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Mrs. Gall

www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

*Study Guide

Ecology, Natural Selection, and Natural Resources

*SOIL

*Soil is a very important part of every ecosystem. Students should understand the function and importance of soil.

*I. What is SOIL?

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*I. What is SOIL?

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*SOIL: I. What is SOIL?

*Soil consists of living and nonliving materials. These materials have three main components: broken down rocks and minerals, small organisms like insects, bacteria, and fungus, and dead plant and animal material. It contains the nutrients and water that plants need to live. The roots of plants absorb the nutrients and water in the soil that are trapped between the soil particles. Plants use the nutrients and water, along with energy from the sun, to make food and to grow. Soil also gives plant roots a place to anchor themselves so that the plant can stand upright and grow. This support holds the plant in place even during wind and rain storms.

*I. What is SOIL?

*Soil consists of living and nonliving materials. These materials have three main components: broken down rocks and minerals, small organisms like insects, bacteria, and fungus, and dead plant and animal material. It contains the nutrients and water that plants need to live.

*I. What is SOIL?

*Abiotic factors:

broken down rocks and minerals

*Biotic factors (alive):

small organisms like insects, bacteria, and fungus

*Biotic factors (not alive):

dead plant and animal material

*I. What is SOIL?

*The roots of plants absorb the nutrients and water in the soil that are trapped between the soil particles.

*I. What is SOIL?

*Plants use the nutrients and water, along with energy from the sun, to make food and to grow.

*I. What is SOIL?

*Soil also gives plant roots a place to anchor themselves so that the plant can stand upright and grow. This support holds the plant in place even during wind and rain storms.

*I. What is SOIL?

Code #3www.performanceseries.com

AndMrs. Gallwww.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

*II. GROWING BEAN SPROUTS

*To help students understand soil and its functions, have them collect samples of soil from outside their house. By using a hand lens or magnifier, students can examine the soil and observe the small particles. Also, students can experiment by growing plants with or without soil. Have them plant a bean in a cup of soil and another bean in a wet paper towel. Water the soil and paper towel when they become dry and observe the growth of the bean plants over several months. Both beans should sprout and become small plants..

BEANS SPROUTIN SOILOR ON WET PAPER TOWEL IN THE SUNLIGHT

*After a period of time, students should observe that the bean plant in soil is thriving while the one in the paper towel is not. They may conclude that the bean planted in the soil is growing because the soil offers the nutrients and support that the bean needs.

*II. GROWING BEAN SPROUTS

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*Code #3

*www.performanceseries.com

*And

*Mrs. Gall

*www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

*FOOD CHAINS

A food chain is a diagram that shows how energy is passed from one living thing to another. Food gives living things energy. Animals need to eat food to get energy, while plants get energy from the food they make.

Grass deer mountain lion

*FOOD CHAINS

*Most food chains start with a plant. The following "link" in the chain would be an animal that eats that plant, and the next "link" would be an animal that eats the previous animal. The arrows in a food chain show how energy is passed between the "links" - not which animal hunts another animal. For example, a forest food chain might look like this:

Or, in the ocean, like this:

algae fish seal

Grass deer mountain lion

Code #3www.performanceseries.com

AndMrs. Gallwww.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

*NATURAL SELECTION

Students should know that the theory of natural selection was developed by Charles Darwin and be able to explain his ideas on how organisms change over time to survive in a changing environment.

*NATURAL SELECTION

*The British scientist, Charles Darwin, argued that an organism has a special trait, or characteristic, that helps it survive, like blending into the surroundings or the ability to run quickly to get away from predators.

*Because it survives, an organism is able to reproduce and pass on the traits that enabled it to survive to its offspring.

*Darwin called this process natural selection.

If there is a species of varying brownish-white mice that live in the forest, the individuals that are mostly white will not survive as well as the ones that are primarily brown. The mostly white ones will stand out more in the dark forest and owls will hunt them more easily. This means that the mostly brown mice will live to reproduce and the white ones will not. The offspring of these mostly brown mice will be mostly brown as well. Eventually, mostly brown mice will exist in this forest and primarily white mice will become rare. The change in a species' characteristics develop over very long periods of time because there are only slight changes in the organisms which must be passed down through many generations.

