ERIC ED433241: Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem: A High School Biology Class Exercise.

10 Pages·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
SE 062 782
ED 433 241
Lewis, James K.
AUTHOR
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem: A High School Biology
TITLE
Class Exercise.
Florida State Dept. of Environmental Protection,
INSTITUTION
Tallahassee.
1999-01-00
PUB DATE
8p.; Color may not photograph well. Taken and adapted
NOTE
slightly from
http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/AEF/1995/sinclair ecosystem
.html
Classroom - Teacher (052)
PUB TYPE Guides
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Biological Sciences; Class Activities; *Ecology;
DESCRIPTORS
*Environmental Education; High Schools; Lesson Plans;
Outdoor Activities; Science Activities
ABSTRACT
This activity features students carrying out an outdoor
study of a 10-by-10 meter area in which they identify organisms living in the
soil, plants, insects, and any other animals living within or immediately
adjacent to the site. Groups also examine abiotic factors in the same study
site. Students work in teams, share data, and each write a paper responding
to a series of questions about the data. (Author/CCM)
********************************************************************************
*
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
*
from the original document.
*
*
********************************************************************************
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
BEEN GRANTED BY
A High School Biology Class Exercise
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
Target audience:
HS Biology
HS Environmental studies
This activity helps students identify
the parts of an ecosystem, and how the living
and non-living factors interact.
Background information
Notes for the teacher:
This activity is an excellent endpoint
for a unit on ecology. After teaching about food
chains, energy flow, abiotic (non-living) and
biotic (living) factors, and ecological
relationships (mutualism, commensalism,
predation, parasitism, competition), the
students will get a chance to apply the
information they have been taught.
Selection of a study site is
fifi
important. The site does not have to be
large, a 10 x 10 m (100 m2) area is fine, but it
should show some diversity of plants, and
have some animal life in the area.
An unmowed corner of the campus, a
section of trees behind the gym, a local nature
center or park, or even a vacant lot down the
street can be used. (Try to use a different area
for each class so the last classes of the day
aren't surveying a trampled-down area.) Be
sure to check the site in advance for anything
that could harm the students or make walking
difficult.
It helps to have written the instructions
out for each student. If this is not practical,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
put the data on the board or on an overhead
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
transparency and have the students copy it.
document has been reproduced as
liKlus
received from the person or organization
originating it.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
Students should have:
A clipboard (or notebook) to take into the field.
E3
Guides to plants, insects, birds, mammals.
E3
Binoculars (one or two pairs can be shared).
E3
Teacher Preparation time:
One hour to go to study site, checking for
E3
problems like uneven terrain, poison ivy,
brambles, identifying the major plants
present, and looking for examples of
ecological relationships, birds, mammals
and insects. Look to see where good
study sites could be located. A site
should be large enough for a few 10 x 10
m squares to be marked off, and must
have a variety of vegetation, but not so
much that the site is impenetrable.
Two hours gathering field guides, making
E3
direction cards and data sheets,
assigning students to groups based on
their talents (if you wish to assign rather
than ask for volunteers) and gathering
other equipment.
Total preparation time: 3 hours.
Class time: 4 to 5 days:
1 day to give assignments and explain job
E3
2 or 3 days in field gathering data
F3
1 day back in classroom sharing data
F3
A week for students to draft and write reports describing the activity.
Abstract:
Students carry out an outdoor study of a 10x10 m area in which they identify organisms
living in the soil, plants, insects, and any other animals living within or immediately adjacent to
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2
3
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
the site. Groups also examine abiotic factors in the same study site. Students will work in teams,
share data, then each will write a paper, responding to a series of questions about the data.
Materials:
8 stakes
E3
hammer
E3
measuring rope (10m) marked
E3
in meters
string 60 m long
0
E3
rain gauge
E3
soil pH test kit
E3
0
thermometer
0
E3
sling psychrometer
E3
relative humidity table
E3
rulers
E3
0
wire ring (easily made from a
wire coat hanger. It should be
about 1 foot in diameter.)
trowel
E3
binoculars (can be shared)
E3
insect nets
E3
large Ziploc bags
E3
marking pens
data sheets
E3
pencils
E3
instruction cards
E3
large enamel pans
E3
forceps
E3
dissecting scope or
E3
magnifying glasses
field guides (as appropriate to
E3
the site):
El insects
El trees
El flowering plants
RI ferns
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
3
4
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
EI mosses
2 lichens
121 mushrooms
2 birds
mammals
121 reptiles
El amphibians
2 marine life
Procedure:
Select a study site.
Assign students to the following groups, or let them volunteer. All tasks need to be done.
The following list gives the name of the group and the procedure for that group (to be written
on
the directions cards).
Staking (3 students minimum). Using the measuring rope, students will mark a
E3
10 m x 10 m square. Inside the square they should mark off a 2 m x 10 m rectangle,
and an 0.5 m x 2 m rectangle. Mark the corners of the square and rectangles with
stakes, then connect the stakes with string. (At the end of the period rewind the string
and take up the stakes.) (For an illustration and detailed description of the process
and alternative ways to study an area of land, see the Department of Environmental
Protection booklet: Classroom and Field Experiments for Florida's Environmental Resources
Experiment 14.)
Trees (a plant with a stem more than 1 cm. in diameter): Count and identify each
E3
type of tree in the 10 m x 10 m square.
Shrubs (a plant with a stem greater that .5 cm. in diameter but less than 1 cm. in
E3
diameter): Count and identify each type of shrub in the 2 m x 10 m rectangle.
Herbs (a plant with a stem less than .5 cm in diameter): Count and identify each herb
E3
in the 0.5 m x 2 m area.
Primitive plants (ferns, mosses, liverworts, etc.):
E3
Count and identify each one in the 0.5 m x 2 m area.
Soil and litter organisms: A student should throw a
E3
tennis ball, a stone, or other marker over their shoulder
into the 10 m x 10 m area. Place the wire ring where
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
4
5
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
the marker lands (with the marker in the center). Remove all leaf litter from inside
the ring and place it in the plastic bag. Label
the bag litter. Using the trowel, dig up the soil to
a depth of 10 cm. Place the soil in another bag,
and label it. Using the marker and ring, select
two more sites, and repeat the sampling, adding
the litter and soil into the already-marked bags.
Return to the classroom and pour the soil or
litter into a large pan. Using forceps, carefully
sort through the material. Identify any
organisms, using field guides. Use magnifying
glasses or dissecting scopes if needed.
Insects: Using the insect nets, make -3 sweeps of the 10 x 10 m square from corner to
E3
corner, being sure to brush the trees and shrubs with the net to disturb resting insects.
Identify any insects collected, then release them. Watch out for bees, wasps, and
hornets.
Birds: Identify any birds in the vicinity of the study site.
E3
Mammals, reptiles and amphibians: Look for tracks, burrows, or other signs of these
E3
animals in or near the 10 m x 10 m area. Identify the animal or its sign. Do not pick
up any snakes.
Temperature: Take the air temperature at head, shoulder, waist, knee, and ground
E3
level in the open, under a tree, and under a shrub and carefully record each reading
in the notebook.
Soil pH: Take soil samples at the same locations as the soil and litter group. Follow
E3
directions of the soil pH kit.
Rain: On the first day, set out the rain gauge in the study site at a location that is not
E3
sheltered by vegetation. Check each day for any rain. Read and record.
Relative humidity: On the first day, use a sling psychrometer to determine the
E3
relative humidity at head, shoulder, waist and knee level under a tree, under a shrub
and in the open of the 10 m x 10m area. Record wet and dry bulb temperatures.
Then use a relative humidity chart to determine the humidity at each location. This
test might be repeated at the end of the activity.
Description: Describe what the study site looks like. Try to paint a picture with
E3
words. Actual sketches also may prove useful.
Each student also is responsible for finding 10 ecological relationships and identifying them within the
E3
study area.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
5
6
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
Gather data for 2 or 3 days. Return to classroom and share data. Soil and litter people will
need to go through soil for organisms. Some groups may need help identifying their samples.
Method of evaluation:
A written paper from each student. The paper should include the following:
Title
F3
Purpose
F3
Procedure of the student's own group
E3
Data of all groups in the class. This can be done as tables, bar graphs or pie graphs, as
E3
appropriate.
Discussion questions:
Show the
abundance and
type of
producers,
consumers,
herbivores,
carnivores, and
decomposers in
the food web.
This may be
diagrammed.
Using the information you have, construct an energy-flow diagram for the area.
Ei
Discuss how the abiotic factors have an effect on the biotic factors.
For the following, refer to your data with a minimum of 3 examples.
E3
El What ecological relationships did you observe? Give specific examples of each.
Describe the community structure, including any layers.
El Describe the niche of one organism to the best of your ability.
El Can you see any relationship between the abundance of an organism, its size and
its place in the food chain? Explain.
Extension and reinforcement activities:
Students should use the organisms they found as reference points when discussing plants and
animals later in the year. The site might be sampled at various times of the year to determine if
there are seasonal changes.
This activity also could be repeated throughout the school year as the class studies different
ecosystems -- such as fresh water swamps and marshes, forested uplands, marine wetlands, dunes,
beaches, or areas that people normally think of as useless land -- such as marshland or upland
scrub habitats.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
6
7
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem
This exercise has been adapted, with slight modifications, from:
http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/AEF/1995/ sinclair ecoystem.html
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)
z
National Library of Education (NLE)
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
REPRODUCTION RELEASE
(Specific Document)
I. DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION:
Title:
Studying a Piece of an Ecosystem: A High School Biology Class Exercise
Author(s):
James K. Lewis
Publication Date:
Corporate Source:
Jan-99
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
II. REPRODUCTION RELEASE:
In order to disseminate as widely as possible timely and significant materials of interest to the educational community, documents announced in the
monthly abstract journal of the ERIC system, Resources in Education (RIE), are usually made available to users in microfiche, reproduced paper copy,
and electronic media, and sold through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). Credit is given to the source of each document, and, if
reproduction release is granted, one of the following notices is affixed to the document.
If permission is granted to reproduce and disseminate the identified document, please CHECK ONE of the following three options and sign at the bottom
of the page.
The sample sticker shown below will be
The sample sticker shown below will be
The sample sticker shown below will be
affixed to all Level 2B documents
affixed to all Level 2A documents
affixed to all Level 1 documents
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL IN
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL IN
MICROFICHE, AND IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
FOR ERIC COLLECTION SUBSCRIBERS ONLY,
BEEN GRANTED BY
HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
OC
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
2A
2[3
Level 2B
Level 2A
Level
n
Check here for Level 2B release, permitting
Check here for Level 1 release, permitting reproduction Check here for Level 2A release, permitting reproduction
reproduction and dissemination in microfiche only
and dissemination in microfiche or other ERIC archival and dissemination in microfiche and in electronic media
for ERIC archival collection subscribers only
media (e.g., electronic) and paper copy.
Documents will be processed as Indicated provided reproduction quality permits.
If permission to reproduce Is granted, but no box Is checked, documents will be processed at Level 1.
I hereby grant to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) nonexclusive permission to reproduce and disseminate this document
as indicated above. Reproductidn from the ERIC microfiche or electronic media by persons other than ERIC employees and its system
contractors requires permission from the copyright holder. Exception is made for non-profit reproduction by libraries and other service agencies
to satisfy information needs of educators in response to discrete inquiries.
Printed Name/Position/Title:
Sign
Si
1
4,4Sr
ii#PAk,i4
R4 a
here,-)
Fes-
ON.
tion/Address:
Organ'
please
3.kv3,
09,a.V,6021
Date:
E-Mail Address:
/),A,(4v
tea
2
3
% %a
(over)
III. DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY INFORMATION (FROM NON-ERIC SOURCE):
If permission to reproduce is not granted to ERIC, or, if you wish ERIC to cite the availability of the document from another source, please
provide the following information regarding the availability of the document. (ERIC will not announce a document unless it is publicly
available, and a dependable source can be specified. Contributors should also be aware that ERIC selection criteria are significantly more
stringent for documents that cannot be made available through EDRS.)
Publisher/Distributor:
Address:
Price:
IV. REFERRAL OF ERIC TO COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION RIGHTS HOLDER:
If the right to grant this reproduction release is held by someone other than the addressee, please provide the appropriate name and
address:
Name:
Address:
V. WHERE TO SEND THIS FORM:
Send this form to the following ERIC Clearinghouse:
However, if solicited by the ERIC Facility, or if making an unsolicited contribution to ERIC, return this form (and the document being
contributed) to:
ERIC Processing and Reference Facility
1100 West Street, 2nd Floor
Laurel, Maryland 20707-3598
Telephone: [phone]
Toll Free: 800-799-3742
FAX: [phone]
e-mail: ericfac @inet.ed.gov
WWW: http://ericfac.piccard.csc.com
EFF-088 (Rev. 9/97)
PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THIS FORM ARE OBSOLETE.