The Ecology Expectations
By the end of the chapter you should have the following completed:
1. Have the following words written down and defined in your notebook.
Group A ecology, geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, species, homeostasis, producer, autotroph, consumer, heterotrophs, herbivore, carnivore, scavenger, omnivores, decomposers
Group B : niche, homeostasis, producer, consumer, autotroph, heterotroph, hervibore, carnivores, scavengers, omnivores, decomposers
Group C : Predators, Prey, symbiosis, commensalisms, mutualism, parasite, host
Group D: food chain, food web, ecological pyramid, Water cycle, transpiration, evaporation, runoff, groundwater, precipitation
Group E: population, limiting factor, abiotic limiting factor, biotic limiting factor, carrying capacity, density dependent factor, density independent factor
Group F: competition, natality, mortality, growth rate, immigration, emigration, biocide, insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, biodiversity, extinct, endangered, threatened
2. All sections of the reading should be read with the goal of being able to discuss/explain the information contained in them. You can get to the readings by clicking the reading link to the left.
3. Have the following review questions completely answered in your notebook:
Group 1-The beginnings of ecology
1.What is ecology?
2.How is the biosphere related to the geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere?
3.Put the following groups in order from the one with the smallest members to the largest: biosphere, species, community, ecosystem, population
4.How are species and populations related?
5.How are is a community and an ecosystem different?
6. When you are reporting population numbers, what is the three important pieces of information that should be reported with the number of organisms?
Group 2 Feeding Relationships: How organisms get energy
1. What is a niche?
2.Do you believe an ecosystem could survive without any producers? Give a reason for your answer.
3. What are 5 different categories of consumers?
4. What would happen to an ecosystem that had no scavengers or decomposers? 5. Copy this table in your notebook and fill it in (you can make the spaces bigger if you need to.
Niche |
What do they do |
Example |
Producer |
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Herbivore |
|
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Carnivore |
|
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Scavenger |
|
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Omnivore |
|
|
Decomposer |
|
|
Group 3. Close Relationships for Survival
- What are three different types of symbiotic relationships?
- What is the difference between commensalisms and mutualism?
- Why is it bad for the parasite if it harms its host to the point of killing it?
Group 4 Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
1.what is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
2. Give an example of a food chain.
3. Draw a food web using the following organism: grass, clover, pinetree, mice, seed eating birds, rabbit, owl fox, mountain lion.
4. In which direction do the arrows have to point in a food chain or food web?
5. What type of organism is at the base of all ecological pyramids?
6. Draw the wate cycle labeling transpiration, evaporation, precipitation, runoff, ground water.
Group 5: Population Biology
1. Give an example of a population. (Be sure to include all the things necessary to specify a population)
2. Give an example of an abiotic limiting factor.
3. Give an example of a biotic limiting factor.
4. How does an increased predator population affect the population of its prey species?
5. How does an increased prey population affect the population of a predator that eats it?
6. When looking a time versus population graph, how will you know when the carrying capacity has been reached?
7. Give an example of a density dependent factor.
8. Give an example of a density independent factor.
Group 6: Population Biology
1. What are the four rates that affect population growth?
2. Which of the four rates affects a population in a positive way?
3. Which of the four rates affects a population in a negative way?
4. A herd of dustkitties is living under Mrs. Bolvin and Mr. Martin’s desks in the stock room. Currently there are 5. Mrs. Bolvin has studied them for a month and found out the dustkitties are falling prey to Custodian George’s broom at the rate of 1 per week and are making new little dust kittens at the rate of 2 per week. 1 dustkitty per week gets brave and relocates to G-8 while 2 dustkitties leave the heat of the greenhouse each week to live happily under Mr. Martin’s desk. What will the dustkitty population be in 4 weeks?
Group 7: Biodiversity
1. What happens to the stability of an ecosystem when the biodiversity of a community decreases?
2. Give an example of habitat degradation.
3. Give an example of habitat destruction.
4. How does pesticide use endanger biodiversity?
5. Give an example of habitat fragmentation.
4. Labs to be handed in with discussion questions written out and answered in complete sentences:
| Food chain Rummy | Competition Lab |
| Owl Pellet Lab | Population Density Lab |
| Doubling Time Lab | Endangered/threatened Species Project |
5. Know how to calculate the size of a population in the past or future give the four rates that affect the growth rate of a population.
6.
Be able to explain the effects of various biocides on biodiversity of populations.
7.
Be able to explain how biodiversity and ecosystem stability are related.
8.
Know all material covered in class notes.
Extra Credit: To be able to do extra credit you must have all homework assignments done on time. Since this unit will be broken into at least 2 tests, there are two separate extra credit assignments.
Activity 1: Do the online review test for the first cell test and submit it to me for credit. If you get an 80 or better on the test, you will get 2 points on your first ecology test. To access the review test, follow the link below:
http://www.msad54.org/sahs/science/team1/Bio2/WebTests/whatiseco.htm
After submitting the test, if you will be told your score and the correct answers for the ones you got wrong.
Activity 2: Do the online review test for the second ecology test and submit it to me for credit. If you get an 80 or better on the test, you will get 2 points on your second ecology test. To access the review test, follow the link below:
http://www.msad54.org/sahs/science/team1/Bio2/WebTests/communpopul.htm
After submitting the test, if you will be told your score and the correct answers for the ones you got wrong.