Copy the above diagram into your INB pg. .

Science Starter

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Part 1: I can describe common relationships between and among populations (competition, parasitism, symbiosis, and predator/prey).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUY_-LK_lOc&list=TLXP87d-f1GlB457jXobYN1tWzkW7aRoZpMr. Parr Ecosystems

Write the following in your notes:

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Ecology is the study of the complex relationships between the biotic or living organisms in a particular area and their environment including the abiotic or nonliving elements in that area.

Examples of Abiotic elements include:• molecular elements-carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.• water• rocks, sand, other inorganic components of soil• climate (air temperature, precipitation, etc)

These biotic and abiotic elements are part of a system- an ecosystem.

Organism: a single living thing that

obtains food, water, and shelter to live,

grow, and reproduce in its

habitat (environment).

Ex: frog

Levels of Organization continued:

Population: A group of interbreeding organisms (species) living in the same

areaEx: All of the frogs living in a pond.

Community: all the populations in an ecosystemEx: All the frogs, insects, birds, plants,

mushrooms, protists, mammals, & fish living in the pond.

Ecosystem: A biological community and all of the abiotic factors that affect it.

Ex: All the frogs, insects, birds, plants, mushrooms, protists, mammals, & fish along with water, soil, air, clouds,

sunlight, and man-made materials in the pond.

Levels of Organization

• Biome: A large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities.

• There are several major types of biomes such as a rainforest, desert, tundra, deciduous forest, taiga, marine, etc.

• Biosphere: every place on Earth that can support life, all the biomes together

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• Species- organisms that are able to breed and produce living offspring.

• Population- The actual number of a particular organism living in an area.

• Carrying Capacity- The actual number of a particular organism that an area could support based on the availability of resources such as food, water, and shelter and the presence of predators.

• Community-A term used to refer to all the organisms living in a particular area. If you refer to an area as a “wetlands community,” most ecologists would know what types of plants, animals, and other living organisms inhabit the area.

• Interdependence- All living organisms in an ecosystem are dependent on the others. If you change one part of an ecosystem, the entire ecosystem will be affected. It will readjust until it has reached balance again.

Ecology Terms

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Limiting FactorsLimiting factors are things that prevent a population from growing any larger. For example, 10 rabbits may live in a habitat that has enough water, cover and space to support 20 rabbits, but if there is only enough food for ten rabbits, the population will not grow any larger. In this example, food is the limiting factor.

Food is not the only factor that may limit population growth. For example, there may be enough food to support a thousand birds in a certain area, but only suitable nesting sites for one hundred. Or perhaps there is plenty of food, water, cover and space to support a larger population of pheasants in an area, but predators are the limiting factor.

Limiting factors are very closely tied to carrying capacity. Many kinds of animals can increase in numbers very quickly, and may temporarily exceed the carrying capacity of their habitat. This results in stress, starvation, disease, predation and parasites, poor reproductive success and damage to the habitat. For example, multiplying muskrats can very quickly eat all the vegetation in a marsh. With the vegetation gone, food becomes the limiting factor and the muskrats may starve or move to another area. The marsh now has a reduced carrying capacity for muskrats until the vegetation grows back again.

Limiting Factors of Ecosystems

• Can you list some?- Food

- Water

- Space

-Mate

- Weather

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In a balanced ecosystem, every organism has a purpose, a role. This role is referred to as an organism’s niche.

• What might the role of a plant be?Produce food, hold soil in place, provide shelter, and many

other roles.• What niche does a honey bee fill?Important pollinator, source of food for other animals.• What niche does a mushroom fill?Breaks down organic material, source of food for certain

animals.

What is a niche?

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Categories of Consumers:Cooperative group activity- list at least 3 organisms in each category in 4 minutes .

• What are examples of herbivores? all plant eating or algae eating organisms• What are examples of carnivores?Animals that only eat other animals.• What are examples of omnivores?Any organisms that eats other animals and plants• What are examples of scavengers?Vultures, condors, some catfish, hyenas• What are examples of decomposers?Fungi (mushrooms, mold, mildew) slime molds;

and most importantly BACTERIA.

There are three major types of interactions among organisms:

• Competition: More than one organism uses a resource at the same time.

