Invasive Species and Ecology Review

Today students reviewed some ideas in ecology with the following questions.

Four check-in questions:

1. Compare and contrast a food web to a food chain.  Which is more realistic?  Why?

2. How does a modeling program like Ecobeaker help us in science?  What are its limitations (What can't it provide for us)?

3. List three different trophic levels found in an ecosystem.  Give a specific organism that can be linked to each of the levels and what it feeds on (how does it get its energy?).

4. How does the energy in a food chain transfer from one trophic level to another?  How much energy actually passes from one organism to another organism?

We also started to discuss the America's Most Unwanted Project.

Here is the link for the project

Here you will find resources, graphic organizers, and the rubric.

Tuesday and Wednesday October 22nd and 23rd

Students worked through Ecobeaker Ex #3 today - Big Fish Little Fish.

Goal: Students should gain a solid understanding behind a trophic cascade.  They should understand that a change in the population of one organism in an ecosystem has a direct impact on the other organisms within that ecosystem.

We are also digging into the idea behind invasive species.

Here is an article from Science Magazine on invasive species.

Native Frogs Beat Invasive Toads

and here is a video on aquatic invasives

CNN Student News - Link
2:51 - 5:45 on the Invasive Species Lionfish.

October 18th - Food Webs

Today you will be completing a food web of a habitat you are familiar with.

Have fun and be creative!

Here is an example of an Arctic Food Web to help guide you.

Food Web Project

Directions: Create a food web for an ecosystem that is nearby. For example a

forest, stream, backyard, saltmarsh, or beach. You are encourage to choose an

ecosystem that you are familiar with. You should organize your food web so that

relationships between organisms are demonstrated (like we did in class).

Vocabulary to keep in mind:

organism

ecosystem

decomposer

food web

producer

consumer

trophic level

Required Items

Your food web should:

• have 15 - 20 organisms represented in the food web.
• identify the name of each organism.
• include arrows to indicate the flow of energy.
• have at least 2 of every trophic level represented (decomposer, producer, consumer).
• show many organisms interacting.
• contain a sketch for each organism.
• use a ruler to draw straight lines.
• contain color.
• contain a title (example - A Tidal Pool Food Web).
• contain your name and group.

October 17th - EcoBeaker Go Fish

Students are working on the 2nd Exercise - "Go Fish" in the EcoBeaker Program.
This exercise looks at what happens to the different trophic levels when an organism is removed from the lake habitat.

Here is a link to the worksheet. - "Go Fish"

Students need to work hard to collect good data from the modeling program, analyze the data nd come to good conclusions backing up their ideas with supporting evidence.

Be good scientists and have fun!

October 15th and 16th - Ecology

Today we started a new Unit of Ecology!

Students were introduced to the concepts of modeling and simulations.
Students have access to an amazing technology resource in EcoBeaker Maine Explorer.  This modeling program takes them into a Maine Lake and how the organism interact within it.
Here is an image of the program.

Students are working through vocabulary concepts on a Google document seen here.

We also completed a Sciencesaurus reading on food webs and food chains.  In the reading the different trophic levels were introduced and defined.  That reading can be found here.

Finally here is a link to a fun food web interactive site.  - GouldEdu.au