*NATURAL SELECTION

*Fossils are hardened plant or animal remains and prints from long ago. Scientists believe that fossils show that many species of living things have gradually changed over time, or have become extinct, due to natural selection.

*NATURAL SELECTION

*When an organism becomes extinct, every member of that particular type dies and there are no more left on earth. If a species is unable to survive and produce more offspring, its numbers decrease, while a species better suited to the environment survives to reproduce.

*NATURAL SELECTION

To understand how Darwin applied the theory of natural selection, students can look at pictures of animals and different environments and discuss which would survive the best in each environment. They can also discuss what would happen to animals that are not well suited to their environment.

Code #3www.performanceseries.com

AndMrs. Gallwww.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

*ADAPTATIONS

An adaptation is a unique trait, or characteristic, that an organism has inherited that improves its chances for survival in its environment or its reproductive success.

* Students will recognize the various adaptations of plants and animals and understand how they use their adaptations for survival.

*ADAPTATIONS

*A monkey's strong tail is an adaptation that helps it hold onto tree branches. This adaptation aids in monkeys' survival by allowing them to travel easily through trees when they are looking for food and escaping from predators.

*ADAPTATIONS

*The manzanita tree has an adaptation that allows it to control the supply of nutrients and water to certain branches so others can use them to grow. This helps the tree survive in its environment because it can continue to grow even when water and nutrients are scarce.

*ADAPTATIONS

*Seals are able to hold their breath underwater for long periods of time while they hunt for food. This is an adaptation that improves the seal's chance for survival in its environment.

*ADAPTATIONS

*Anything that is not a behavioral or physical characteristic of an organism that increases its chances of survival or reproductive success is not an adaptation.

*The pond where a fish lives, the type of food a bear eats, or the conditions around a plant are not adaptations.

*ADAPTATIONS

*To improve their understanding of adaptations, students can visit a zoo, aquarium, or pet store and write down examples of the different adaptations animals display. Next to each adaptation, have the students write down how the adaptation helps the animal. Students can also create an imaginary plant or animal that doesn't live on the earth, draw a picture of the organism, and explain some of the adaptations the organism would have to have to help it survive in its habitat on the planet it lives.

*Before you leave class today…

*MAKE SURE YOUR NAME, DATE, AND PERIOD ARE ON THE TOP OF YOUR PAPER

*TURN IN YOUR WORK (IN YOUR TEACHER’S HANDS, TO AN ASSIGNED STUDENT, OR IN THE TRAY ON YO UR TEACHER’SDESK)

*HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON!

*A Note to the Teacher

*A printed worksheet can accompany this slideshow, to help students focus on the main ideas.

*The content of the worksheet that I produced to accompany this slideshow is found on the final slide (next).

*Feel free to cut this content and paste into a word document to use for yourself.

  Number of WHITE mice

Number of BROWN mice

TOTAL number of mice

What percent of this generation are WHITE individuals?

Original Population

12 12 24 50%

First Generation

      34%

Second Generation

      20%

Third Generation

      5%

What is Soil?Abiotic factors:________________________________________________Biotic factors (alive):

________________________________________________Biotic factors (not alive):

________________________________________________Food ChainsFor example, a forest food chain might look like this:

________________ ________________ ________________

Or, in the ocean, like this:

________________ ________________ ________________Natural SelectionIf there is a species of varying brownish-white mice that live in the forest, the individuals that are mostly white will not survive as well as the ones that are primarily brown. Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This means that the mostly brown mice will live to reproduce and the white ones will not. The offspring of these mostly brown mice will be mostly brown as well. Eventually, mostly brown mice will exist in this forest and primarily white mice will become rare. The change in a species' characteristics develop over very long periods of time because there are only slight changes in the organisms which must be passed down through many generations.