Download 2 - Edmodo

MARY WARD CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL
Centre for Self-Directed Learning
Grade 9 Academic Science (SNC 1D1)
Unit # 2: BIOLOGY - Ecosystems
Unit Last Revised: August 2013
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
TIME
EVALUATION
CATEGORY
MARKS
Rubric
Knowledge
Level
Activity A - Introduction to
Ecosystems
1. Elements of an Ecosystem
2. Biomes and the Biosphere
1.5 hr
Activity B – Nutrient Cycles
1. Nutrients
2. The Cycles
2.0 hr
Activity C – Energy Flow
1. Photosynthesis/Cellular
Respiration
2. Food Chains and Food Webs
3. Energy Pyramids
Activity D - Unit Assessment
Total Activity Time:
2.5 hr
1.5 hr
7.5 hr
Expectations: These are the things you will be learning in this unit:
Overall
 Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, including the relationship between
ecological balance and the sustainability of life
 Investigate factors that affect ecological systems and the consequences of changes in these factors
Understanding Basic Concepts
 Compare and contrast biotic and abiotic characteristics of sustainable and unsustainable terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems
 Describe the complementary processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis and explain how human
activities can disrupt the balance achieved by these processes
 Identify the earth’s four spheres and describe the relationship that must exist between them
Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication
 Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems
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Activity A – Introduction to Ecosystems
1. Elements of an Ecosystem
An ecosystem, is a complex, self-regulating system in which living things interact with each other and with nonliving things. In this unit your goals are to learn about the components of an ecosystem and the processes that
keep ecosystems going (sustainability). You will begin your journey into this topic by:
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 8-15
view the following videos on Edmodo.com in Unit 2:
Assignment Discovery: Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Assignment Discovery: Ecosystem
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as you read define the following terms in your notebook: stewardship, sustainability, biodiversity, ecology,
biotic /abiotic, species, population, habitat, community, niche
answer the following in your notebook:
1) Think of an ecosystem near the school. List 5 abiotic factors in this ecosystem. List 5 biotic factors in
this ecosystem.
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(The box above is a learning checkbox. Make sure you complete all tasks before you move on)
2. Biomes and the Biosphere
Ecosystems combine to form biomes. A biome is a large geographical region that contains similar ecosystems.
All the biomes in the world make up the biosphere. The biosphere is the part of the planet, including water,
land and air, where life exists.
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 15-19
view the following videos on Edmodo.com in Unit 2:
Biomes Videos
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answer the following in your notebook:
1) What is the difference between a terrestrial biome and an aquatic biome?
2) What terrestrial biome do you live in? If you travel to northern Ontario for a camping trip what type of
biome would you be in? Describe the type of plants in both biomes.
3) In a table, name and describe the 3 main components of the biosphere.
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Activity B – Nutrient Cycles
1. Nutrients
All living things need nutrients in order to survive. Nutrients are substances that an organism uses to build and
repair the cells of its body. Nutrients also provide energy, which all organisms need to grow and maintain their
bodies and to reproduce. Animals eat food in order to get nutrients. Plants get nutrients from the soil and from
the air.
2. The Nutrient Cycles
Nutrients cycle back and forth between biotic parts of ecosystems (organisms) and the abiotic parts of
ecosystems. This is necessary for an ecosystem to become sustainable. In this unit you will investigate 3
important cycles – the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle.
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 22-27
view the following videos on Edmodo.com in Unit 2:
The Water Cycle
All About Carbon Dioxide
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in your notebook, draw a diagram of each cycle – the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle
answer the following in your notebook:
1) What are the 3 types of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle and why is each one important?
2) What form of nitrogen can plants use?
3) How do animals get nitrogen?
4) List one biotic and one abiotic reservoir for the element carbon.
Activity C – Energy Flow
1. Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration
In the carbon cycle, you saw that photosynthesis and cellular respiration are two very important processes.
