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MRS. WRIGHT

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ECOLOGY TAKE-HOME UNIT

NAME_____________

___BLOCK_____

What is Ecology?It is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Textbook pages: 63-122

This packet is due on MONDAY, MAY 5A, TUESDAY, MAY 6B.

It is worth a total of 175 pointsIf you are found to have violated BWHS Honor Code

policy then you will receive a ZERO on

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Levels of OrganizationDefine the following Key Words (p.64):

Biosphere-

Ecosystem-

Community-

Population-

Key Vocabulary (p.69)

Word Definition Example (at least 2)

Biome

Herbivore

Carnivore

Omnivore

Detritivore

Decomposer

Food Webs and Food Chains (p.71) 1. What is a food chain?

a. Food chains show the ___________ flow of energy in an ecosystem.

2. What is a food web?

3. Each step in a food chain or food web is called a trophic level. ____________ make up the first trophic level while ____________ make up the higher levels.

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Word Definition Example (at least 2)

Biotic factors

Abiotic factors

Niche

4. If an organism’s ____________ is its address, it’s __________ is its occupation. (p.91)

Symbiosis means ‘living together’ and is used to describe a relationship in which two species live close together. Define the three types below.

Word Definition Example (at least 1)

Mutualism

Commensalism

Parasitism

Read through pages 99 to 105 to learn about the types of biomes. Ecologists recognize at least ______ different biomes. (p.99)

On the next page, you will need to neatly illustrate two specific biomes of your choice. These must be colorful and accurate. You will need to incorporate the following into each biome and clearly label it.

Include and label the following:

Biome type 2 producers 2 herbivores 2 carnivores

1 decomposer or detritivore 2 abiotic factors General description of the climate (for

example: rainfall and/or temperature)

Hints:You may not use the same organism examples from the textbook!It must have color, not just pencil!Label everything neatly!

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Biome 1

Biome 2

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Ecological Pyramids (pgs.72-73)

An ecological pyramid is a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web. There are 3 different types:Illustrate each type of pyramid, label each trophic level, and include a short description of what that type of pyramid shows. It is not required that these include color.

Nutrient Cycling (pgs.76-79)

Energy Pyramid-

Pyramid of Numbers-

Biomass Pyramid-

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Every living organism needs nutrients to grow and carry out essential life functions. Like water, nutrients are passed between organism and the environment through biogeochemical cycles. Three nutrient cycles play especially prominent roles in the biosphere: the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle. Nitrogen & Phosphorus Cycles: Always Recycle! Part 2 - Crash Course Ecology #9

Use the internet to view the following quick clip (9min.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leHy-Y_8nRsn and answer the following questions:

1. What two nutrient cycles are discussed in this quick clip? ____________________________________

2. At what percentage do animals require of the following?

a. Oxygen_____ % b. Carbon ______ % c. Hydrogen ______ %

3. At what percentage do animals require of the following?

a. Nitrogen _____ % b. Phosphorus ______ %

4. We need nitrogen to make ___________________________.

5. How many covalent bonds hold together two atoms of nitrogen? __________

6. What organism can fix nitrogen so that plants can use it? ________________

7. What enzyme is used to break apart the nitrogen bonds? _____________________

8. Phosphorus has nothing to do with the __________________________.

9. What part of Earth’s crust can phosphorus be found in? _____________________

10. A single phosphorus atom can be caught in a biological cycle for _____________________________years.

Virginia Food Web (p. 71)

On the next page, you will need to illustrate a food web that includes at least different food chains that you would find in Virginia. Each food chain should be made up of at least 4 organisms. This should total at least 12 different organisms. Be sure to include the following items: Food web labeled with common names of all fungi, bacteria, plants, and animals. 2 organisms in VA that illustrate mutualism. 2 organisms in VA that illustrate commensalism. 2 organisms in VA that illustrate parasitism.

