1. Ecology Project
Unit 6
This is an on-going unit project where students will produce a small poster about ecology that will be done in stages as concepts are developed throughout the unit. This PowerPoint is designed to guide the teacher and students through the steps outlined in the curriculum document. Please refer back to this PowerPoint following the instructions in the unit 6 document. Not all of the slides will be shown on the same day, but will be used throughout the unit as new concepts are introduced.

2. What is Ecology?
The study of interactions between organism’s and their environment.

3. What is an Ecosystem?
The living and non-living things in an area.

4. What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives and provides the needs for that organism.

5. What is Biotic?
The living things in the environment.

6. What is Abiotic? The non-living factors that effect living things.
Water
Soil
Sunlight
Temperature
Oxygen

7. Processing Abiotic and Biotic
Look around the classroom, name two biotic factors and two abiotic factors.

8. Ecology Project
Select a photo of an ecosystem that has been cut out already. Glue this photo to a piece of construction paper. Label the abiotic and biotic factors on your picture.

9. Processing Project
A certain plant needs moisture, oxygen, carbon dioxide, light and minerals in order to survive. This statement shows that a living organism depends on (abiotic or biotic factors)? Why?

10. What is a food chain?
A food chain explains how food ENERGY is transferred between living things in an environment. In a food chain, you are either the producer or consumer.

11. Where does the energy come from?
The SUN. All food chains start with the sun. Why?

12. Producers make their own food.
What is a producer?
Producers make their own food.

13. Consumers eat other living things, like other animals or plants.
What is a consumer?
Consumers eat other living things, like other animals or plants.

14. A herbivore only eats plants.
What is a herbivore?
A herbivore only eats plants.

15. A carnivore eat only animals.
What is a carnivore?
A carnivore eat only animals.

16. An omnivore eats both plants and animals.
What is an omnivore?
An omnivore eats both plants and animals.

17. Decomposers break down dead plants and animals.
What is a decomposer?
Decomposers break down dead plants and animals.

18. What does a food chain look like?

19. Adding to Our Ecology Project
Create a food chain based on the organisms that live in your ecosystem.
Your food chain must contain 3-4 living things.
What do the arrows represent????
Your food chain must start with the sun.

20. Ecology Project continued….
After your food chain is complete, in your NB, write to explain where your living things from your food chain get their energy from.

21. Food Chain Activity
You will investigate food chains by getting a specific part of a food chain. You are going to be given a card. You then have to find the other members in your food chain and put yourself in order. When you are done, raise your hands.
USE Food Chain Card Practice found in curriculum central to do this activity.
Note to teacher: Print this sheet (Food Chain Card Practice) and cut into 30 cards. This is enough for 30 students to each receive one card. Instruct students to find the “other 4 members of their food chain”. In classes with fewer than 30 students, give multiple cards to the same student. Completed activity should result in 6 food chains with 5 members in each chain.

22. Processing Food Chains
Use the following statement and fill in the blanks. “I ate bacon for breakfast, my energy came from a pig, that energy came from _________ and that energy came from _________ and that energy came from the sun.”
This is great as an exit slip, a notebook entry or as a warm-up as students come back to class tomorrow.

23. What is a food web?
A food web is a complex arrangement of food chains. Notice: The direction of the arrow points in the direction of energy transfer, NOT “what ate what”.

24. Even if you can’t name these organisms, how can the direction of the arrows tell you where the producers are? Where the herbivores are? Where the omnivores are? Where the carnivores are?
Lead students to understand that they can’t possibly learn all of the names of the organisms in every food chain or web, but understanding how chains/webs are designed can allow them to interpret ANY chain or web they will ever encounter. This conceptual understanding is VERY empowering to students who will likely encounter food chains and webs in testing that they have never seen before. Assure students that they can tackle any food chain/web without having to know all of the names, or if they see a name of an organisms that they do not know they will still be able to interpret IF they pay attention to the direction of the arrows.
Practice interpreting this web without naming any of the organisms to allow students to conceptually understand this web.
Example: all producers will only have arrows flowing OUT of them, indicating that they produce their own energy and therefore do not “consume”.
All herbivores will have arrows leading FROM producers into them, indicating that their energy comes solely from plants.
All omnivores will have arrows leading FROM both producers and other animals ( consumers) , indicating that their energy comes from both producers and consumers.
All carnivores will have arrows leading FROM only other consumers, indicating that their energy only comes from other consumers.

