7Environment Next doorTeacher’s guide

CHAPTER

Questions

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8.1 Ecosystems

1. Emma is playing in the garden. When she looks into the pond she can see twelve goldfish swimming around. On a clump of water weed (Elodea) she can see five water beetles. Hidden in one of the three clumps of yellow iris are two frogs. When she tries to catch a frog she disturbs a dragonfly which flies away.

a. Write down the different populations in the pond and their numbers.

Population NumbersGoldfish 12

Water weed (Elodea) A clump

Water beetles 5

Yellow iris Three clumps

Frog 2

Dragonfly 1

b. Use the example above to explain the difference between a habitat and a community.

c. Do the dragonfly and the goldfish compete for living space? Explain your answer.

d. Do the water beetles and the goldfish compete for space? Explain your answer.

The habitat is the non-living part of an ecosystem, in this example

the habitat is the water in the pond. The community is the living

part, so all the organisms mentioned in question ‘a’.

No, they both live in different parts of the pond. The fish lives in the

water and the dragonfly lives above the water.

Yes, both live in the same pond, under water.

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2. Below you can see 6 pictures of organisms on the left and 6 pictures of habitats on the right. Draw a line from the organism to its matching habitat.

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3. Looking at ecosystems starts with looking at organisms. An ecologist can tell a lot about an ecosystem by just looking at the plants and animals that live there. In this exercise you are going to look at trees in their environment. You are going to make a small report about your findings.

What do you need?• Different trees• Metre stick divided into even units of 10 centimetres• Tape measure• Piece of rope (3 metres) • Marker• Your tree rubbings from chapter 5

What do you have to do?Making rubbings1. Choose 5 different species of tree. Three of the species must be of the

trees you made tree rubbings of.2. Make tree rubbings of the two new species. If you lost your earlier

rubbings, make new ones. If you forgot how to make a rubbing, read exercise 20 in chapter 5 again.

3. Use the tree rubbings to make a dichotomous key. You can find information about a dichotomous key in paragraph 4.8. Make your key on a separate sheet of paper.

Measuring your tree4. Use your metre stick to measure the height of the 5 trees by following

steps 5 to 7 below. Make sure that you stand exactly 5 metres from the base of the tree.

A metre stick

5. Hold the stick 50 cm in front of your eyes. Make sure that the bottom of the metre stick is lined up with the base of the tree. Hold the zero end downwards.

6. Look at the top of the tree without moving your head! Read off the measurement in cm where it crosses the metre stick. Each 10 cm unit is equal one metre of the tree’s height.

7. Is the tree taller than your metre stick will measure? Then double the distance to the tree and stand 10 m away. Hold the metre stick 50 cm in front of you, but double the outcome. If you stand at 15 m, triple it, etc.

8. Measure the diameter of your trees. You measure the diameter at 1.4 metres above the ground.

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9. Wrap the rope around the trunk of the tree.

10. Use the marker to mark the rope where it meets the end of the rope.

11. Measure that piece of rope. 12. For smaller trees you can also

use a tape measure. 13. Write your findings in a table.

Collecting leaves14. Collect a leaf from each tree. 15. Dry this leaf between two sheets of kitchen paper under a heavy

weight (e.g. a stack of books).16. Put the leaf in your report.17. Take a photograph of the different trees for your report.

Writing the report18. Use one sheet of paper per tree.19. You can use the example which you can find on on www.ovdbricks.nl.

Go to biology, volume 1 chapter 7, sources. Open the Word document and save it on your own computer.

4. In this exercise you will look closely at your environment. You will work in groups of 2.

What do you need?• Your workbook• Four sticks of one metre each• Field guide for plants and birds• Binoculars, if available

What do you need to do?1. Go outside with your classmate.2. Look around the school. What do you see? Are there any people

outside? Do you see animals or plants? Tick the boxes below for all the organisms you can see.

People Birds

Mammals Amphibians (also count dogs and cats) (like frogs and toads)

Invertebrates on the ground Invertebrates in a pond

Insects Trees or bushes

Flowering plants Grasses

Fungi

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3. Did you see any organisms that are not on the list? If so, write down what other organisms you saw.

