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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 Page 2 of 9 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: □ □ 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 □ 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. □ (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. □ □ in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 15-19 view the following videos on Edmodo.com in Unit 2: Biomes Videos □ 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. Page 3 of 9 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. □ □ 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 □ □ 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. □ □ □ 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? Page 4 of 9 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. □ □ □ □ 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. Page 5 of 9 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). □ □ in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read page 32 view the following video on Edmodo.com in Unit 2: Assignment Discovery: Energy Flow □ 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) Page 6 of 9 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. Page 7 of 9 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? Page 8 of 9 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. Page 9 of 9