1. EL: To introduce the unit and define what an ecosystem is
Dynamic Ecosystems 1
EL: To introduce the unit and define what an ecosystem is

2. Key knowledge
components of ecosystems: communities of living organisms, ecological groupings; ecological niche;
relationships between organisms: feeding including parasite/host, predator/prey, of mutual benefit, including mutualism and symbiosis;
flow of energy: inputs and outputs of the system; productivity; trophic levels and trophic efficiency;
cycling of matter: principle of exchange between living and non-living components of the ecosystem, including inputs and outputs; biogeochemical systems including those of water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen; bioaccumulation;
population dynamics: carrying capacity of ecosystems; factors affecting distribution and abundance of organisms including birth and death rates, migration;
change to ecosystems over time
– scope and intensity of regular and irregular natural changes; succession
– human activity and the sustainability of ecosystems
– historical practices of indigenous peoples and settlers;
techniques for monitoring and maintaining ecosystems.

3. Key questions
What are the components of Australian marine ecosystems and how do they interact?
How does matter and energy flow through the marine ecosystem?
How has the marine ecosystem changed over time and how have humans influenced this?
How do we monitor and maintain ecosystems?

4. Pre-test Complete pre test and hand in
If you finish early, read page 410 “introducing ecosystems” and write YOUR OWN definition

5. ecosystem, cell, organism, community, population and biosphere
Activity
Order from smallest to largest:
ecosystem, cell, organism, community, population and biosphere

6. How did you go? Cell: smallest living unit.
Organism: A single living thing.
Population: A group of the same species living in the one location at the same time.
Community: The sum of all the species living in the location at the same time.
Ecosystem: The sum of all abiotic and biotic factors and their interactions.
Biosphere: All ecosystems combined

7. Community
Cell
Organism
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Population

8. What does environment mean?
In everyday language ‘environment’ means the space or surroundings in which we live.
To a ‘Biologist’ environment means the sum of ALL the factors that affect an organism.
All factors that affect organisms can be classified as ABIOTIC or BIOTIC.
Environment = Abiotic + Biotic factors

9. What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem includes the communities of living organisms in a given region, interacting with each other, surrounded by non-living factors with which they also interact
An ecosystem consists of a community, its physical surroundings and the physical interactions within and between them
A living part and a non-living part

10. Abiotic +
Biotic
Interactions =
ecosystems

11. Naming ecosystems Can be named in a variety of ways
a terrestrial ecosystem can be named in terms of its plant community and the growth form and the structure of its dominant vegetation (e.g. forest)
naming the dominant flora found by its genus (eg: tall open eucalyptus forest).

12. Marine ecosystems Defined by: Types of Victorian marine ecosystems:
Types of plants (e.g. kelp, seagrass)
Tide level
Type of substrate (sandy, muddy, silty or rocky)
Types of Victorian marine ecosystems:
The coast
Intertidal rocky reef
Subtidal rocky reef
The beach and soft substrate
Seagrass beds
Pelagic (i.e. open sea)

13. Marine ecosystems
FIRST, COPY THE TABLE BELOW INTO YOUR BOOKS, LEAVING 5 LINES FOR EACH ECOSYSTEM
Ecosystem
Abiotic factors
Biotic factors
Interactions between them
The Coast
Intertidal rocky reef
Subtidal rocky reef
Seagrass beds
Beaches and soft substrates
Pelagic

14. Instructions
In groups of 3-4, go to one of the side benches where there is a marine ecosystem picture
Use the information and picture to fill out your table
You have 15 minutes. At the end, we’ll go through each ecosystem and each group will help the others to fill out the rest of the table

15. The Coast

16. Intertidal Rocky Reef

17. Subtidal Rocky Reef

18. Seagrass Beds

19. The Beach

20. Pelagic

21. Components of ecosystems
Communities
Surroundings
Populations
Interactions
Diversity

22. What is a population?
A group of the same species living in the one location at the same time.
Name one population in the next picture

23. The Beach

24. What is a community
A community is made up of populations of various organisms living in the same location at the same time
Name the community in the next picture

25. Intertidal Rocky Reef

26. Diversity Ecosystems can differ in their diversity
Diversity can be measured considering two factors:
The richness or the number of different species present in the sample community
The evenness or the relative abundance of different species in the sample
Which of the marine ecosystems was the most diverse and why?