• Predator -Prey: interaction where one organism (predator) kills another organism for food (prey)

• Symbiosis: The close relationship that exists when two or more species live together.

Niche competition

Carnivore

Mutualism

Symbiotic Relationships

• Mutualism: When both organisms benefit – Lichens

• Commensalism: One organism benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed.– Epiphytes (i.e., Bromeliads)

• Parasitism: One organism benefits at the expense of the other.– Parasitoid wasp eggs on a tomato

hornworm

Crocodile and Plover have a mutualistic relationship. The Plover cleans the Crocodile’s

teeth.

Maybe….

One species benefits…

…the other is unaffected.

Using pg 20 your INB, draw and complete the table by using the graphics below.

Type of Relationship

Species harmed

Species benefited

Species neutral

Mutualism

Commensalism

Parasitism

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BioticConsumerHeterotrophHerbivorePrey

Abiotic/Biotic Producer/Consumer Heterotroph/AutotrophCarnivore/Herbivore/Omnivore Predator/Prey

BioticConsumerHeterotrophHerbivorePrey

BioticProducerAutotroph

AbioticBioticConsumerHeterotrophOmnivoreUsually predator. Also scavenger

Abiotic

1

2 3

4

5

6

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BioticConsumerHeterotrophHerbivorePrey

Abiotic/Biotic Producer/Consumer Heterotroph/Autotroph Carnivore/Herbivore/Omnivore Predator/Prey/Scavenger

BioticConsumerHeterotrophHerbivorePrey

BioticProducerAutotroph

Abiotic

BioticConsumerHeterotrophOmnivorePredator, Prey, & Scavenger

BioticConsumerHeterotrophCarnivoreScavenger

CO2 & O2

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Cooperative group activity- list at least 3 relationships in each category in 4 minutes.

•What are some examples of mutualistic relationships? the algae and fungi that make lichen, algae in coral, bee and flower•What are some examples of commensalistic relationships? Remora that hang on to sharks•What are some examples of parasitic relationships? Flea, ticks on animals; leeches; ringworm; heartworm•What are some examples of competitive relationships? Bass and bream compete for insects and minnows. Lions and cheetah over gazelle. •What are some examples of predator-prey relationships? Bass eating minnow; cheetah eating gazelle; hawk eating snake; snake eating mouse

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Write the following in your notes:

Part 2: I can identify adaptations in organisms.

Vocabulary

Camouflage- the ability of an organism to blend in to its natural environment.

Coloration- the use of bright colors as warnings, for attracting mates, or for other specific purposes.

Mimicry- the ability of one organism to look like another, generally with the purpose of protecting itself. For example, a non-poisonous king snake looks a lot like the very poisonous coral snake.

Jaguar

Deer

Green Anole Lizard

Canebrake Rattlesnake

Camouflage

Coloration

Mimicry- Fooled Ya!

• King snake(not poisonous)

Coral snake(VERY poisonous)

If red touches yellow you’re a dead fellow

If red touches black you’re a fine Jack

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Write the following in your notes:

Part 3: I can describe the transfer of energy from one organism to another.

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Understanding the Transfer of Energy and Matter

All living organisms must have energy to live. The original source of energy for all ecosystems is the sun. Autotrophs harness this energy enabling the energy to be transferred between the plants and other living organisms.

The term matter refers to the “stuff” things are made of. Most living organisms are made up of four primary elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. [CHON].

When you study physics next year, you will learn that there are special laws governing energy and matter. For the time being, we just need to understand that the earth is not creating any more carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen. These elements must be recycled so that they can be used over and over again.

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The Carbon Cycle

1. Remember that carbon is removed from the atmosphere by autotrophs like plants and algae which need the CO2 for photosynthesis. That carbon is stored in the tissues of the plants and then in the tissues of the animals that eat them.

Plants drop leaves or die as do all living things eventually. The carbon that is stored in their tissues eventually gets buried. Over millions of years, pressure and heat convert these remains into fossil fuels: coal and petroleum (from which gas and oil are derived.)

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2. Carbon is returned to the atmosphere in one of three ways:

•Animal respiration (breathing out.)

•Burning of fossil fuels (or any organic material such as wood or leaves.)

•Decomposition, which produces either carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane gas (CH4).

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If the concentration of CO2 is the same in the ocean as in the atmosphere, CO2 will diffuse into and out of the ocean at the same rate.

