Download Secondary -‐ Food Chain Activity OBJECTIVE: To see how potential

Secondary -­‐ Food Chain Activity OBJECTIVE: To see how potential environmental toxins travel through the food web and up through trophic levels WARNING The candy pieces used in this Lab are INEDIBLE as they have been dropped on the floor, passed through many hands, and used for more than this year!!!! • You will each get an organism card, i.e. producer, primary consumer, etc. Each partner writes in which organism he/she was and what category, i.e. herbivore, producer, etc. • You will also get a cup for your category to hold your food. • The producers start by filling their little cups with candy pieces from culture dishes set around the room. Wait for START signal from Teacher to begin. • They then are approached by primary consumers, who take the candy pieces into their cups. • Student should not try to run and hide next level consumer. Just pours contents into next level’s cup. • The pieces of candy represent what was transferred in one 'meal'. • As each organism is eaten by a predator, the "prey" gives all the candy to the "predator". • The producers can keep refilling their cups at stations around the room as they get more energy as long as the sun is shining. Producers cannot be 'eaten' within 1 m. of the refill cups. • Keep the cycle going until the teacher indicates stop. • Sort the candies by color when collection time is over-­‐-­‐do NOT pool the colors with your lab partner. • Record the totals and analysis for you and your partner. Record totals and then get KEY from Teacher for analysis of results • Answer questions only when lab completely done. • Partner 1 Partner 2 Organism Organism Category Category Partner 1 Red Green Orange Pink Yellow Blue Result Partner 2 Red Green Orange Pink Yellow Blue 1 Result QUESTIONS: 1. Where do the majority of producers get their food/energy? ____________ 2. Why are there so many producers, and fewer and fewer at each higher level of consumer? 3. Will tertiary consumers be more susceptible to the toxins as they move up the food chain? Explain (2 pts) _____________________________________________________________ 4. Even if there are not enough toxins to kill an adult organism outright, can toxins in the environment still be harmful to the organism? Explain with an example. (2 pts.): _____________________________ 5. (a) If top consumers disappear from a habitat, what are the short range effects on that habitat? _____________________________ (b) If the top consumers disappear from a habitat, what are the long range effects on that habitat? __________________________ 6. How can the build-­‐up of toxins in the environment be avoided or at least reduced? (Remember! Many toxins are used for pest control) _______________________________ Bonus: Does the candy in this exercise represent food? Explain 2 Secondary Food Chain -­ Key for Biological Magnification Toxins RED = DDT ANIMALS:
15 =SICK
30 =STERILE
45 =DEAD
PLANTS -­ 10-­ INHIBITS GERMINATION 15 -­ REDUCES MINERAL UPTAKE 20-­ INHIBITS GROWTH GREEN = MERCURY ANIMALS:
3 = SICK (NERVOUS SYSTEM)
20 =STERILE
30 =DEAD
PLANTS: 25 =DEAD PINK = ACID RAIN ANIMALS:
5 = YOUNG STUNTED
10 = YOUNG DEAD
15 =SKELETON DEFORMED
35 =DEAD
PLANTS: 10 = REDUCED CHLOROPHYLL PRODUCTION AS FEW MINERALS ABSORBED 20 = LEAVES TRASHED 40 = DEAD ORANGE = ALUMINUM ANIMALS:
15 = NERVOUS SYSTEM BAD
25 = STERILE
30 =DEAD
PLANTS: 5 = STUNTED ROOTS 15 = LEAVES TRASHED 40= DEAD YELLOW = DIELDRIN ANIMALS:
15 = SICK (NERVOUS SYSTEM)
20 = WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM
25 = CANCER
PLANTS: NO EFFECTS BLUE = PCBS ANIMALS:
5 - WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM
10 - SICK (NERVOUS SYSTEM)
15 - HORMONAL SYSTEMS WEAKENED
25 - CANCER
30- DEAD
PLANTS: NO EFFECTS Teacher’s Notes (Examples-­‐-­‐change amounts, etc. as needed – i.e. different colors and/or toxins) • When students are done totaling their candies, hand them this Key to analyze the results of the activity. • Enter the effects in the Results column. DO NOT GIVE KEY OUT AT START!