park. Those steps — the first known wolf prints in Yellowstone...
By Warren Cornwall Seattle Times staff reporter Ten years ago today, the first of eight travel-weary wolves stepped out of its cage and into Yellowstone National Park.
Those steps — the first known wolf prints in Yellowstone in decades — created ecological and social currents that are changing the landscape in parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
The return of one of the region's top predators, now numbering up to 900, may be altering everything from elk behavior to tree growth to beaver populations. Ranchers manage their livestock differently, and some face wrenching losses. Hunters now pursue wolf-spooked elk.
The changes offer a glimpse of what the future may hold for parts of Washington, where it's only a matter of time before wolves take up residence, biologists say.
Oregon State University forester Bill Ripple went to Yellowstone National Park in 1997 looking for an answer to the decline in aspen groves there. He emerged with a surprising answer: wolves.
A study of growth rings on the trees showed that the youngest dated to the 1920s, around the time when wolves were eradicated from the park. Ripple hypothesized that the disappearance of the predators emboldened elk, which then ate young, tasty trees with impunity.
He and a colleague followed up with research that found similar age patterns in cottonwood trees, and evidence that willows have had a resurgence in recent years.
"As soon as we get rid of wolves, plants stop flourishing. Soon after we bring wolves back, plants are flourishing again," Ripple said.
If true, it shows how wolves can influence a broad web of plants and animals. Beaver rely on willows for food and songbirds live in aspens and willows, so their populations might rebound. Animals that thrive around beaver dams could get a boost. Already, a part of the park now hosts nine beaver colonies where there was one when the wolves first arrived, said Douglas Smith, the lead wolf researcher at Yellowstone National Park.
The wolf's arrival also has coincided with a 50 percent drop in coyote populations, Smith said. That could help red foxes, which are killed by coyotes. It also could increase populations of rodents eaten by coyotes, a potential boon for hawks that prey on mice.
"We've grown accustomed to what the world looks like without top-level carnivores. Here you've got a place where they're all present, and it looks real different," he said.
Not all scientists are persuaded of the wolf's transformative effect. Duncan Patten, a Montana State University ecologist, said it's hard to separate the wolves from other factors, such as drought and mild winters in recent years. Willows, for example, may be rebounding because there hasn't been a harsh winter forcing elk to dine on the woody brush, he said.
AP A wolf walks through the snow in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where the animals were reintroduced a decade ago. Today, 850 to 900 of the animals roam parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
"There are a lot of things going on," Patten said. "The unfortunate thing is too many people do what I call single-factor ecology and point at the wolves as the only factor."
The fate of elk is also in dispute. The park's biggest herd has fallen from 20,000 to 10,000 since the wolf's return. Smith said wolves are just one factor, along with hunting, grizzly bears and drought.
But the decline has been controversial, as hunters confront a dwindling herd and state officials point to the wolves.
Kurt Alt, a Montana state wildlife manager, said he thinks the wolves are playing a critical role. Still, elk aren't declining in other parts of Montana where wolves aren't as concentrated, Alt said.
Margaret Soulen Hinson doesn't doubt that wolves were responsible for the loss of as many as 300 sheep on her central Idaho ranch last summer.
She, her family and shepherds tried everything from using guard dogs to sleeping overnight on the ground with her sheep to ward off the predators. Eventually, government agents resorted to killing 12 wolves to try to stop the carnage.
"I'll be honest, I think we can live with some wolves. But certainly this past summer was too much in loss and very difficult for everyone. We simply couldn't figure out a way to keep the wolves out of the sheep," she said.
The wolves' quick spread has been a surprise to some. In 1995, the only known packs in the western United States lived in the remote northwestern corner of Montana. The animals were listed under the Endangered Species Act.
That year, in a move that drew furious opposition from ranchers and state officials in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the federal government began releasing Canadian wolves in Yellowstone and central Idaho, eventually introducing 66 animals.
"When we put those wolves in, we thought it would take a few years before we had reproduction, and they proved us wrong because we had pups that first year," said Joe Fontaine, assistant recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has overseen wolf reintroduction.