Soil respiration

If the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is greater than the concentration in the ocean, then CO2 molecules will spread out more into the ocean to balance the levels.

This is a problem. The oceans do have their limits for how much CO2 they can absorb before damage begins to occur. If too much carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean, the ocean becomes more acidic. An increase in acidity can lead to stress and eventually death for many organisms. Imagine what would happen if you poured pure lemon juice into your fish tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrIr3xDhQ0E

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Many scientists now fear that humans are burning so much fossil fuel that we are flooding our atmosphere with more carbon dioxide than can the autotrophs can handle. CO2 traps heat in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are necessary to keep the earth from turning into a big block of ice, but too much in the atmosphere may result in dramatic global climate change as well.

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Nitrogen Cycle1. Remember that the air

we breath is over 70% nitrogen, but neither animals nor plants can use nitrogen in its gaseous form. Nitrogen must first be converted into a form of nitrogen plants can use. This is done in three primary ways:

• Intense volcanic activity or lightning.

• The creation of urine by animals.

• By nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil.

2. The converted nitrogen can them be absorbed into the plant tissue through the plants roots. Consumers get the nitrogen they need by eating the plants or other producers. 3. Another type of soil bacteria changes the unused converted nitrogen back into a gas enabling the atmosphere to be recharged with nitrogen.

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Summary/Closing

1. In what primary ways is carbon returned to the atmosphere?Animal exhalation, bacteria respiration, burning fossil fuels, volcanoes, released by the ocean.

2. In what primary ways is carbon removed from the atmosphere?Plants and algae through photosynthesis; absorbed by the ocean; becomes trapped in buried organic material which over time can become fossil fuels.

3. Most nitrogen on earth exists in the _________________ as a _____.

4. In what ways is nitrogen returned to the soil where it can be used by plants?Lightning; animal waste; converted from forms of nitrogen plants can’t use into forms of nitrogen they can use by different types of bacteria.

5. How is nitrogen returned to the atmosphere?Other bacteria convert forms of nitrogen in the soil back into nitrogen gas.

atmosphere gas

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What about energy?

Is energy “recycled” like elements?

The original source of energy for every system, remember, is the sun. The sun produces vast amounts of energy Producers are able to harness some of this energy to make food through photosynthesis. Consumers in turn get some of this energy from the things they eat (or decompose.)

The problem is, the transfer of energy from one organism to another is very inefficient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf3inHpNXlM&list=PLDB484413202B3E2A Mr. Parr Energy Roles

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What is happening to the other 90% of the energy as it passes from one level to the next?

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Only about 10% of the energy makes it from one trophic level to the next one above it.

Primary Consumers- Herbivores

Secondary Consumers- Carnivores or Omnivores

Tertiary Consumers-Top of the food chain.

Producers- Plants, algae, cyanobacteria

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This energy loss is represented as a pyramid. As you move up trophic levels, the amount of energy available decreases. Trophic levels represent a feeding step in the transfer of energy and matter in an ecosystem. That is why you will always have fewer organisms as you move up the food web. Remember than only 10% of the energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next. The rest is lost as heat.

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10,000 units

How many units would be available at this trophic level?

How many units would be available at this trophic level?

How many units would be available at this trophic level?

How many units would be available at this trophic level?

1000

100

10

1

What does this diagram represent?That energy is lost as it moves up each trophic level in a food web, most of it as heat.

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?

?

?

What is happening to the amount of available energy as it moves UP a food chain?It is decreasing by 90% as it passes each level.

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1,000 What is happening to the amount of available energy as it moves UP a food chain?It is decreasing by 90% as it passes each level.

What is happening to majority of the energy as it passes from one level to the next?It is lost to the environment in the form of heat.

1.

2.

3.

4.

CLOSING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Axel drew this Energy Pyramid for his science class. Did he do it correctly?NO! He should have ended up with 100 J!

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Part 3: Cycles in Nature Pt. 2

A food web demonstrates the transfer of energy and matter throughout an ecosystem. The food web always starts with the sun and ends with decomposition.

Producers generally appear at the bottom, although sometimes decomposers do to show that organic matter must be broken down before plants can use it.

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Above the producers on a food web are the consumers. The herbivores are primary consumers, meaning they are the first to feed on the plants or algae.