There are 3 ways in which this food web can be created. You may print/cut and paste small pictures of the organisms onto the given paper, you may create it in Microsoft Word and print (be sure to insert it back into the right place of the packet!), or you may illustrate each organism (if you are as talented as Van Gogh).

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YOU MAY NOT COPY FOOD WEBS FROM THE TEXT OR INTERNET!!

ALL WORK SHOULD BE YOUR OWN!

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Ecological Succession (p.94)

• Definition: Natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary.

Succession, a series of environmental changes, occurs in all ecosystems. The stages that any ecosystem passes through are predictable. In this activity, you will place the stages of succession of two ecosystems into sequence. You will also describe changes in an ecosystem and make predictions about changes that will take place from one stage of succession to another.

The evolution of a body of water from a lake to a marsh can last for thousands of years. The process cannot be observed directly. Instead, a method can be used to find the links of stages and then to put them together to develop a complete story.

The water level of Virginia lake was once 18 meters higher than it is today. As the water level fell, land was exposed. Many small lakes or ponds were left behind where there were depressions in the land. Below are illustrations and descriptions of four ponds, as they exist today. Use the illustrations and descriptions to answer the questions about the ponds.

Pond A: Cattails, bulrushes, and water lilies grow in the pond. These plants have their roots in the bottom of the pond, but they can reach above the surface of the water. This pond is an ideal habitat for the animals that must climb to the surface for oxygen. Aquatic insect larvae are abundant. They serve as food for larger insects, which in turn are food for crayfish, frogs, salamanders, and turtles.Pond B: Plankton growth is rich enough to support animals that entered when the pond was connected to the lake. Fish make nests on the sandy bottom. Mussels crawl over the bottom.Pond C: Decayed bodies of plants and animals form a layer of humus over the bottom of the pond. Chara, a branching green algae, covers the humus. Fish that build nests on the bare bottom have been replaced by those that lay their eggs on the Chara.Pond D: The pond is so filled with vegetation that there are no longer any large areas of open water. Instead, the pond is filled with grasses. The water dries up during the summer months.

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Questions

1. Write the letters of the ponds in order from the youngest, to the oldest. ___________________________________

2. Black bass and bluegill make their nests on sandy bottoms. In which pond would you find them? ______________________

3. What will happen to the black bass and blue gill as the floor of the ponds fills with organic debris? ____________________________________

4. Golden shiner and mud minnows lay their eggs on Chara. In which pond would you find them? _____________________

5. Some amphibians and crayfish can withstand periods of dryness by burying themselves in mud. In which pond(s) would they survive? _________

6. Dragonfly nymphs spend their early stages clinging to submerged plants. Then, they climb to the surface, shed their skins and fly away as dragonflies. Which pond is best suited for dragonflies?____________________________

7. In which pond will gill-breathing snails be replaced by lung breathing snails that climb to the surface to breathe? ________________

8. Some mussels require a sandy bottom in order to maintain an upright position. In which pond will they die out? _____________________

same image from previous page

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Word Definition Example (at least 1)

Pioneer Species

Climax Community

A stable group of plants and animals that is the end result of the succession process but does not always mean big trees

Beech-maple forestGrasses in prairiesCacti in deserts

The climax community in an area of Virginia is a beech-maple forest. After the ponds are filled in, the area will undergo another series of stages of succession. This is illustrated below. Briefly explain what is happening at each corresponding stage in the diagram.

(1)___________________________________________________________________________

(2) __________________________________________________________________________

(3) __________________________________________________________________________

(4)___________________________________________________________________________

(5) ___________________________________________________________________________

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Population Ecology (pgs.119-122)

1. Three important characteristics of a population are its geographic ___________________,

_________________, and ___________________________.

2. Three factors can affect population size: a.

b.

c.