Today, between 850 and 900 roam parts of those three states, Fontaine said. The wolf soon could be dropped from the Endangered Species list, if an agreement is reached with Wyoming over how the state would manage the animals. Environmentalists are guardedly optimistic about the future of wolves in those three states. But they have sued the federal government to keep federal protection for wolves that venture into other states, including Washington.
How this will play out in Washington depends partly on what the wolves do, and whether they thrive in a more populous state with fewer stretches of uninterrupted wilderness.
Wolves once lived across much of Washington but had been largely eradicated by the 1930s. A lone radio-collared wolf coming from Montana passed through the state's northeastern corner in 2002, before continuing to Canada.
Washington wildlife officials point to the eastern edge of the state, around the Selkirk Mountains to the north or the Blue Mountains to the south, as likely places for wolf packs to become established. The Cascade Mountains are another potential spot.
Jere Dennis, a rancher in northeastern Pend Oreille County, is convinced he's already living with wolves. Twice he's seen what he says was a wolf near where he grazes cattle.
"If they don't increase any more from what they are right now, I think we can live with it. If they get to bringing them in and the numbers increase, sure, we're going to have problems with them," he said.
Page 19
Washington state officials are preparing for their eventual arrival by meeting with federal officials to craft rules governing what to do if a wolf is spotted or starts preying on livestock.
But they haven't started the often contentious process of creating a statewide plan for how to manage them — a process that could trigger many of the same debates that preceded those first wolves in Yellowstone a decade ago.
1. How is the reappearance of wolves changing the ecological landscape of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana?
2. How do those changes prove that the appearance (or disappearance) of one animal species can greatly alter a wide range of plants and other animals? Explain the effect on all the native species in the area.
3. Explain why some scientists don’t agree that the changes are caused by the wolves.
4. Why don’t residents want the wolf populations to keep increasing?
5. How does this article relate to what we are learning about in this ecology unit?
Biome Travel Seminar You have been invited to give a presentation at a travel seminar! At the seminar you (and your group) will present information about a biome to your colleges. You must have a visual prestnation in the form of a PowerPoint and a tri-fold brochure. Both should be informative and visually exciting. The idea of the project is to get people to want to visit your biome. Brochure Requirements:
• Must be on a sheet of 8.5 x 11” unlined paper folded into three sections. • The front cover should have a title and include the name of the biome. All other sides must include
information. Written information and pictures/drawings must cover at least 75% of each side. • You must include all of the major information about your biome:
o Locations o Climate - amount of precipitation and average temperatures o Types of plants and animals o Main Agricultural foods o Ecological problems/threats o Anything interesting! You should make the biome sound attractive and make people want to
visit it! • You may use a computer to create the brochure and included downloaded pictures.
o I do NOT have a color printer! o You may also hand write and draw pictures or cut images from magazines. It’s up to you!
• Your names must appear on the brochure • Remember, this is a travel brochure-if you don’t make it informative and attractive, I won’t want to
visit. If I don’t want to visit your biome you won’t get a good grade! PowerPoint Guidelines:
• Include all of the information in on your data sheet. o Brochure and presentation should be cohesive o Make your biome an interesting place to visit!