25. Now practice with students ( have them work with a partner, then share out with whole group) to identify :
Producers
Herbivores
Omnivores
Carnivores
Decomposers
Based on positioning of arrows

26. Make a food web from the following….
Students will practice this with a partner, and record in their NB. Tell them that there are missing organisms and challenge them to add components that are not listed, but needed for a proper food web. Don’t tell then what is missing, but see if they can determine with a partner what it is. (Obviously the producer is missing. Give bonus points if they can add a decomposer.)

27. Ecology Project
Take the two food chains you have created on your project and create a food web.
2. Label the following terms – carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, consumer, producer and decomposer

28. Processing Food Webs
How are omnivores, carnivores and herbivores alike and not alike? Justify. Use your NB.
Have students create a Venn to compare and contrast. Use NB to record.

29. What is an energy pyramid?
An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy available in each step of a food chain. The steps of an energy pyramid are called trophic levels.

30. What is a trophic level?
A trophic level is the position occupied by an organism in a food chain. 1st Trophic Level: Producers 2nd Trophic Level: Primary Consumers 3rd Trophic Level: Secondary Consumers 4th Trophic Level: Tertiary Consumers Why must an energy pyramid start with a producer?
Must start with a producers because they are the only organisms that do not have to consume something else, they produce their own food. Help students understand that producers still “eat” or need food energy, they just produce it ( glucose or sugars) from the energy they absorb from the sun.

31. Where is the energy?
The greatest amount of energy is found in the base of the pyramid. The least amount of energy is found at the top of the pyramid.
This helps to build conceptual understanding of conservation of energy that students will learn in 8th grade.
Energy is never created or destroyed, it just changes form. Producers transform light energy from the sun into chemical energy. That chemical energy is largely available to consumers who will later eat the plants. Most of the chemical energy from the plant is available to the consumer because plants do not convert their chemical energy into mechanical/heat energy for motion as consumers do.
As consumers eat producers, they convert most of the chemical energy they eat into heat and mechanical energy for motion. Those forms of energy can’t be eaten by subsequent consumers, only the chemical energy stored in their body tissue can be transferred to the next consumer. Because of this, less and less chemical energy can be transferred to each level (10% rule)

32. What?? Tertiary Consumers: Least Energy Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers: Greatest Energy

33. Processing the Energy Pyramid
What does the shape of an energy pyramid tell you about how the amounts of available energy change from one level to the next?
Pyramid shape tells us that less and less energy is available for transfer from one trophic level to the next. Most energy is given off to the atmosphere as heat and is not transferred.

34. Ecology Project Create an energy pyramid of your ecosystem.
Label the producers.
Label 1st level consumers.
Label 2nd level consumers.
Label 3rd level consumers.
Label decomposers.

35. Processing the Project
Which level of an energy pyramid contains the most energy? Why?
Have students answer this in their NB, or as an exit/entrance ticket.

36. Green circles are chloroplasts
These are pictures of plant cells so that students can see what chloroplasts look like in a cell.
You can use these slides in place of looking at microscope slides if time does not allow.
Green circles are chloroplasts

37. Green circles are chloroplasts

38. What adaptation of a plant cell aids in photosynthesis?
CHLOROPLASTS

39. Contains a green pigment called chlorophyll
What are chloroplasts?
Found in plant cells
Contains a green pigment called chlorophyll
Chlorophyll has the ability to convert radiant energy to chemical energy.
Do not have students learn all of these structures- that will be covered in Biology. They just need to know that chloroplasts are filled with green chlorophyll that has the ability to absorb light energy and convert it to chemical energy for the plants to “eat”.

40. What color helps you identify a chloroplast? Why is it this color?
Chloroplasts should be green because they are filled with a green chemical substance called chlorophyll.
The green color is perfect for absorbing the right amount and type of energy from sunlight.
What color helps you identify a chloroplast? Why is it this color?

41. Processing Photosynthesis
What special structure does a plant have to make them a producer?
Have students answer this in their NB, or as an exit/entrance slip

42. How does water get in to the plant?
The Xylem
A transport tissue with the basic function to transport water from the roots throughout the plant.
Xylem is found in the roots and stems of plants and is like a tiny tube.
The “strings” in celery are xylem tubes.
If you have celery that you can show students now, that is a great way to help them visualize this tissue in a way that they can remember. The xylem is very noticeable in celery- it is the “strings” that get in your way when you eat celery!

