Course: Biology Agricultural Science & Technology

Unit: Agricultural Ecology

State Standard I: Students will understand that living organisms interact with one another and their environment.

State Objectives: Objective 2: Explain relationships between matter cycles and organisms.a. Use diagrams to trace the movement of matter through a cycle (i.e., carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, water) in a

variety of biological communities and ecosystems.b. Explain how water is a limiting factor in various ecosystems.c. Distinguish between inference and evidence in a newspaper, magazine, journal, or Internet article that

addresses an issue related to human impact on cycles of matter in an ecosystem and determine the bias in the article.

d. Evaluate the impact of personal choices in relation to the cycling of matter within an ecosystem (e.g., impact of automobiles on the carbon cycle, impact on landfills of processed and packaged foods).

Objective 3: Describe how interactions among organisms and their environment help shape ecosystems.a. Categorize relationships among living things according to predator-prey, competition, and symbiosis.b. Formulate and test a hypothesis specific to the effect of changing one variable upon another in a small

ecosystem.c. Use data to interpret interactions among biotic and abiotic factors (e.g., pH, temperature, precipitation,

populations, diversity) within an ecosystem. d. Investigate an ecosystem using methods of science to gather quantitative and qualitative data that describe

the ecosystem in detail.e. Research and evaluate local and global practices that affect ecosystems.

Unit Objectives: A. Students will be able to identify and define key terms related to ecology. B. Students will be able to diagram the cycles of matter. C. Students will be able to determine limiting factors. D. Students will be able to distinguish and address issues related to ecosystems. E. Students will be able to categorize relationships among living organisms. F. Students will be able to explain interactions between biotic and abiotic factors within a biome.

Materials Needed (Equipment):

Sample of a Model EcosystemWhiteboard/ChalkboardPicasso Moment Supplies: Blank Paper, markers, crayons, paint, etc. PPT Projector or Colored key or world biomes (may be in textbook)Copies of World MapColored PencilsFarming in the Rye Activity SheetsLK HS Lesson 10 copies and suppliesGo and Get it moment supplies (pictures of organisms)

Nutrient Lab SuppliesGlobal Warming Article CopiesEcology Activities Worksheets and Supplies (if needed)All Lab supplies and copies of activity sheets

Facilities:

Classroom/Lab Area

Computer Lab

Interest Approach: Using students answers tie in information from energy unit to the ecology unit.

Procedure:1. Observe a terrarium, aquarium, or other small ecosystem that your teacher

provides.2. Use your observations to construct a diagram (similar to a concept map) showing

all the relationships that exist among the parts of the ecosystem.3. Indicate on your diagram which relationships involve nonliving parts of the

ecosystem.Think About It:

1. Classifying: What types of relationships did you find among the organisms? What types of relationships did you find between the organisms and the nonliving parts of their environment?

2. Predicting: How might your diagram change if the ecosystem were in the dark for a week?

Objective A: Students will be able to define ecology and list ecological levels of organization.

Curriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

A1. Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecologists are scientists that student the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors within an environment. The word ecology was coined in 1866 by a German biologist named Ernst Haeckel. Heckel based this term on the Greek word oikos meaning house. which is also the root of the word ecology. Haekel saw the living world as a household with an ecology in which each organism plays a role.

A3. To understand ecological relationships you must understand the levels organization:Species: A group of organisms so similar that they can breed and produce fertile

A1. Note taking/Lecture: Have students take notes in the notebooks on their Ecology Note Sheet.

A2. PPT Slides 1 – 11 /Activity: Have Students Create a foldable that illustrates the concepts of the different organizational levels in ecology. Pass out a sheet of plain white paper and markers. Follow the steps outlined on the PowerPoint presentation.

Take Students through the steps as they create their foldable note sheet.

A3. Write key terms and definitions on

white board. Have students capture terms

in their foldables

What is ecology?

What different levels of organization to ecologists study?

offspring. Populations: Groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.Communities: Different populations that live together in a defined area.Ecosystem: A collection of organisms that live in a particular pale together with their physical environment. Biome: Group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities. BIOSPHERE. The biosphere contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including, land, water, air or atmosphere

A4. Review Content using Cartographer

Moment

Activity: Cartographer Moment1. Present the information. Teach the content portion of the lesson as students take notes.2. Give examples. After students have captured the information, share with them the various types of maps, cluster, mind map, concept map, and webbing. Or, if more appropriate, simply share one map style.3. Have them create their own map. Invite students to represent the information they just learned using the map style(s) presented. Note: Students gain optimal benefit when they choose the map they feel best represents the information.4. Have them share. Students can share in pairs or trios or walk about the room noticing how people represented the information. If students were only shown one map style, they could compare their map to the teachers.