4. What was the nicest thing you saw during your walk around the school? Draw it in the box below.

Answer may vary per student

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5. Write down the names of the organisms you saw during your walk. If you do not know the name, use the field guides.

Name of the organism What kind of organism (plant, mammal, etc)

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6. You have looked at your environment in a very general way. Now you are going to look more closely.

Go to a piece of grassland where several kinds of plants have their habitat. Take the four sticks with you.

Lay the sticks on the ground in a square. Stand outside of the square! Look with your classmate at the various plants growing INSIDE the square. Count the different kinds of plants.

Make a sketch of the situation in the same way as shown in the example.

Example

Each square is 10 x 10 cm

1

3

2

5

4

plant 1

plant 2

plant 3

plant 4

plant 5

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a. How many different kinds of plants did you see in your square?

b. What can an ecologist say about the kinds of plants in an ecosystem after looking at many of these squares?

7. Go to the pavement and pick up a paving stone near the roadside. Look at the whole stone and its surrounding edges. Count the different kinds of organisms on this single paving stone.

A typical Dutch pavement

Number of organisms in total

Number of different plants

Number of different animals

a. You have looked at your immediate school environment. But when you looked more closely at this environment you saw at least two other environments. Which two?

b. Were you surprised about your findings in question 6 and 7? Explain your answer.

Answer may vary per student

What kind of ecosystem it is. Knowing what plants are found in an

environment can even tell an ecologist what kinds of animals and

what kind of soil must be present.

Pavement and a piece of grassland

Answer may vary per student

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5. Write down the way in which the following abiotic factors can influence organisms.

(Sun)light:

Water:

Temperature:

Soil:

Air:

Light is important for plants. They use it to produce glucose

(photosynthesis). Light also controls the biorhythm of a lot of

animals. Think of birds that migrate south when the days become

shorter or chickens that go to sleep when it gets dark.

All organisms need water to survive. Some organisms also need

water as their habitat.

Some seeds need a certain temperature to germinate. Temperature

is also important for the growth speed of plants.

Soil contains nutrients that plants use for growing and staying alive.

Plants can anchor themselves in the soil. Some animals live in the

soil.

Contains oxygen which is needed by all organisms. It also contains

carbon dioxide which plants use for photosynthesis.

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6. In your textbook your can read about several examples of biotic factors. Write down another example of a biotic factor.

7. Which of the follow terms would include all the places where organisms live on Earth?

A. ecosystem B. habitat C. biosphere D. community

8. Which of the following is an example of a community?

A. all the red deer in a forest B. all the trees, soil and water in a forest C. all the plants and animals in a wetland D. all the bulrushes in a wetland

9. Which of these levels of organisation includes all the other levels?

A. community B. ecosystem C. individual D. population

10. Put each of the words below in the correct column of the table:

Ecosystem Community Habitat Populationdesert fish seawater teachers in a

school

ocean flowers sand flock of doves

city birds rock patch of dandelions

forest insects tile pack of wolves

heath roof herd of deer

soil

Choose from:desert, flowers, seawater, teachers in a school, flock of doves, teachers, fish, city, soil, sand, tile, patch of dandelions, pack of wolves, forest, ocean, birds, rock, roof, heath, insects, herd of deer

Teacher checks if given example is a correct example of a biotic factor.

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11. Organisms must sometimes compete with other organisms in their community for food or a mate. Dandelion seeds can travel great distances on the wind with the help of their white, feathery attachments. Predict how a dandelion seed’s ability to be carried on the wind helps to reduce competition among dandelion plants.

12. With which organism does an owl have to compete the most intensely for food?

A. mouse B. hawk C. cat D. worm

13. Which of the following organisms might compete with the mouse for seeds?

A. hawk B. cat C. fox D. sparrow

14. Which of the following is an abiotic factor?

A. coral B. rain C. soil bacteria D. birch trees

15. Which would NOT be a biotic factor for a tree in the forest?

A. a caterpillar eating its leaves B. wind blowing through its branches C. a bird nesting in its branches D. fungus growing on its roots

If the seeds fall directly next to the mother plant there will be

competition for space and food. This kind of competition is

prevented if the seeds are carried away from the mother plant.

