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MARY WARD CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL Centre for Self-Directed Learning Grade 9 Academic Science (SNC 1D1) Unit # 3: BIOLOGY – Interactions in Ecosystems Unit Last Revised: August 2013 ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION TIME EVALUATION CATEGORY MARKS Activity A - Interactions in Ecosystems 1. Biotic Interactions 1.0 hr Activity B – Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors 1. Population Growth 2. Limiting Factors 1.5 hr Activity C – Case Study – Hares and Wolves 2.0 hr Rubric Inquiry/ Application /22 /16 Activity D - Unit Assessment 1.0 hr Rubric Knowledge Level Total Activity Time: 5.5 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 limiting factors of ecosystems and explain how these factors affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem Developing Skills of Investigation and Communication Use appropriate terminology related to sustainable ecosystems Interpret qualitative data, communicate the results graphically, and extrapolate from the data Page 2 of 16 Activity A – Interactions In Ecosystems 1. Biotic Interactions Now that we know about different components in an ecosystem, we can investigate how these components interact (or work together) with each other. Organisms in a community interact with one another in many ways and sometimes are dependent on each other. Three interactions we will look at are competition, predation and symbiosis. □ □ in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 36-42 view the following video on Edomodo.com in Unit 3: Competition, Predation, and Symbiosis □ answer the following in your notebook: 1) How do similar species that feed on the same prey coexist in an area together and avoid competition? 2) Describe an example not from your textbook of an adaptation an organism uses to avoid being eaten. 3) What is symbiosis? Describe the 3 main types of symbiosis and an example for each. Activity B – Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors 1. Population Growth Depending on what resources are available to organisms in an ecosystem, populations can experience different types of growth. Below you will investigate 3 types of growth before moving on to the learning check box. EXPONENTIAL GROWTH (J-CURVE): Under ideal conditions – where there are few or no limiting factors – a population starts off slowly (to get established in the ecosystem) and continues to increase exponentially (very rapidly). Graph a line graph with the following data to obtain a J-curve: J –Curve Graph 0 0 1 5 2 10 3 20 4 35 5 65 6 100 POPULATION Time (years) Population of deer TIME (YEARS) Page 3 of 16 THE BOOM AND BUST CURVE: Some populations go through periods where their numbers suddenly increase dramatically for a few generations and then go back to normal. Insects are a common species that go through tremendous growth for a few weeks, followed by a sudden collapse. This state can be described by means of a boom (sudden increase) and bust (sudden decrease) curve. Graph a line graph with the following data to obtain a Boom and Bust curve: Boom and Bust Graph 0 0 1 5 2 20 3 55 4 70 5 50 6 25 POPULATION Time (years) Population of flies TIME (YEARS) The S-Curve: When populations are introduced into a new ecosystem they will start off as a J-Curve but after a while population numbers slowly level off (plateau) due to the limiting factors (for example, amount of food, space). When a population levels off, it is said to have reached the carrying capacity of its environment – the maximum number of individuals the ecosystem can support without reducing its ability to support future generations of the same species. Graph a line graph with the following data to obtain an S-curve: S –Curve Graph 0 0 1 5 2 30 3 55 4 55 5 60 6 60 indicate the carrying capacity on your graph using a line (hint: refer to fig 1.40 on pg 40) POPULATION Time (years) Population of deer TIME (YEARS) □ □ Obtain subject teacher’s signature to check your graphs teacher signature:____________________ in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 40-41 Page 4 of 16 2. Limiting Factors As seen in the previous activity, ecosystems have a carrying capacity when certain factors limit the growth of populations. For example, availability of resources such as food, water and space can be limiting factors that prevent a further increase in the number of organisms. Limiting factors can be abiotic and biotic. □ □ in your Investigating Science 9 textbook read pages 41-42 view the following video on Edmodo.com in Unit 3: Populations Biotic Potential □ answer the following in your notebook: 1) In a table, categorize different limiting factors as abiotic and biotic. Page 5 of 16 Blank Page for Double-Sided Printing Page 6 of 16 Activity C – Case Study – Hares and Wolves Hand in for evaluation Complete the Case Study – Hares and Wolves. Once you have completed it hand it in to your teacher with the evaluation rubric. PART A Imagine the following scenario: One winter, an ice bridge is formed across a large lake to an island. A pair of hares, one male and one female, make their way across the ice to the island. They end up stranded when the ice begins to melt in the spring. There is ample food on the island; no other hares live there, and there are no predators. The hares find shelter and produce 6 offspring. Please Note: a) every spring each pair of hares produces 6 offspring, 3 males and 3 females b) all of the parents die each winter, only the offspring survive to breed c) all of the offspring survive through the winter and breed in the spring d) there is no immigration or emigration Determine what the population would be in the fall, 5 years later, by filling in Table A. Show All of Your Work! Table A: Hares before Wolves Year Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Number of Parents 2 6 Breeding Pairs 1 3 Number of Offspring 6 18 Obtain subject teacher’s signature to check your values before moving on teacher signature: ____________ Graph the population of Hares vs. Time on the following page. The numbers you should graph are found in the shaded boxes of Table A. Make sure your graphs are appropriately titled and the axes are labelled. Time is the independent variable (on x-axis) and Population is the dependent variable (on the y-axis). Choose an appropriate scale. Neatly draw the curve. (5 marks) Page 7 of 16 Descriptive Title: __________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 16 PART B Suppose the following changes are made to the ecosystem in Part A: a) b) c) d) e) in the summer of year 3, a pair of wolves immigrates to the island each pair of wolves produces 3 offspring a year, alternating male and female no wolves