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Tolerance
High School - April 2010
Character Education
Newsletters
Broward County Air
Quality Program
The Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air Quality Division
continues to incorporate Character Education into its educational efforts. Each
month the newsletter will relate core values to science and the environment in
an effort to educate students about good character and the importance of
protecting our natural resources. The curriculum resources and materials
provided include the applicable FCAT Science Test Item Specifications.
Tolerance is the ability to recognize and respect the differences, values, and
beliefs of other people. Just in time for Earth Day, your students can learn about tolerance as it relates
to environmental issues. Through participation in local Earth Day activities and research, students will
be able to educate themselves about environmental issues affecting our county, state, and country.
Please see the Announcements section below to complete the Character Education Science FCAT
Warm-Up Newsletter Survey to help the Broward County better assess your needs.
Ecosystem Diagrams
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.4; SC.G.2.4; LA.9,10,11,12.5.2
Background: Trying to predict specific long-term climate change impacts on ecosystems, places
where biotic (living) organisms interact with abiotic (non-living) factors of the environment, remains
difficult. However, the sensitivity of various ecosystems can be predicted from studying the existing
impacts of change on specific organisms.
Every organism needs certain conditions to thrive. For example, abiotic variable that are important for
determining where individual terrestrial plant species survive include pH; soil moisture; nutrient
availability; air temperature; humidity; precipitation; sunlight; and disturbances like wind, fire, and
flooding. Important biotic variables include competitors for resources, herbivores, pollinators, seed
dispersers, and fungal associates. Species with small and isolated ranges and specific biotic or abiotic
needs are often the most susceptible to decline, disappearing locally and even extinction when faced
with land use changes or other stresses.
Loss of a single species from its ecosystem affects others that rely on it. The disappearance of one
plant species may affect an entire food chain. For example, starting with insects that live or feed on the
plant, moving on to birds and frogs that eat the insects, and ending with the larger animals like snakes,
hawks, and foxes that prey on the birds and frogs.
More than 1,000 different species in the United States are listed as endangered or threatened. Many
of them are threatened because of the changes in the climate. People think that animals like whales,
eagles, and wolves are the only endangered species. Other endangered or threatened organisms
include specific species of shrimp, frogs, butterflies, grasses, coral reefs, spiders, fish, clams, snails,
turtles, birds, orchids, squirrels, mice, key deer and bats.
Climate change will likely affect the balance between biotic and abiotic relationships in some of
Florida’s ecosystems. Depending on how each variable responds, ecosystems may shift locations but
some special habitats and species may be lost. Knowing this, we can assume that ecosystems with
small or narrow ranges and/or those dependent on unique, fixed geologic features may be most
susceptible to impacts from climate change. As temperature and precipitation patterns change, such
ecosystems may be ill equipped to persist in some of their former locations. Warmer temperatures
may shift north, but the plants that grow in them may not be adapted to the different soil features of
northern locations. Also, some animals require certain plants for food or cover. The loss of one of
these species may result in the direct loss of the other. Examples include the Golden Toad in Costa
Rica and the Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly. The Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly larva feed only on
Red Bay trees. The ambrosia beetle is a pest that is killing the Red Bay trees by introducing a vascular
fungus into its host, causing infected trees to wilt and die within a few months. The extinct Golden
Toad was a small, shiny, bright-orange toad that was once abundant in a small region of high-altitude
cloud-covered tropical forests. Droughts have large impacts on the forests of Central America and the
timing and severity of drought is often the strongest climatic influence on the ecology of tropical moist
forests. An increasing number of dry days since the 1970s have reduced the mist frequency in the
forest, a trend which has been compounded by increased temperatures, especially during night-hours.
These climate changes have restricted the habitat for many of the 50 frog species that used to inhabit
the forest.
Activity: Students will reflect on a particular ecosystem and hypothesize what might happen as climate
change influences it.
1. Ecological communities develop because groups of organisms require similar environmental
conditions. Key characteristics allow plants and animals to live in a certain habitat. Read to the
students the background information and have them list the factors that affect which organisms
survive and where. Possible answers appear in the second paragraph above.
2. Have students work in groups and choose one of the following habitats: freshwater wetland,
coastal community, or freshwater lake. Have students diagram the main abiotic and biotic
components of the ecosystem and draw connections between directly related parts (e.g.
decomposers feed plants; plants use precipitation and sunlight, etc.). See the example below.
3. Ask students what they know about climate change. Why is it happening? How will the global
climate be affected? What changes are predicted for South Florida? Have students research
some predictions scientists are making for changes to Florida’s climate and weather patterns.
You can visit www.broward.org/climatechange for local information.
4. Based on the students’ knowledge of climate change, how do they think it will affect the abiotic
and biotic components of the ecosystem? What types of chain reaction effects might occur
(e.g. changes in rain or sea level rise affecting food for herbivores and carnivores)?
Go Green
Climate Change
Broward County Kids
Corner
Naturescape Broward
Source: Climate Change: A Wisconsin Activity Guide, Grades 7-12
Take the Character Education Newsletter
Teacher Survey and Win Prizes!
Please take a few minutes to complete the Character Education Science FCAT Warm-Up
Newsletter Survey to help Broward County better assess your needs. This survey can be
completed by selecting this link or on-line by visiting www.broward.org/kids/ce. Your
candid feedback is appreciated. To thank you for your time, all responses that are received
(no later than June 4, 2010) will be entered into a drawing for a Disney "Sacred Planet" DVD
and the book "The Rough Guide to Climate Change" by Robert Henson. Thank you for the
opportunity to work with you and your students.
May is Air Awareness Month!
May is Air Quality Awareness Month and the Broward County Pollution Prevention,
Remediation & Air Quality Division in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, and local community partners are sponsoring a series of educational events and
exhibits to increase awareness about important air quality issues. Visit the Air Awareness
Month web site at www.broward.org/air for more information.
Spread the Word!!!
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subscriber list. E-mail the Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air Quality
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curriculum resource. The newsletters are also available on our Environmental Kids Club web
site at www.broward.org/kids. Archived copies of the newsletter are also available through the
School Board’s BEEP system.