Objective B: Students will be able to diagram the cycles of matter.

B3.

B4.

B3. PPT Slide – 15 : Little Professor/PPT/Lecture – Teach and discuss the Nitrogen Cycle

B4. PPT Slide 16 - Little Professor/PPT/Lecture – Teach and discuss the Phosphorous Cycle.

B5. Review Using Choral Response

B6. Activity: Picasso Moment

Curriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

B1. The Water Cycle

B2.

B1. PPT Slide 12 Teach the Cycles of Matter using the Little Professor Moment. Use PPT as visual aid.

Directions: While teaching each cycle, chunk the information. Establish roles of students; one takes notes (Little Professor 1) while the other waits (Little Professor 2). Teach the first chunk to the Little Professor 1 and then Little Professor 1 teaches the information to Little Professor 2. Have students switch roles, Teach the second chunk of information, and then Little Professor 2 teaches Little Professor 1 the information, Continue on until the whole cycle of matter has been taught by you and your Little Professors. (You may also choose to use it with only one or two of the cycles, determine what is best for your classroom.

B2. PPT Slide 14 -Little Professor /PPT/Lecture – Teach and discuss the Carbon Cycle

How does matter move among the living and non-living parts of an ecosystem?

Activity: Picasso Moment1. Break students into four groups. Assign each group a cycle of matter2. Ask students; if you were an artist painting a picture, how could you pictorially represent

this information. What would be included in the picture? On a blank sheet of unlined paper, have students “paint” their understanding of the information using colored markers, pencils, paint, and/or crayons. Note: The size of paper is determined by the amount of information represented. Paper sizes of 8.5" x 11" up to 18" x 36" are recommended.

3. Gallery Walk. After a specified amount of time, have students stand and walk about looking in silence at their classmate’s creations.

4. Explain it. Students then re-group with one person from each group and explain how their “painting” represents the content.

Objective C: Students will determine a limiting factorCurriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

C2. One factor that controls productivity in an ecosystem is the amount of available nutrients. If a nutrient is in short supply it will limit an organisms growth. When an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that is scarce of cycles very slowly, this is called a limiting nutrient. Farmers are well aware of nutrient limitation. Farmers apply fertilizers to their crops to boost their productivity. Fertilizers usually contain three important nutrients. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients help plants grown larger and more quickly that they would in an unfertilized soil. [This is a good time to reinforce the chemistry of life elements and discuss how fertilizers are labeled. (N-P-K)].

C3. Algae Bloom – when an aquatic environment receives too much of a limiting nutrient, the result is often and increase in the number o f producers.

C1. Limiting Nutrient Lab – Start initial set up (15 minutes) - 5 minutes a day for one week as follow up. See lab sheet

C2. Discussion on productivity, background information/definitions. Use information provided or come up with your own.

C3. PPT Slide 17 - Lecture using Algae Bloom example

What places limitations on ecosystems?

C4. Reindeer Scenario – In 1944 a small group of 27 reindeer were introduced to St Matthew Island off the northwest coast of Alaska. In less than 20 years the. Population had grown to 6,000. Following the hard winter of 1963, the population crashed to 42 individuals. Create a hypothesis stating what happened

Reindeer Answer: The lichen on the island, the deer’s usual food, had almost disappeared and an examination of the dead deer revealed that they had starved to death. In the absence of any predators, the density – dependent factor that had so dramatically reduced the number of reindeer was clearly the food supply. to the Reindeer. What additional information do you need to know to test your hypothesis?

C4. PPT Slide 18 /Problem Solving– Using Scientific Method to discover a populations limiting factor

Trace back the path of why a hard winter, caused the lichen to disappear, therefore effecting the deer population.

C5. Limiting Nutrient Lab Follow Up(See Activity Below)

Objective D: Students will be able to distinguish and address issues related to ecosystemsCurriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

D1. Reading Activity

D2. Teach LK 10 Lesson – Defining Core Values (50 Minutes)

D3. Worksheets – Have students complete environmental issues worksheets. (Attached in separate file.) Have a discussion on the results of the worksheets. Work through as a class what the issues are and how they effect ecosystems.

D4. Research project

D5. Farming in the Rye Quick Lab Activity

Activity: 1. Assign students to read article titled: Global Warming by Holly Reibeek, July,

2007 (or an article of your choice).2. Review with students the definition of the following terms (terms should be

review from the Science in Agriculture Unit). Bias, inference, and evidence.3. Using the Crayola e-moment have students highlight all the Bias’ in pink,

inferences in blue and all evidence found in the article green. 4. Review the article with the students along with their highlighted information.