The next trophic level up are the secondary consumers. Secondary consumers are either carnivores or omnivores.

The organism at the top of the food chain is known as the tertiary consumer. If the animal is a predator, it may be referred to as the apex predator. It is possible to be at the top of a food chain (one link in a food web) and be an herbivore. Adult elephants and giraffes, for example, have few predators. They are primary consumers (plant eaters) but since they are at the top of the food chain they are also tertiary consumers.

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Notice that the direction the arrow points the arrow points in the direction of the energy transfer, NOT “what ate what”

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What is the original source of energy for this food web?

Which animals are primary consumers?

Which organisms are secondary consumers?

Which organism(s) is/are tertiary consumers?

If this ecosystem is sprayed with an insecticide, which organism will suffer the most from the loss of the grasshoppers?

The lizard. Why is it more affected than the eagle?Because the lizard loses its only food source, but the eagle still has rabbits, mice, and snakes.

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Which of these organisms are predators?

Which of these organisms are herbivores?

Carnivores?

Which of these organisms are autotrophic?

Heterotrophic?

Prey?

Everything else

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1. What are the producers in this food web?dinoflagellates, diatoms

2. Which organisms are primary consumers?Shrimp, copepods, pteropods

3. Which organisms are secondary consumers?Lantern fish, amphipods, ocean sunfish

4. Which animals are tertiary consumers?Shark, marlin in some areas

5. What decomposers are shown in this food web?none

6. What is the original source of energy for this food web?The sun

1. What are the producers in this food web?plants

2. Which organisms are primary consumers?Rabbits, squirrels, mice, seed-eating birds, herbivorous insects.

3. Which organisms are secondary consumers?spiders, predaceous insectsinsect-eating birdssnakesfoxes

4. Which animals are tertiary consumers?

Foxes, hawks/owls, snakes5. What is the primary source of energy for this food web?

the sun

6. What type of consumer is missing from this food web?

Decomposers

7. Which of these organisms are herbivores?Rabbits, squirrels, mice, seed-eating birds, herbivorous insects.8. Which of these organisms are carnivores?Foxes, hawks/owls, snakes, spiders, insect-eating birds, toads, predaceous insects9. Which of these organisms are omnivores? None according to this food web.10. Which of these organisms are predators?Foxes, hawks/owls, snakes, spiders, insect-eating birds, toads, predaceous insects

11. Which of these organisms are prey?Rabbits, squirrels, mice, seed-eating birds, spiders, herbivorous insects, toads, insect-eating birds, predaceous insects

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1. What are the producers in this food web?algae, plants, diatoms (unicellular algae)

2. Which organisms are primary consumers?zooplankton, snail, cricket

3. Which organisms are secondary consumers?bird (heron), frog, duck, small fish, red-winged blackbird

4. Which animals are tertiary consumers?

Snake, bass, osprey

5. What decomposers are shown in this food web?

bacteria

What is the mussel in this food web?

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

What else could we say about the mussel?

It’s a

HeterotrophAnimalMolluskFilter FeederPreyMarine

When shrimping season arrives, many of the shrimp in an area are caught. How would that affect this ecosystem?

The population of this fish will go down. Why?

The population of zooplankton will go up. Why?

How will the population of mussels be affected?

Remember that all organisms in an ecosystem are dependent on the others. If one part of the ecosystem changes, the entire ecosystem is affected. Let’s take a look how that happens…

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1. What is the original source of energy for this food web?

the sun2. What is/are the producer(s) in this food web? The tree3. During rabbit season the

population of rabbits goes down. Which animal(s) will be affected the most by this change to the ecosystem?

The fox will have fewer rabbits to feed on AND fewer snakes to feed on (because the population of snakes will go down if the rabbit population goes down.) The hawk is affected, but not as much because eats frogs & birds too.

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1. The original source of energy for this food web is …..

the sun

2. What important component(s) is /aremissing from this food web?

Producers, decomposers

3. Krill feed mainly on phytoplankton and smaller zooplankton. During the long winter months of the Northern seas, it is dark for up to 24 hours per day.

What happens to the population of krill during these winter months?

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The destruction of which organism would have the greatest adverse effect on this food web?The grass. More animals are completely or partially dependent upon the grass.