1. Unit 7: Ecology
Lesson 1: Climate

2. Monday: Bell Work What was something fun you did over Spring Break?
Did you go outside and observe nature over Spring Break? If you did what were some of your observations?

3. Monday: Vocabulary Biotic factor: Abiotic Factor: Hazard:
Seed Germination:
Climate:

4. Monday: Review Questions
What is climate change?
What are some of the effects of climate change?
What are some of the causes of climate change?

5. Tuesday: Bell Work
What are some ways the you think you can reduce climate change?
What are abiotic and biotic factors?
List 3 abiotic and biotic factors that are in this room.

6. Changing Environment
Various factors that can change the environment and they include
natural hazards
limiting factors
Human influence
All have similar effects on the environment, and can affect each other
Changes can have an effect on the amount of resources available
Lead to competition for food, water, space, or shelter.

7. Natural Hazards
A natural hazard is any naturally occurring event that has an effect on the ecosystem.
Examples: floods, hurricanes, wildfires etc.
Can cause significant changes to the local environment
make it more difficult for some organisms to survive and others to flourish
Example, the heat and smoke generated during a wildfire can influence seed germination in some plant species.

8. Natural Hazards
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

9. Limiting Factor
A limiting factor is anything that prevents a population from growing larger.
Carrying Capacity is the maximum number of organisms that can survive in a particular ecosystem
Limiting factors can be biotic (food and predators)
Biotic factors are anything that is living
abiotic (soil quality and water supply).
Abiotic factors are anything that is not living and has not lived

10. Abiotic Vs. Biotic

11. Weather or Climate?
Weather: day-to-day conditions of Earth’s atmosphere
Climate: long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation over many years
Tell students that the photo shows a satellite image of a hurricane.
Ask: Is a hurricane an instance of weather or climate?
Answer: weather
Click to reveal the definition of weather.
Explain that atmospheric conditions include temperature, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, humidity, and wind, among other environmental factors. Point out that weather can change rapidly and can be difficult to predict. It may be sunny in the morning but rainy in the afternoon.
Click to reveal the definition of climate.
Point out that climate is more predictable.
Emphasize that these short-term and long-term variations in external environmental factors determine which organisms grow and reproduce in particular areas. That, in turn, shapes populations, communities, and ecosystems.

12. Climate
Climate refers to the temperature and amount of rainfall in a particular environment.
Changes in temperature and the amount of rainfall from what is normal for that area can change an environment
Which will have an effect on the populations in the area.

13. Factors That Affect Climate
Latitude
Solar energy trapped in biosphere
Transport of heat energy and moisture
Geographic features
Click to reveal each bullet point as you discuss the factors that affect climate.
Explain that local and global climates are shaped by solar energy trapped in the biosphere (as shown in the image on the left), latitude, and the transport of heat and moisture by winds and ocean currents (as shown in the image on the right). Local climate on land is also affected by the interactions of winds with geographic features such as mountain ranges, large bodies of water, and ocean currents.

14. Factor’s That Affect Climate

15. Availability of Resources
Organisms require a certain amount of food water, space, and shelter
When the availability of resources in a given area is less than what the various populations need, it becomes a limiting factor.
When plants and animals compete for these resources, some will get them and some will not.
Those that get the resources survive
Those that do not, will move to where the resources are available or die.

16. Vocabulary
Environment
Limiting Factor
Weather
Population
Latitude

17. Review Questions
What is a limiting factor? Name some different types of limiting factors.
What are some Natural Hazards that we have in Union?
What is the difference between weather and climate?