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8.2 To eat or be eaten

16. Below you see several organisms. Decide what they are: consumer, producer or reducer.

reducer consumer

producer reducer

producer consumer

consumer consumer

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17. Below you see an old picture that used to be used in schools. This one shows animal and plant life on the bank of a river near farmland and a town. Several organisms are circled.

a. Using some of the organisms in the picture, write down one possible food chain.

b. In the box below, draw a food web using all of the circled organisms.

Possible answers:Flower mouse owlFlower butterfly batFlower butterfly owl

Owl

Mouse Butterfly

Bat

Flower

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18. Go to www.ovdbricks.nl. Search under Biology volume 1, chapter 7, sources for the link to The food chain game. Play the game and answer the questions.

a. When you look at the title of the fourth chain it says ‘Mixed chain’. Explain why this food chain is ‘mixed’ if you compare it with the first three food chains.

b. When in the game do they talk of a ‘full chain’?

19. In the back of your workbook you will find pictures of organisms and of products that are made from these organisms. Cut the pictures out, stick them below and draw arrows to complete the food chain. Stick the products that are made from them under the organisms.

This chain is a mix of land and water organisms. All other chains

have only one kind of organism, either land or water organisms.

When there are also reducers (fungi and bacteria) present in the

chain.

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20. Which of the following includes organisms that can directly convert energy from the sun into food?

A. producers B. reducers C. omnivores D. consumers

21. Describe how a forest ecosystem might be different without the presence of reducers.

22. Use photographs from old magazines to create a poster that shows at least three different food chains (or a food web).

Dead plants and animals would pile up. In the end there would be

no life possible.

Teacher checks if the food chains or food web is correct.

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8.3 Take care

23. Pets need special care but not all pets need the same care. You are going to write a care sheet for a pet. You may choose the pet. You can use the internet to do your research.

Food:

Housing / how to keep:

Medical care:

Special requirements:

Care sheet

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24. Although the Dierenbescherming and the British animal welfare society (RSPCA) have the same goals, they work in different ways. Go to the internet and visit the websites of the RSPCA and the Dierenbescherming.

a. Compare the two organisations and write down the differences between the two when you consider:

Inspection work

Dierenbescherming RSPCA

Kind of animals that are protectedDierenbescherming RSPCA

International and national orientationDierenbescherming RSPCA

b. Write down two similarities between the two organisations.

Teacher checks if the answers are correct

Teacher checks if the answers are correct

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25. Compare the pictures in figures 7.21, 7.22 and 7.23.

a. What is an advantage of industrial farming?

b. What is a disadvantage of industrial farming?

26. Below you see some pictures of different ways of keeping animals or growing crops. Write down whether the picture is an example of ecological or industrial farming.

You have a lot of plants or animals in a small space. This means that

you can grow more plants and animals with less manpower. This is a

lot cheaper and the growth can be better controlled.

It is not good for animal welfare. When a disease breaks out it will

infect other plants or animals very quickly.

industrial ecological

ecological

industrial

industrial

industrial ecological ecological

industrial

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8.4 You can help!

27. Complete the sentences by filling in the gaps.

Polluted world

Street litter can give people an unsafe feeling.

It is also an example of pollution. Air pollution

and water pollution cross borders. Air pollution

causes acid rain which damages ancient buildings.

The planet is covered by a layer called the ozone layer.

It makes life on Earth possible. Another layer makes

sure that the temperature is high enough for

organisms to live. This effect is called the greenhouse

effect. The increase in the amount of greenhouse gases

causes the Earth to warm up. This is called global warming.

Ice caps melt causing sea levels to rise.

Choose from:acid rain, unsafe, water pollution, pollution, temperature, effect, life, Earth, global warming, high, air pollution (2x), street litter, planet, rise, borders, ice caps, ozone layer, melt, organisms, increase

28. Recycling is one of the ways of reducing waste. In this exercise you are going to make recycled paper. You will do this together with a classmate.

What do you need?• Two wooden frames, one with a mesh covering• Two baking trays large enough to contain the frames• Plastic to cover the working area• Old paper (e.g. old newspapers). Do not use glossy paper.• Blender• A large washing-up bowl• Water• Blotting paper or tea towels• Two sponges

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What do you have to do?1. You can make the frames yourself. You need two cheap wooden

picture frames (A4-sized). Staple the mesh (you may use an insect screen) on one of the frames.