Both processes work together so that energy can be produced for living organisms.
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 28-29
in your notebook write out the equations for photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
answer the following in your notebook:
1) What process produces the majority of the atmosphere’s oxygen? Why do animals need to breathe in
oxygen?
2) Since plants can capture the energy of sunlight in photosynthesis, why do plants need cellular
respiration?
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2. Food Chain and Food Webs
Producers are organisms (for example, plants and algae) that carry out photosynthesis and can produce their
own chemical energy from the sun. Consumers (such as humans, lions, rabbits) need to eat other organisms to
obtain energy since they cannot make their own food.
Food chains are a way showing feeding relationships among organism. These chains start with a producer.
In an ecosystem, many food chains are occurring together, especially since consumers usually eat different types
of food. Many food chains put together is called a food web.
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 30-31
in your notebook create a food chain using at least 4 of the organisms on page 23. On your food chain label
the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and tertiary consumer.
in your notebook create a food web with the organisms on page 23.
in your notebook define and give an example of the different types of consumers: herbivores, carnivores,
scavengers, omnivores, detritivores, and decomposers.
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3. Energy Pyramids
The picture below is an energy pyramid of a food chain (grass  grasshopper  rat  owl). Notice how the
amounts of energy available for the next animal decreases as you go up the pyramid. Therefore, at each step in
the food chain some energy is used or lost.
The more levels that exist in the food chain, the less energy is left for a top-level consumer. In an ecosystem, to
sustain a food chain, there will be fewer organisms as you go up in levels (i.e. fewer owls compared to rats).
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in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read page 32
view the following video on Edmodo.com in Unit 2:
Assignment Discovery: Energy Flow
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answer the following in your notebook:
1) At each step only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next animal that eats. This means 90% is used
or lost. What happens to 90% of the energy specifically? (Hint: look at fig 1.31 on pg 32)
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Activity D – Unit Assessment
 Hand in for assessment: level
After completing all the learning checkboxes, you are now ready to complete your unit assessment. Answer the
following questions and hand in to your teacher. Some questions will be the same as the ones you have already done in
your notebook.
After your teacher reviews your answers you will receive a unit assessment feedback sheet. You will not get a numerical
mark for this assessment but a level from the rubric below and feedback on where you need to improve.
Level 1
Minimal knowledge of
facts, terms, concepts,
theories and relationships
was demonstrated.
Knowledge
&
Communication Has difficulty in
communicating
information about the
unit.
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Some knowledge of facts,
terms, concepts, theories
and relationships was
demonstrated
Adequate knowledge of
facts, terms, concepts,
theories and relationships
was demonstrated
Thorough knowledge of
facts, terms, concepts,
theories and relationships
was demonstrated
Has difficulty
communicating some
information in the unit.
Is able to talk about
learning in all unit
concepts.
Is able to show a high
degree of learning in all
unit concepts.
Introduction to Ecosystems
1) What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors? Give some examples of each.
2) What is the difference between a population and a community in an ecosystem?
3) If you travel to the western coast of British Columbia what type of biome would you be in? Describe the type of
plants in this biome.
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4) Name and describe the 3 main components of the biosphere.
Nutrient Cycles
5)
In the water cycle, what are two processes that cause water to enter the atmosphere?
6) What form of nitrogen can plants use?
7) Referring to the question above how is this form of nitrogen made available in an ecosystem?
8) How do animals get nitrogen?
9) In the carbon cycle, what two processes cause carbon to enter the atmosphere?
10) In the carbon cycle, what process allows carbon to leave the atmosphere?
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Energy Flow
11) Draw a food chain with at least 4 organisms labeling the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and
tertiary consumer.
12) In your food chain, identify the group of organisms that would have the most energy. Rank the remaining
groups, from most to least in terms of energy content.
13) Why are decomposers important in an ecosystem? What are the major types of decomposers?
Congratulations! You have now completed Unit #2.
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