27. Ecology
the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their physical environment

28. Activity/homework
Read pages and answer quick check questions 1&2 on page 411
Copy Key ideas on page 411 into your notebooks
Read page about littoral communities and make an annotated diagram summarising the main points

29. Reflection
Define your ecosystem, including the population, community and diversity.

30. EL: To explore ecological groupings and interactions
Dynamic Ecosystems 2
EL: To explore ecological groupings and interactions

31. Ecological Groups
Although environments can differ vastly all organisms within an ecosystem belong to one of the following groups:
Producer/autotroph
Consumer/heterotroph (primary, secondary, tertiary)
Decomposer
Detritivore

32. Producers or Autotrophs
Producers manufacture organic compounds from simple inorganic compounds, such as carbon dioxide, using an abiotic energy source such as sunlight through PHOTSYNTHESIS
Producers use these organic compounds themselves for energy and for all other members within that ecosystem

33. What are the producers in the marine environment?

34. Consumers or Heterotrophs
obtain their energy by eating other organisms or parts of them
All animals are consumers – what are some of the categories of consumers?

35. Consumers or Heterotrophs
Consumer organisms can be sub divided into the following groups:
Herbivores that eat plants (animals and insects)
Carnivores that eat animals (living animals and insects)
Omnivores that chow down on both plants and animals such as (most) humans
Detritivores that eat decomposing organic matter, such as rotting leaves or decaying animal remains, for example earthworms, crabs and dung beetles
Nb. Detritivores differ from decomposers in that decomposers first break down the organic matter outside their bodies by releasing enzymes and then they absorb some of the products

36. Australian Herbivore

37. Australian Carnivore

38. Omnivore (Stupidous Americanus)

39. Detrivore

40. Pelagic

41. Interactions within ecosystems
In ecosystems, interactions are continually occurring:
Between the living community and abiotic surroundings
Within the abiotic surroundings
Within the living community

42. Inputs and outputs

43. Inputs and outputs?

44. Interactions within a living community
Can involve members of the same (intraspecific) or other (interspecific) species
Can be classified ways such as:
Competition (page , 433)
Predator- prey/Herbivore-plant (page )
Parasite-host (page )
Mutualism (page )
Commensalism (page )

45. Activity
In four groups, read the relevant section on your topic and come up with a 10 minute interactive lesson on it for the next class (you’ll get 20 mins at the start of next class to finalise it)
It can involved some multimedia (no more than 3 minutes)
It should use egs from the marine environment to demonstrate

46. Homework Read pages 415-418 Copy down key ideas on page 418
Complete quick check questions on 419

47. Reflection
Name your inputs and outputs and two other ways you interact with the biotic or abiotic factors in your ecosystem

48. EL: To further explore ecological interactions
Dynamic Ecosystems 3
EL: To further explore ecological interactions

49. Activity Present your 10 minutes lesson
After the lessons, complete the feeding relationships worksheet
After the lessons (or if your group is ready early) and for homework, please:
Copy key ideas pg 433 into your books and complete qu 5&6
Complete biochallenge pg 434 qu 1-3
Chapter review qu 2-7

50. Reflection Which lesson did you enjoy the most and why? OR
Were you happy with your groups lesson? Why/why not?

51. EL: To learn about trophic levels and energy flow
Dynamic Ecosystems 7
EL: To learn about trophic levels and energy flow

52. To understand flow of energy and chemicals in ecosystems
Expected Learning
To understand flow of energy and chemicals in ecosystems

53. A Day in the Life of Krill
Read “a day in the life of krill on page Use the information to construct a flow chart of the feeding relationships.
Read page – add the terms and types of energy in the krill story to your flow chart

54. Role play Groups of 4 Person 1 = grass Person 2 = grasshopper
Person 3 = bird
Person 4 = cat/sun

55. Plants capture about 1% of the energy they receive from the sun
Person 1 – get a meter length of paper to represent this as energy that’s been converted to biomass

56. The grasshopper consumes the entire plant.
Person 1, pass the energy onto person 2.

57. Person 2: drop 60% of the paper as energy was required to find and consume the grass
Question: What processes in this cost energy?

58. Person 2: drop 20% of the energy taken from the grass, burned while avoiding predators
Question: What parts of the environment might you make use of, in avoiding predators?

