Ecological Principles of Wildlife Biology Classification of Species

Ecological Principles of Wildlife Biology & Classification of Species Standard 1

Energy Flows through an Ecosystem Objective 1

Energy Pyramids Only about 10% of energy of one step in a food chain is stored in the next step of the food chain. The majority of the energy is used by the organism or released to the environment. Every time energy is transferred from one organism to another, there is a loss of energy. Energy is typically lost in the form of heat and respiration. The loss of energy can be represented by an energy pyramid. Each step of the food chain in the energy pyramid is called a trophic level. They begin with producers, then herbivores, then carnivores. Because of the high rate of energy loss in food chains, there are usually only 4 or 5 trophic levels in the food chain or energy pyramid.

Energy Pyramid Steps Sun Apex Predators Secondary Consumers Producers Primary Consumers

Building an Energy Pyramid

Strategies Organisms Use to Balance Energy Expended & Obtained Organisms conserve energy by various behaviors: Migration Hibernation Cold blooded vs Warm blooded Behaviors are used to maintain homeostasis: Shivering, sweating Warming on rocks, sitting in the shade.

Survival Strategies Research Choose a specific organism. You will research the strategies that this organism uses to balance the energy that they obtain and expend.

Energy Expended vs Energy Obtained When an organism balances the energy expended and obtained, they are maintaining homeostasis. Organisms do not assimilate all of the energy taken in, some is lost to the environment.

Energy and Calories You will learn to correlate calories with obtaining and using energy. They will do this by analyzing several meals, calculating caloric value and calculating their own calorie expenditure. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37217

Matter Cycles and Organisms Objective 2

Matter Cycles and Organisms Unlike energy, matter is not lost as it passes through an ecosystem. Instead matter is recycled. The process through which a chemical element is continuously recycled in an ecosystem is called a biogeochemical cycle. This recycling process involves both the living organisms (biotic components) and nonliving things (abiotic factors) in the ecosystem. Matter Cycles: Carbon Oxygen Nitrogen Water

Water Cycle 7. Infiltration 1. Evaporation 6. Runoff 2. Condensation 5. Transpiration 3. Sublimation 4. Precipitation

Building an Ecosystem in a Jar You will design a working, closed, aquatic ecosystem. You will demonstrate your understanding of food webs, energy flow and matter cycles. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37271

Limiting Factors and Population Growth It is possible for any resource to be a limiting factor (environmental conditions that influence the growth, distribution, and abundance of a population), a resource such as food can have dramatic consequences on a population. What will happen if the population is small and there abundant resources? What will happen to the resources if the population increases? Carrying capacity is the level at which birth and death rates become stable in a population or the maximum population size that can be supported in a particular area without destroying the habitat. Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of a population.

When organisms face limiting factors, they show logistic growth (S-shaped curve) When there are no limiting factors, the population shows exponential growth (Jshaped curve), as the population size increases, the growth rate also increases.

The Commons You will model an ocean ecosystem and see how humans affect the number of fish over a period of years. You must work as a class to find an equitable solution for all the countries represented. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview. cgi? LPid=37275

Native vs Exotic Fish Lab You will engage in a simulation game where they model feeding styles of fish and how fish compete for food. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37296

Interactions and Organisms Objective 3

Symbiotic Relationships Activity Introduction to symbiotic relationships. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37279

Backwards Predator-Prey Relationships You will work backwards from a classic predator-prey graph to sharpen their scientific method skills and analyze the data. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37294

Intraspecific Competition

Interspecific Competition

My Buddy Lab You will research about a symbiotic relationship between 2 organisms. You will then present your relationship to the class. In a charades type format. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37281

Ecosystem (Biome) Research You will distinguish between abiotic and biotic factors in an ecosystem. You will also investigate the interactions between these. http: //www. uen. org/Lessonplan/preview? LPid=37291

Classifying Organisms Objective 4

Classifying Organisms The practice of classifying organisms is called taxonomy. The modern taxonomic system was developed by the Swedish botanist Carolus (Carl) Linneaeus (1707 -1778). Linneaeus developed a hierarchy of groups for taxonomy Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

Linnaeus’s Classification Mnemonic file: ///C: /Users/heather. lee/Downloads/mnemonic_classification_activity. pdf

Taxonomy Project https: //www. biologycorner. com/worksheets/taxonomyproject. html

Hierarchy of Taxonomy The Domain is the broadest category, while species is the most specific category available. Binomial nomenclature is used to name an organism, where the first word beginning with a capital is the genus of the organism and the second word beginning with a lower-case letter is the species of the organism. The name must be in italics and in Latin. The scientific name can also be abbreviated, where the genus is shortened to only its first letter followed by a period. Homo sapiens or H. sapiens.

Tools for Classification A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world. They consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item.

Tools for Classification A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence. It will typically include a description of the objects covered, together with paintings or photographs and an index.

Dichotomous Key Practice

How do evolutionary relationships affect the classification scheme? Classification shows how closely organisms are related with respect to evolution. It is based on the assumption that each organism has descended from its ancestral type with some modification. Comparative anatomy – the study of body parts of animals of a particular group shows how apparently dissimilar animals have quite similar anatomical structures.

How do evolutionary relationships affect the classification scheme? Comparative embryology – a comparative study of the embryonic development of animals reveals that in their early stages they were very similar. These stages reflect their ancestry. http: //www. cpalms. org/ Public/Preview. Resourc e. Lesson/Preview/12885 8

How do evolutionary relationships affect the classification scheme? Fossils – the remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past. Fossil records are proof of the changes in and the relationships between various groups of organisms. http: //www. indiana. edu/~ensiweb/less ons/gff. pdf. html