43. How is a xylem in a plant similar to a circulatory system in a human?
Processing Xylem
How is a xylem in a plant similar to a circulatory system in a human?
Blood vessels carry water and nutrients in the human body just as xylem carries water and minerals for a plant.
Blood vessels carry water and nutrients in a “one way direction” and so does xylem.
Have students write in NB or as an exit/entrance slip.

44. What is photosynthesis?
A process where plants make their own food.

45. Where does photosynthesis occur?
Photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of plants.
Structure is the chloroplast filled with chlorophyll
Can you name the structure in a leaf that is responsible for photosynthesis?

46. What is needed for photosynthesis?
Radiant Energy Water Carbon Dioxide CO2

47. What is made inside the plant?
Glucose – chemical energy in the form of a sugar Formula for Photosynthesis: 6CO2 + 6H2O +light  C6H12O6 + 6O2

48. What is released from the plant?
Oxygen

49. Processing Photosynthesis
Write to complete this sentence: During photosynthesis, _________ energy is converted into __________ energy?
Have students record in NB

50. Ecology Project
Add the chemical reaction for photosynthesis to your poster project. Create a simple sketch on your poster to help you remember what “goes into” and “out of” a plant during photosynthesis.

51. What are the products of photosynthesis?
Processing Project
What are the products of photosynthesis?
Products ( what is produced) are oxygen and glucose

52. Photosynthesis Writing
Finish your photosynthesis writing. Add this question to your journal: What substances are necessary for photosynthesis to occur? What is necessary to “power” this reaction?
Substances needed are: carbon dioxide and water.
Light is needed to “power” the reaction. The light energy transforms the carbon dioxide and water molecules into chemical energy- glucose.

53. What is tropism?
Tropism is an organism, or a part of an organism’s response of turning or bending movement toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat or gravity.

54. What is phototropism?
Phototropism causes a plant’s stems and leaves to grow toward the light.

55. What is geotropism?
Geotropism is the downward growth of roots. Gravity helps plants grow in the proper position to seek light.

56. What forces are acting on these plants in the animations?
Processing Tropism
What forces are acting on these plants in the animations?
Gravity is the force that acts on the plants

57. Geotropism and Phototropism Investigation
Fold paper towel to fit inside bag after it is wet.
Place the seeds on top of the paper towel.
Close bag. Some air needs to be allowed in.
Label your bag.

58. Processing Geotropism
If you plant a seed upside down will it still grow properly? How do you know?
NB answers
Yes, you can’t plant a seed “upside down” because no matter how it is planted, gravity will pull roots down first and then stem and leaf will grow later in the opposite direction of the roots.

59. Investigation of an Ecosystem
Predict in your journal what abiotic and biotic factors you will find. Predict in your journal what plants and animals you might find outside.

60. The Investigation
You will need to observe food chains in your ecosystem.
Record in your journal the abiotic and biotic factors you see.
Record the producers, consumers and decomposers you see.
Create a food chain to represent the flow of energy in your ecosystem.
It is likely that some classes will not observe any food chain activity in their school yard. If that is the case, lead a discussion about what types of plants and animals COULD exist in the ecosystem you are investigating

61. Processing the Investigation
What is the source of all food in your ecosystem and what process produced that food?
Sun is the source of all energy in our ecosystem

62. What is a Decomposer?
Go back to your notebook and circle the decomposer that is in your food chain or web.

63. What are adaptations?
Living things have bodies that are adapted for the places they live and the things they do. Adaptations can be structural or behavioral.

64. What are structural adaptations?
Grinding teeth in herbivores
Webbed feet for swimming
Needle leaves in cactus
Gills in fish
Hollow bones in birds
A bulb in plants
How do these structural adaptations help an organism survive?
Have students brainstorm with partners how these adaptations can help an organisms survive and then have groups share out.

65. What are behavioral adaptations?
Migration
Hibernation
Dormancy in plants
Discuss with students the meanings of these words. Have students brainstorm with partners how these adaptations can help an organisms survive and then have groups share out.

66. Processing Structural Adaptations
What external (physical) adaptations allow organisms to survive in a lake?
Structures like fins, gills, scales

67. Adaptation of the Human Hand Activity
You and a partner will demonstrate how the human hand is adapted for the actions it performs.

68. Processing Adaptations
How can a beneficial adaptation be harmful to an organism if the environment changes?
Have students process in NB.