59. Person 2: An infection by flukes has cost you a further 5% of your energy intake.
Question: What is the name of the biotic relationship in this case?

60. Person 2: 5% of the energy you took from the grass is spent in reproductive activities.
Question: What type of energy would be required?

61. Bad luck person 2. You weren't quite good enough at avoiding predators
Bad luck person 2! You weren't quite good enough at avoiding predators. You've been eaten by a bird - give your remaining energy over to person 3.
Lucky you'd already reproduced!

62. Person 3: as a bird you use 50% of your energy to stay warm.
Question: Why does staying warm require energy?

63. Ants rummaging around and scare up insects.
Person 3 - finding and consuming food only takes 20% of the energy you took from the grasshopper.
Question 7: What example of symbiosis is this? Apart from this, why might food consumption be less draining for a bird than a grasshopper?

64. Birds need to care for their offspring while they mature
Birds need to care for their offspring while they mature. Person 3, drop 20% of your energy uptake.
Question: How is this reproduction strategy different to that of the grasshopper?

65. Bad luck person 3. What goes around comes around
Bad luck person 3! What goes around comes around. You've been eaten by a cat.
Pass on your energy to person 4.

66. Staying warm is draining business. Lose 50% of your energy.
Question: What do we call organisms like birds and cats that generate their own body heat?

67. You need to groom yourself carefully to avoid fleas
You need to groom yourself carefully to avoid fleas. This takes time; time you aren't eating birds. Lose 25% of your energy.
What percentage remains of the initial solar energy captured by the grass?

68. Hypothetical:
If a tertiary consumer was preying on cats, what percentage of your initial energy would it receive?
If that consumer needed 1% of the initial energy captured, how many cats would it need to eat?
Is this viable?

69. Homework Copy key ideas page 446 Quick check qu 446 page 446
Read pages and summarise

70. Reflection
Were you surprised by the amount of energy lost in our role play?

71. Dynamic Ecosystems 8
EL: To learn about food chains and webs and demonstrate them with a game!

73. Activity
Food web game

74. Activity
Use the pictures to construct a marine food web. You can add your own drawings in too
Make sure you label each organism with its trophic level

75. Homework Read pages 450-52 Copy key ideas on pg 452 into your book
Quick check qu on pg 452

76. Reflection
What key knowledge about energy transfers in ecosystems and ecosystem interactions did the game demonstrate?

77. EL: To learn about ecological pyramids and ecosystem productivity
Dynamic Ecosystems 9
EL: To learn about ecological pyramids and ecosystem productivity

78. Organism abundance
Take a look at your food web poster from yesterday. Next to each organism, write and estimated number of that organism using terms like “lots”, “few” etc
Which organisms are there more and less of and why?

79. Ecological pyramids
Show the number of organisms at each trophic level (except detritivores and decomposers)
Pyramid of numbers = number of organisms per unit area

80. Pyramid of numbers

81. Ecological pyramids
Show the number of organisms at each trophic level (except detritivores and decomposers)
Pyramid of numbers = number of organisms per unit area
Pyramid of biomass = total dry organic matter of organisms at each trophic level in a given area

82. Pyramid of biomass

83. Ecological pyramids
Show the number of organisms at each trophic level (except detritivores and decomposers)
Pyramid of numbers = number of organisms per unit area
Pyramid of biomass = total dry organic matter of organisms at each trophic level in a given area
A pyramid of energy shows the amount of energy input to each trophic level in a given area of an ecosystem over an extended period, often one year

84. Pyramid of energy

86. Activity
Construct a pyramid of numbers for your marine food web. Try to then construct a pyramid of biomass or energy.
Complete the food pyramid worksheet
Copy down key ideas on page 454 and complete quick check questions

87. Ecosystem productivity
Productivity = rate of chemical energy production in an ecosystem, expressed in “grams or organic matter per square meter per year”

88. Ecosystem productivity
List in order from least productive to most productive:
Swamp
Desert scrub
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tropical forest
Continental shelf
Open ocean
Upwelling zones
Algae beds and coral reefs

89. Ecosystem productivity
Why are some ecosystems more productive than others?

90. Activity/homework
Finish any work not yet finished from earlier in the lesson
Copy down key ideas on page 457 and complete quick check questions on page 458

91. Reflection
Thinking about human population and our food production, what shape do you think our pyramid of numbers might take? Is this sustainable?