Help students to understand the impact humans have on ecology and the cycles of matter.

Activity:

What environmental issues currently effect ecosystems?

1. Ask students to research one of the following topics (or a similar one). Sample topics: a. Impact of automobiles on the carbon Cycleb. Impact on landfills of processed and packaged foods.c. Impact of pesticide use on the water cycle.d. Impact of crop rotation on the Nitrogen cycle.

2. Have students write an essay that includes their research findings along with their personal choices and core values (from the LK lesson). Students need to be sure to include the impact of their choices on the subject they selected.

Objective E: Students will be able to categorize relationships among living organisms.

Curriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

E2. Predator – Prey Relationships One organisms depends on the other

organism

Symbiotic Relationships “Living Together” One species lives in close association

with another species over a period of time

Avoids competition for resources Examples:

1. Mutualism2. Parasitism3. Commensalisms

Mutualism- Both organisms benefit

It is between two different organisms

E1. Abiotic Factors Quick Lab Set Up – See Sheet

E2. PPT Slides 19 - 23

What are common relationships among living organisms in ecosystems?

Example: Crocodile Bird and the Nile Crocodile

Crocodile usually eats animals, but allows the bird to walk on its mouth

Bird cleans parasites in the crocs teeth and removes and eats scraps of food

Commensalism- One organism benefits, one

unharmed Sharing space, defense, shelter

food “eating together at the same

table” Neither one will die if

relationship is ended Example: Shrimp and Sea

Cucumber The shrimp spends the day

inside the intestines of the sea cucumber and at night emerges from it to feed on small crustaceans

The cucumber does not benefit from it, but is not harmedParasitism- One organism, the

parasite, secures a home on or inside another organism

The parasite is the “guest” and the other organism is the “host”

It usually harms the host and benefits the guest

. E3. E3. PPT Review Activity: Show Slides 24 and 25

E4. Challenge students to identify an example of each type of relationship. Then have them develop a pictogram, like the ones in the presentation, to illustrate one of their examples. After Students have made their list and the one pictogram lead class discussion and create a master list on the front board.

E4. Pictogram Review

E5. Go and Get it Moment Activity

E6. Abiotic Factors Quick Lab Follow Up – See Sheet

Activity : Go and Get It Moment

1. Prior to class picture clippings around the room that represent relationships within an ecosystem: predator, prey, decomposer, symbiosis, etc.

2. On your command have students go and get an example off the wall of a predator, prey, etc.

3. This will help students to understand the relationships within an ecosystem, but sure to use as many pictures and topics as you feel your class needs.

Objective F: Students will be able to explain interactions between biotic and abiotic factors within a biome.

Curriculum (Content)(What to teach)

Instruction (Methodology)(How to teach)

F1. The earth’s surface can be divided into zones or biomes according to their climate and physical factors in each area. Each biome has a distinct combination of life forms that are at le to thrive in the particular conditions found there. Each has a distinct kind of vegetation. Ecologists recognize at least ten different biomes.

F1. Lecture/Handout/PPT Slide 26. Pass out a copy of a blank world map to each student. Using colored pencils have students create a map key as you discuss the ten biomes. When key is complete have students color in the biomes of the world using the colored key found on the PPT or in their textbooks.

What are the major biomes found on earth?

F2. Group Project: Divide the class into ten groups. Assign a different biome to each group. Tell students that each group is to serve as the “Class experts” on its assigned biome. Let each group’s members divide responsibilities among themselves however they wish. For example, one student could handle dominant plants, another student the abiotic factors and a third student the dominant animals. Encourage groups to do research to gain additional information about the biomes. Provide an opportunity for each group to preset its biome to the class, share addition information they have gathered and answer other students questions.

(Biomes: Tropical Rain Forest, Tropical Dry Forest, Tropical Savanna, Desert, Temperate Grasslands Temperate Woodland and Shrubland, Temperate Forest, Northwestern Coniferous Forest, Boreal Forest, Tundra. Optional land areas to assign that are not biomes: Mountain Ranges and Polar Ice Caps.

Activity: Play Jeopardy to review for Test (Sample jeopardy PPT is provided, adjust questions as needed.)

Evaluation: Ag Ecology Test

References:www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions Eco-Wonders Youth Activity Guide – University of Minnesota Extension Service.

Engaging Strategies for Agriculture Classrooms – National FFA

Eyewitness Science – Ecology - DK Publishing

Prentice Hall Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine