Energy and Living Things Standard #14:Explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web. Standard #15:Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how this process contributes to the system as a whole. Standard #16:Recognize that producers (plants that contain chlorophyll) use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process called photosynthesis. This food can be used immediately, stored for later use, or used by other organisms.
Major Learning Targets:
I can explain and give examples of the energy roles in an ecosystem
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
I can recognize what energy role an organism fills, if I am given their method of obtaining energy
I can construct a food webs and use it to show how energy moves through the ecosystem
I can interpret an energy pyramid is and name its trophic levels
I can explain why the number of organisms and the amount of available energy at each tropic level is different.
Important Concepts:
Producers contain the most available energy in an ecosystem
Herbivores contain the next most energy
Carnivores and omnivores consist of even less
Energy is lost at every level to fuel organisms. Their bodies burn off energy as they carry out life processes
Invasive species can upset the balance of ecosystems
Important Skills:
Be able to construct a food chain
Be able to construct a food web
Make a compost bin to observe decomposers at work
Assessments and Projects in Addition to Weekly Test:
Australian food web
Record your answers for each Austalian ecosystem on a piece of paper.
Copy the grid as is and write in where you placed each organism
Another food web
Once you correctly place all the organisms, copy down the levels and write down which organisms you placed where. You do not need to draw all the arrows!!!
Virtual lab
Write down your top score after trying to answer the questions for all ecosystems
Create the web
Copy down each food web as you complete it.
State Standards:
Energy and Living Things
Standard #14:Explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
Standard #15:Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how this process contributes to the system as a whole.
Standard #16:Recognize that producers (plants that contain chlorophyll) use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process called photosynthesis. This food can be used immediately, stored for later use, or used by other organisms.
Major Learning Targets:
Important Concepts:
- Producers contain the most available energy in an ecosystem
- Herbivores contain the next most energy
- Carnivores and omnivores consist of even less
- Energy is lost at every level to fuel organisms. Their bodies burn off energy as they carry out life processes
- Invasive species can upset the balance of ecosystems
Important Skills:Labs and Activities in Addition to Weekly Tests
Mini ecosystem
__http://science-class.net/archive/science-class/Lessons/Ecology/Ecosystems_Biomes/Miniecosystem.pdf__
Articles-Invasive species, eco issues...analyze and present
https://newsela.com/articles/kingsnake-canaryislands/id/3774/
https://newsela.com/articles/stinkbugs-crops/id/2650/
https://newsela.com/articles/environment-tegulizard/id/1330/
https://newsela.com/articles/nutria-laststand/id/3767/
https://newsela.com/articles/horseshoe-crabs/id/3670/
https://newsela.com/articles/starfish-disease/id/2721/
__https://newsela.com/articles/invasive-lionfish/id/4288/__
Australian food web
Record your answers for each Austalian ecosystem on a piece of paper.
Copy the grid as is and write in where you placed each organism
Another food web
Once you correctly place all the organisms, copy down the levels and write down which organisms you placed where. You do not need to draw all the arrows!!!
Virtual lab
Write down your top score after trying to answer the questions for all ecosystems
Create the web
Copy down each food web as you complete it.
Energy Roles
Record your answers
Analyzing an ecosystem
Write and record your answers to each question
Resources:
Prentice Hall Life Science
Chapter 22
Sec 1 Energy Flow in Ecosystems pg 740-745
Web Resources:
Decomposers at work videos
__http://www.exploratorium.edu/traits/energy.html#__
Decomposers and forensics
http://www.exploratorium.edu/traits/bodyfarm.html