Download Science 10 Ecology Notes

Carbon Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Fill in the blanks – Read Pages 62-64 in the textbook and refer to the two different
previous diagrams
Coal
Oil
Natural Gas
burning of fossil fuels
volcanoes
Photosynthesis Respiration
ocean
sugar Greenhouse
decayed
1. Plants use CO2 in the process of ___________________ to make ___________ and
oxygen.
2. Animals use oxygen in the process of _______________ and make more CO 2.
3. The ____________ is the main regulator of CO2 in the atmosphere because CO2
dissolves easily in it.
4. In the past, huge deposits of carbon were stored as dead plants and animals
__________.
5. Today these deposits are burned as fossil fuels, which include _____________,
_______________, and ______________.
6. More CO2 is released in the atmosphere today than in the past because of
____________________________ .
7. Another natural source for CO2 is __________________.
8. Too much CO2 in the atmosphere may be responsible for the _______________
effect.
Nitrogen Cycle
Fill in the blanks using the diagram above and pages 66-67
Atmosphere
78% ammonia
Nitrate
nitrogen-fixing plants
proteins
animals
denitrificating
waste
plants
1. Our atmosphere is ______ nitrogen gas.
2. Animals and plants cannot directly use all the nitrogen found in our
________________.
3. Only special bacteria can directly use nitrogen in our atmosphere and “fix” it so other
organisms can benefit. These bacteria are called ____________-_________ bacteria.
4. Higher organisms use nitrogen to make their _____________.
5. Animal waste decay by the action of bacteria which create _____________and
__________ products rich in nitrogen, and useful for plants to use again.
6. ______________ bacteria in the soil can break down the ammonia into the gaseous
form of nitrogen, which is not available for use by plants or animals.
7. In another part of the cycle, animals eat ____________ containing nitrogen, which is
again returned to the soil by animal _____________ or decaying ____________ and
___________.
Biology Worksheet
Examining the Stages in Ecological Succession
Name: ______________________
Succession, a series of environmental changes, occurs in all ecosystems. The stages that any ecosystem passes
through are predictable. In this activity, you will place the stages of succession of two ecosystems into sequence.
You will also describe changes in an ecosystem and make predictions about changes that will take place from one
stage of succession to another.
The evolution of a body of water from a lake to a marsh can last for thousands of years. The process cannot be
observed directly. Instead, a method can be used to find the links of stages and then to put them together to develop
a complete story.
The water level of Lake Michigan was once 18 meters higher than it is today. As the water level fell, land was
exposed. Many small lakes or ponds were left behind where there were depressions in the land. Below are
illustrations and descriptions of four ponds as they exist today. Use the illustrations and descriptions to answer the
questions about the ponds.
Pond A: Cattails, bulrushes, and water lilies grow in the pond. These plants have their roots in the bottom of the
pond, but they can reach above the surface of the water. This pond is an ideal habitat for the animals that must climb
to the surface for oxygen. Aquatic insect larvae are abundant. They serve as food for larger insects, which in turn are
food for crayfish, frogs, salamanders, and turtles.
Pond B: Plankton growth is rich enough to support animals that entered when the pond was connected to the lake.
Fish make nests on the sandy bottom. Mussels crawl over the bottom.
Pond C: Decayed bodies of plants and animals form a layer of humus over the bottom of the pond. Chara, a
branching green algae, covers the humus. Fish that build nests on the bare bottom have been replaced by those that
lay their eggs on the Chara.
Pond D: The pond is so filled with vegetation that there are no longer any large areas of open water. Instead, the
pond is filled with grasses. The water dries up during the summer months.
Questions
1. Write the letters of the ponds in order from the youngest, to the oldest.
2. Black bass and bluegill make their nests on sandy bottoms. In which pond would you find them?
3. What will happen to the black bass and blue gill as the floor of the ponds fills with organic debris?
4. Golden shiner and mud minnows lay their eggs on Chara. In which pond would you find them?
5. Some amphibians and crayfish can withstand periods of dryness by burying themselves in mud. In which pond(s)
would they survive?
6. Dragonfly nymphs spend their early stages clinging to submerged plants. Then, they climb to the surface, shed
their skins and fly away as dragonflies. Which pond is best suited for dragonflies?
7. In which pond will gill breathing snails be replaced by lung breathing snails that climb to the surface to breathe?
8. Some mussels require a sandy bottom in order to maintain an upright position. In which pond will they die out.
The climax community in the area of Michigan is a beech-maple forest. After the ponds are filled in, the area will
undergo another series of stages of succession. This is illustrated below. Briefly explain what is happening in the
diagram.
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________________________________
Bioaccumulation
Goal: Demonstrate the effect of bioaccumulation in an ecosystem
Materials: Oil, water, a beaker, a graduated cylinder
Discussion : Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of large amounts of a toxin within the tissues
of a consumer at each successive trophic level. The toxins usually accumulate in the fatty tissue
of an organism and are passed to the next organism when it is consumed.
Procedure:
1. Measure 490ml of water using a graduated cylinder and pour it into a 500ml beaker. This
represents trophic level 1 - the plants - in a food chain.
2. Measure 10ml of oil in a graduated cylinder. The oil represents a pesticide on the plants
in the first trophic level.
3. Put the 10 ml of oil into the beaker that contains the 490ml of water.
4. Allow the drops of oil to accumulate on the surface of the water.
5. Calculate the percentage of oil and water present in the beaker for trophic level number
1.
6. Pour 100ml of the water and oil from the original beaker into a clean graduated cylinder
and allow the oil to accumulate. This transfer represents trophic level number 2.
7. Calculate the percentage of each liquid present for trophic level 2 (you should be able to
identify the amount of each liquid using the measurements on the graduated cylinder).
8. Pour 10ml of water and oil from the graduated cylinder into a second, clean graduated
cylinder and allow the oil to accumulate. This represents trophic level 3.
9. Calculate the percentage of each liquid present for trophic level number 3.
Results
Trophic
Level
1
2
3
Size of
Volume Volume
Beaker/Graduated of Water
of Oil
Cylinder
500ml
490
10
100ml
10ml
Volume
Total
%Oil/Water
500ml
100ml
10ml
Discussion and Conclusion
1.
2.
3.
4.
Write 2 or 3 sentences that explain the results of the lab.
Design an energy pyramid that contains algae, plankton and fish.
What is the relation between energy and bioaccumulation.
Describe what you think the environmental impact is when pesticides are used.