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EcologyUnitPAge

Page history last edited by Shu-Yee Chen 9 years, 6 months ago

Unit: Ecology

Essential Questions:

The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical environment.

Required Reading:

Miller and Levine, Chapter 3, 4, 5 & 6
ARTICLES:

Invasive Species
Ecological Current Events Issues

Learning Objectives:By the end of this unit, you should be able to....

1.	Identify biotic and abiotic factors and be able to discuss how living things respond to these factors. (General question for entire unit)
2.	You should be able to define ecology and the different levels in an ecosystem: (individual , population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere. (3.1 & 4.2)
3.	Explain how organisms obtain their nutrients. Compare contrast autorophs and heterotrophs.
4.	Be able to discuss the interaction of organisms in the environment and identify (know carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, and decomposer; producer, consumer,predator, detrivore). (3.2)
5.	Be able to make and read a simple food chain and web, and understand what is meant by producers at various levels and consumers at the different trophic levels. (3.3)
6.	Know how to read ecological pyramids (trophic, biomass and numbers), and understand the rule of 10. (3.3)
7.	Explain what factors determine an organism habitat in a specific ecosystem (4.2).
8.	Be able to define niche (4.2) and be able to identify examples of the competitive exclusion principle in a niche.
9.	Be able to discuss and define different symbioses that occur in a population: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. (4.2)
10.	Be able to create and interpret population graphs (ch 5): Understand carrying capacity Explain how birth, death, immigration, and emigration influence population size Be able to discuss how limiting factors affect the population size.
11.	Define ecological succession. Know the role of pioneer organisms, and what a climax community is. (4.3)
12.	Be familiar with the descriptions of the following biomes (4.4): Tropical rain forest Grassland (temperate/savanna/shrublands) Chaparral Desert Deciduous forest NW coniferous forest Taiga/Boreal Forest Tundra
13.	Be able to explain the role that water levels and temperature (climate) play in the biomes (4.1 & 4.4)
14.	Be able to give a few examples of how human activities shape local and global ecology. (Examples include: pollution, enhanced greenhouse effect, resource depletion, invasive species, habitat fragmentation etc…) (ch 6)

Vocabulary:

Below is a list of vocabulary terms used in this unit. By the end of the unit, you will be able to write a working definition of each term and correctly use each term.

Biosphere	Scavenger	Parasitism
Species	Omnivores	Commensalism
Population	Decomposer	Ecological succession
Community	Detritivore	Primary succession
Ecology	Food chain	Pioneer species
Ecosystem	Food web	Secondary succession
Biome	Trophic level	Immigration
Biotic factors	Ecological pyramid	Emigration
Abiotic factors	Biomass pyramid	Exponential growth
Autotrophs	Climate	Logistical growth
Primary producers	Microclimate	Carrying capacity
Photosynthesis	Habitat	limiting factor
Chemosynthesis	Niche	Biological magnification
Heterotroph	Competitive exclusion principle	Habitat fragmentation
Consumer	Predation	Ecological footprint
Carnivore	Keystone species	Climate change
Herbivore	Symbiosis	Invasive species
	Mutualism