• PowerPoint should be organized, neat, and easy to follow. • Be creative!! • Upload your presentation to your teacher’s S-drive by: _____________________________
o The file should be labeled with the first period of your class followed by your biome followed by your initials; example: 1DesertsTB 3TiagaKC 17MarineKL
• All group members must speak equally. Each member of your group should have a copy of the presentation. You will receive a ZERO if I
hear that someone else has the presentation so you can’t work on it. o You cannot call or text a friend from class to get their password and username o I will not give you someone’s password or username o E-mail each step before class is over o Bring in a thumb drive and save it before the class is over
**USE THE RUBRIC AS A GUIDELINE!!**
Page 21
PowerPoint Presentation Rubric:
Brochure Grading: Possible Points Points Received Front page summarizes main focus in a headline/catchy slogan and sets theme 2
Uses facts, figures, and examples as support 6 The organization makes it easy to read and understand. All required info about the biome is included 8
Attractive and neat presentation 2 Vocabulary, spelling, and grammar are appropriate and consistent 2 Total points possible 20 Comments:
Presentation Grading Rubric 0 points 1 point 2 points
Location Not in presentation Briefly covered Locations covered in depth
Climate Not in presentation Only Broad climate information Climate covered in depth;
including a look at the biomes seasons
Plants Not in presentation Several species present, little information about adaptations
Important species covered including details about how they
are adapted for survival
Animals Not in presentation Several species present, little information about adaptations
Important species covered including details about how they
are adapted for survival
Ag. Foods Not in presentation Foods and country covered but
only minor information about their uses and importance
Foods, country of origin, uses and importance are all covered in
depth
Human Impact/ Threats Not in presentation Briefly covered
Covered in depth, includes how, why, and what we can do to
protect it. PPT Slides in S drive Not in presentation Present, but wrong naming Present and accurately named
Presentation Speaking 1 member presents Unequal speaking but all
members participate Equal speaking
Presentation Display Impossible to read Slides difficult to read from
back of Room Slides easy to read
Presentation Organization Not evident Little planning, planning while in
front of class It is evident that the presentation
was organized ahead of time
Page 22
Biome Chart
Biome Locations Plant Life Animal Life Characteristics/ Agricultural Foods Environmental Issues
Studying the flow of energy in an ecosystem is one way that ecologists learn about the relationships between the different organisms in the ecosystem. Ecologists try to determine how the organisms obtain the energy they need and thereby identify the trophic level of each organism. Most ecosystems are complex, and it is often difficult or impossible to trace all the energy pathways between organisms. Ecologists use models, called food chains and food webs, to help them study the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
Food Chains A simple model of the energy flow in an ecosystem is a food chain. A food chain represents the one-way flow of energy, which starts with an autotroph and moves to heterotrophs. An example of a simple food chain is:
grass -7 rabbit -7 hawk Arrows represent the direction of the energy flow.
Directions
Food Webs More complex and realistic energy flows within ecosystems are modeled by food webs. Because most organisms use n1ore than a single source of food, food webs more closely model the relationships in ecosystems. In the preceding example, rabbits are not the only herbivores that consume grass, and hawks eat other organisms besides rabbits.
In the space below, draw a diagram that shows an example of a food web in a terrestrial ecosystem. The organisms in the ecosystem include the following: fungi, snakes, rabbits, grass, mountain lions, mice, shrubs, seed-eating birds, trees, hawks, bacteria, and deer. Use arrows to represent the flow of energy in this ecosystem. Also indicate the trophic level of each organism: decomposer; autotroph, or heterotroph. Use your text and other resources as references. Be sure to label all the organisms in the food web, as well as their trophic levels.
Unit 1 CHAPTER 2 Principles of Ecology 47
Name ____________________ Date ________ Class ____ _
/~ ::\ CHAPTER 2
i Concept • · .. Organisms and Energy i Mappmg -· -----------
Complete the Venn diagram about how organisms get energy. These terms may be used more than once: are described by their energy source, carnivores, consumers, detritivores, form the base of all ecological pyramids, herbivores, make organic molecules from inorganic molecules, part of food chains and food webs, producers, some absorb nutrients from dead organisms, some eat other organisms.
1. Autotrophs
plants and other photosynthetic organisms
48 Principles of Ecology CHAPTER 2
3. Heterotrophs
2. Both
Unit 1
Name--------------------- Date _________ Class ___ _
CHAPTER 2
Study Guide Section 1: Organisms and Their Relationships
In your textbook, read about ecology.
Read each statement. If it describes the study of ecology, write yes. If not, write no.
1. Ecology is the study of interactions among organisms.
2. Ecologists mainly study green plants.
3. Most experiments in ecology are quick and done in a Jab.
4. Models help ecologists control the many variables in their studies.
In your textbook, read about the biosphere and levels of organization.
Match the definition in Column A with the term in Column B.
Column A
5. made up of individual organisms of the same species
6. all nonliving things in an environment
7. made up of the organisms and nonliving things in an area
8. portion of Earth that supports life
9. all living organisms in an environn1ent
A.
B.
c.
D.
E.
In your textbook, read about the ecosystem interactions and community interactions.
Complete the table by checking the correct column(s) for each interaction.