2. To make the pulp you need to shred paper into small bits.3. Soak the bits of paper in water for at least a few hours.4. Fill the blender halfway with water and add two handfuls of soaked

paper. 5. Blend until it looks like a thick soup.6. Fill the washing-up bowl halfway with water.7. Add about three cups of the paper pulp and stir gently with your

hands.8. Place a sheet of blotting paper or a tea towel in one of the baking

trays.9. Place the open frame over the mesh frame. Make sure that the mesh

is facing upwards. Hold the frames together with your hands.10. Gently push the frame down into the pulp mix. Do this by holding

the frame as if you were you are looking at a painting. Move it downwards into the pulp and move it forwards. Hold the frame under water and move it backwards and forwards.

11. Lift the frame straight up out of the water. Let the water drain out of the frame for approximately 20-30 seconds.

12. Remove the open frame and turn the mesh frame upside down on the baking tray with blotting paper or tea towel. DO NOT touch the mesh; this can create holes in your paper. Press the mesh with a sponge, removing excess water.

13. Lift and remove the frame.14. Place a sheet of blotting paper on top of the recycled paper.15. If you want to make more sheets of paper, repeat steps 8 to 13.16. Place the other baking tray over you sheet of recycled paper and put

some weight on it (eg. some books).17. Remove the water that comes out with a sponge.18. Separate the sheets of paper, each individual sheet of paper still on

a sheet of blotting paper of tea towel.19. Hang the sheets of paper to dry.20. When dry, peel the sheets of recycled paper off the blotting paper or

tea towels.

• Youcanaddsomecolour,seeds,petalsorsmallpiecesoffabricat step 7 for special effects.

• On the website, www.ovdbricks.nl, Biology, volume 1,chapter 7, sources you can find a clip about making paper. This clip differs in some details to the way described in this experiment.

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29. You are going to make a poster that shows how your school can reduce the amount of litter in the school.

What do you need?• Large sheet of paper (e.g. A3)• Materials to create a poster

What do you have to do?1. Design a poster that demonstrates a way in which your school can

reduce, recycle or reuse litter. 2. Hang the poster in the classroom.3. Decide with your classmates which poster conveys the strongest

message.

30. Forests use large amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. How do you think cutting down a large percentage of the Earth’s forests would affect the greenhouse effect?

31. If there were no greenhouse effect in the Earth’s atmosphere, which of the following statements would be true?

A. The Earth would be much hotter. B. The Earth would be much colder. C. The temperature of the Earth would be the same. D. The polar ice caps would melt.

32. Of the following, which is considered a recyclable resource?

A. coal B. oil C. sunlight D. aluminium

33. Do you think you would save more energy by recycling or reusing a plastic bag? Explain your answer.

Less forest means less uptake of carbon dioxide. This is causing

carbon dioxide levels to rise, thereby increasing the greenhouse

effect.

Reusing costs less energy; when the bag is recycled you use the same

plastic again to produce other plastic objects. In recycling you still

use energy to process the plastic bag (cleaning, melting etc).

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34. Is waste a reusable or recyclable resource? Explain your reasoning.

35. Besides the three R’s of conservation – reuse, reduce, recycle – some people have come up with a fourth R: ‘refuse’. What they mean is that you can refuse a plastic bag in shops. Can you think of other items that you can refuse in order to conserve the environment? Name as many as you can.

Recyclable; it contains a lot of things that can be used to produce

new products.

Reusable; some power plants burn waste to generate energy.

Teacher checks the answers and determines if they are correct or

not.

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Glossary puzzle

ACROSS4 Keeping animals on a large scale6 Non-living elements7 Is able to make its own food9 Is a unique ecosystem in the Netherlands and the world13 Caused by air pollution14 Growing one crop on a field15 Warming up of the Earth16 Living part of an ecosystem

DOWN1 Dutch animal welfare organisation2 Is hunted 3 Living elements 5 Diagram which shows who eats who 7 Can destroy ecosystems 8 Reduction of waste through reusing products 10 The place where organisms live 11 Lives off dead organisms 12 Non-living part of an ecosystem

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