Word Definition ExampleExponential Growth

J-shaped line on a graph

Logistic Growth

S-shaped line on a graph

The environment may be altered by forces within the biotic community, as well as by relationships between organisms and the physical environment. The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum number of organisms that an area can support on a sustained basis. The density of a population may produce such profound changes in the environment that the environment becomes unsuitable for the survival of that species. For instance, overgrazing of land may make the land unable to support the grazing of animals that lived there.

Objectives: Graph data on the Mule deer population of Arizona from 1905 to 1939 Determine factors responsible for the changing populations Determine the carrying capacity of the Kaibab Plateau BackgroundThe mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Before 1905, the deer on the Kaibab Plateau were estimated to number about 4000. The average carrying capacity of the range was then estimated to be about 30,000 deer. On November 28th, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve to protect the "finest deer herd in America."Unfortunately, by this time the Kaibab forest area had already been overgrazed by sheep, cattle, and horses. Most of the tall grasses had been eliminated. The first step to protect the deer was to ban all hunting. In addition, in 1907, The Forest Service tried to exterminate the predators of the deer. Between 1907 and 1939, 816 mountain lions, 20 wolves, 7388 coyotes and more than 500 bobcats were killed. Signs that the deer population was out of control began to appear as early as 1920 - the range was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. The Forest Service reduced the number of livestock grazing permits. By 1923, the deer were reported to be on the verge of starvation and the range conditions were described as "deplorable."

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The Kaibab Deer Investigating Committee recommended that all livestock not owned by local residents be removed immediately from the range and that the number of deer be cut in half as quickly as possible. Hunting was reopened, and during the fall of 1924, 675 deer were killed by hunters. However, these deer represented only one-tenth the number of deer that had been born that spring. Over the next two winters, it is estimated that 60,000 deer starved to death. Today, the Arizona Game Commission carefully manages the Kaibab area with regulations geared to specific local needs. Hunting permits are issued to keep the deer in balance with their range. Predators are protected to help keep herds in balance with food supplies. Tragic winter losses can be checked by keeping the number of deer near the carrying capacity of the range.Data Graph the deer population data. Place time on the X axis and "number of deer" on the Y axis.

 

Analysis1. During 1906 and 1907, what two methods did the Forest Service use to protect the mule deer?

2. Were these methods successful? Use the data from your graph to support your answer.

 3. Why do you suppose the population of deer declined in 1925, although the eliminated of predators occurred? 4. Why do you think the deer population size in 1900 was 4,000 when it is estimated that the plateau has a carrying capacity of 30,000? 5. Why did the deer population decline after 1924?  6. Based on these lessons, suggest what YOU would have done in the following years to manage deer herds.1915:

1923:

 7. It is a criticism of many population ecologists that the pattern of population increase and subsequent crash of the deer population would have occurred even if the bounty had not been placed on the predators. Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Explain your reasoning.

DATA TABLEYear Deer Population1905 4,0001910 9,0001915 25,0001920 65,0001924 100,0001925 60,0001926 40,0001927 37,0001928 35,0001929 30,0001930 25,0001931 20,0001935 18,0001939 10,000

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 8. What future management plans would you suggest for the Kaibab mule deer herd?

BiodiversityUse the internet to watch Bill Nye speak about biodiversity, ecosystems, and environments at the following website (22min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFeRFmqFChQ and answer the following questions:1. What is biodiversity?

2. Why is it important to have biodiversity in an ecosystem?

3. What are two advantages that humans bring to ecosystems of nearby plants and animals?

4. What are two disadvantages that humans bring to ecosystems of nearby plants and animals?

5. Fertilizers used in farming contain high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus for increased plant growth. Unfortunately, this can have a harmful side effect to the nearby ecosystems. Explain what happens.

6. Name 3 of the 4 extinct species mentioned in the video.

7. What is the largest ecosystem in the world?

8. What are the first 5 things that Bill Nye says you can do to help promote biodiversity?

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

9. Turn to page 156 of your text and look at the 25 identified “biodiversity hot spots”. List 3 of the organisms and the locations in which they are found.

Organism Location

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