92. Dynamic Ecosystems 10
EL: To understand that, unlike energy, matter is never lost and needs to be recycled and how to create a matter cycle map.

93. Matter cycles
Matter such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, hydrogen etc continually cycles through an ecosystem, and are sometimes found in biotic components of the ecosystem
Use the information in the example on page 461 to construct a diagram of a carbon cycle

94. Biogeochemical cycles
Bio = through living things
Geo = through geological things
Chemical = C, N, P and H2O

95. Activity
In four groups, use the flip cameras to make a 2 minute video about the life of a carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus atom or water molecule
It must be told from the point of view of the atom/molecule and be suitable for a grade 3-4 audience – keep it simple and make it engaging

96. Bioaccumulation
The progressive accumulation of non-biodegradable/persistant chemicals in living organisms, becoming more concentrated in higher trophic levels

97. Activity/homework Complete bioaccumulation worksheet
Copy key ideas on page 466
Complete quick check questions on page 467 and the biochallenge question

98. Reflection
Which video was more suitable to its target audience and why?

99. EL: To begin exploring population dynamics.
Dynamic Ecosystems 13
EL: To begin exploring population dynamics.

100. Figure 15.2 page 472 How many populations can you see?
How many individuals are there?
Would you say this area is species rich? Why/why not?

101. Figure 15.4 page 473 Where would Australia sit on the graph?
number of species:
Area: km2

102. Species Richness
The number of different populations in terrestrial communities in the same region is related to the physical size of the available area.
The number of different populations in a terrestrial area is also related to the latitude or distance from the equator.
As we move from the poles to the equator, in general, species richness of terrestrial communities increases.

103. Activity
Copy key ideas and complete quick check questions page 475

104. Human populations
Think about a population of humans – what are some ways we can describe it?
Look at list on page 475 – did we get them all?
Refer back to figure 15.2 on page 472 – how would you now describe the abundance of the penguins?

105. Population abbundance
Abundance or density is defined as the number of individuals of a given species per unit area.
Abundance can also be expressed qualitatively:
scarce or rare
infrequent
frequent
abundant
very abundant (see figure 15.9).

106. Our population abundance
How would you describe the year 11 biology class population abundance
Quantitatively
Qualitatively

107. Activity Read pages 476-478 (stop at pop. distribution)
Answer the following questions:
How do we measure population abundance?
Why can’t population abundance be based on just one sampling period?
Outline 2 reasons why we want to know population abundance.
Page 497 qu 5

108. What is a population distribution?
Refers to the spread of members of a population over space.
Populations may have identical densities but their distributions can differ.

109. What is a population distribution?
three populations with identical densities but their horizontal distributions differ
Clumped and uniform distributions are both non-random patterns.
The most common pattern observed in populations is a clumped distribution.
Changes in the distribution of populations can occur over time.

110. What type of population distribution?

111. Activity/Homework
Read page 480 and summarise the conditions suitable for the three types of population distribution
Copy key ideas page 481
Quick check 3-6 page 482
Complete population dynamic worksheet

112. Reflection
Summarise in one sentence your main learning from today.

113. EL: To explore population growth and its limits.
Dynamic Ecosystems 15
EL: To explore population growth and its limits.

114. Population growth
Population dynamics deals with changes in population size over time.
Models of growth in closed populations include:
exponential or unlimited growth model
logistic or density-dependent growth model.

115. .
Emigration
Immigration
Population
Reproduction
Death

116. Exponential growth
Exponential growth is the unlimited growth of a population.
This pattern of growth can occur for several generations at least as long as resources are abundant

117. Logistic growth
Population growth in the presence of limiting factors follows a pattern that is termed logistic growth, also known as density-dependent growth.
When the population size is well below the carrying capacity (K), the growth of the population is rapid, but as the population size approaches carrying capacity, growth slows and stops.

118. How much is too much?
Carrying capacity
The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that a habitat can support in a sustained manner

119. When you can’t stop increasing.

120. When you really can’t stop increasing.

121. We have looked at distribution of animals over space but how about time?
Why is there a lag between the peak in biomass of foxes compared to hares?

122. Activity/Homework Copy key ideas page 492 Quick check 12-16
Read
Copy key ideas page 495
Quick check 17-19
Biochallenge
Chapter Review qu 2, 3, 6-8, 10

123. Reflection
What are 3 key ideas I learnt about today?