die during the next 4 years each wolf eats 22 hares per year all parent hares are eaten by the wolves before they die naturally Calculate the wolf population and their consumption of hares in years 3, 4 and 5 by filling in Table B. Table B: Wolves Year Wolves Breeding Pairs Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 Number of Offspring 0 0 0 3 Total Wolves Hares Eaten 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 110 Obtain subject teacher’s signature to check your values before moving on teacher signature: ____________________ Now with introduction of wolves calculate the hare population in years 3, 4 and 5 (in this scenario) by filling in Table C. In years 3-5, the wolves can eat ANY of the hares, offspring and parents. Therefore, in years 3, 4 and 5: Hares Left = Total Hares – Hares Eaten Table C: Hare and Wolf Population Year Parent Hares Offspring Hares Total Hares Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 2 6 18 6 18 54 8 24 72 Total Wolves (refer to Table B) 0 0 0 Hares Eaten (refer to Table B) 0 0 0 Hares Left 6 18 54 Obtain subject teacher’s signature to check your values before moving on teacher signature: ____________________ Plot a graph of the population of Hares vs. Time after Arrival of Wolves The numbers you should graph are found in the shaded boxes of Table C. Make sure your graphs are appropriately titled and the axes are labelled. Time is the independent variable (on x-axis) and Population is the dependent variable (on the y-axis). Choose an appropriate scale. Neatly draw the curve. (5 marks) Page 9 of 16 Descriptive Title: _________________________________________________________________ Page 10 of 16 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What is the name of the growth curve you obtain when you plot the data from Table A? Explain why the hare population shows this type of growth. 2. What is the name of the growth curve you obtain when you plot the data from Table C? Explain why the hare population shows this type of growth. 3. What will happen to the wolf population if the hare population continues to decrease? Eventually the hare and wolf populations will ‘follow’ each other in a pattern that will repeat. Explain what this means. 4. What type of biome does this interaction between wolves and hares occur? (You may have to research this on the internet). Describe the climate and vegetation of this biome. Page 11 of 16 5. Wolves need to catch and eat several hares in order to survive because when the wolf eats the hare only 10% of the hare’s energy is passed on to wolf. What has happened to the 90% of energy that the wolf does not get? 6. Describe in detail 2 types of adaptations hares could develop in order to avoid being eaten by wolves. 7. Besides predators, describe several other limiting factors that could prevent hare populations from increasing. Are these factors biotic or abiotic? Page 12 of 16 Case Study – Hares and Wolves Rubric Inquiry Graph 1 Graph 2 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minimal critical thinking Some critical thinking and Thinking and and inquiry skills were used inquiry skills were used to Inquiry to interpret data and form interpret data and form conclusions conclusions Level 4 Adequate critical thinking Thorough critical thinking and inquiry skills were used and inquiry skills were used to interpret data and form to affectively interpret conclusions data and form detailed conclusions Q1. What is the name of the growth curve you obtain when you plot the data from Table A? Explain why the hare population shows this type of growth. Q2. What is the name of the growth curve you obtain when you plot the data from Table C? Explain why the hare population shows this type of growth. Q3. What will happen to the wolf population if the hare population continues to decrease? Eventually the hare and wolf populations will ‘follow’ each other in a pattern that will repeat. Explain what this means. . TOTAL INQUIRY MARKS: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 /22 Application Level 1 Application Makes minimal connections between data/research with science, technology, and the environment. Level 2 Level 3 Makes some connections between data/research with science, technology, and the environment. Makes adequate connections between data/research with science, technology, and the environment. Level 4 Makes affective and descriptive connections between data/research with science, technology, and the environment. Q4. What type of biome does this interaction between wolves and hares occur? (You may have to research this on the internet). Describe the climate and vegetation of this biome. Q5. Wolves need to catch and eat several hares in order to survive because when the wolf eats the hare only 10% of the hare’s energy is passed on to wolf. What has happened to the 90% of energy that the wolf does not get? Q6. Describe in detail 2 types of adaptations hares could develop in order to avoid being eaten by wolves. 1 2 3 4 Q7. Besides predators, describe several other limiting factors that could prevent hare populations from increasing. Are these factors biotic or abiotic? 1 2 3 4 TOTAL APPLICATION MARKS: /16 Page 13 of 16 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Blank Page for Double-Sided Printing Page 14 of 16 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 Knowledge Minimal knowledge of facts, terms, concepts, theories and relationships was demonstrated. Level 2 Some knowledge of facts, terms, concepts, theories and relationships was demonstrated. Level 3 Level 4 Adequate knowledge of facts, terms, concepts, theories and relationships from the unit was demonstrated Thorough knowledge of facts, terms, concepts, theories and relationships from the unit was demonstrated Interactions in Ecosystems 1) How do similar species that feed on the same prey coexist in an area together and avoid competition? 2) Describe an example not from your textbook of an adaptation an organism uses to avoid being eaten. 3) What is symbiosis? What are the 3 main types of symbiosis? Page 15 of 16 4) Classify the following interactions as mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism: a) Yucca moth caterpillar feeds on the yucca plant and pollinates the yucca plant b) Lice feed harmlessly on the feathers of birds c) Cowbird removes an egg from a robin’s nest and replaces it with one of its own d) An orchid plant grows on the branch of a tree. The tree remains healthy Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors 5) A squirrel population grows in a forest until they reach their carrying capacity. What are some abiotic and biotic factors that limit the overpopulation of squirrels? Congratulations! You have now completed Unit #3. Page 16 of 16