B3 Ecology Presentation (2023 Update) PDF

B3 Ecology Energy Flow in Ecosystems and Human Impact Booklet link Lesson 1: Energy in Ecosystems 1 State that the Sun is the principal source of energy input to biological systems 2 Describe the flow of energy through living organisms, including light energy from...

B3 Ecology Energy Flow in Ecosystems and Human Impact Booklet link Lesson 1: Energy in Ecosystems 1 State that the Sun is the principal source of energy input to biological systems 2 Describe the flow of energy through living organisms, including light energy from the Sun and chemical energy in organisms, and its eventual transfer to the environment Starter 1 Describe a food chain as showing the transfer of energy from one organism to the next, beginning with a producer What is your environmental values 2 Construct and interpret simple food chains system? 4 Describe a producer as an organism that makes its own organic nutrients, usually using energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis 5 Describe a consumer as an organism that gets its energy by feeding on other organisms 6 State that consumers may be classed as primary, secondary and tertiary according to their position in a food chain 9 Describe a decomposer as an organism that gets its energy from dead or waste organic material 11 Describe a trophic level as the position of an organism in a food chain and food web 12 Identify the following as the trophic levels in food webs and food chains: producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers and quaternary consumers 13 Explain why the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another is often not efficient 14 Explain, in terms of energy loss, why food chains usually have fewer than five trophic levels Activity: Homework: We will investigate energy flow through an ecosystem to understand key terms in context. BIG Questions: Conservation of species, habitats and natural resources can help to limit the impact of human activities on the environment. What is your environmental values system? Consider the following on a scale of 1-5: 1. I could name several environmental issues. 2. I could scientifically explain these issues. 3. I know the consequences of these issues. 4. I care about these issues. 5. I actively do something about these issues. In pairs, discuss your thoughts on the video and where you lie along the environmental values system. Energy flow through ecosystems 1. Work your way through the interactive, completing all the tasks as you go. 2. At the end of the activity you will need to save your report as a PDF and submit it to your teacher. 3. After you finish, see if you can apply your knowledge to a new situation by answering the questions on the next slide. Extension: The complexity of an ecosystem In 1995, wolves were released in Yellowstone national park. Which kinds of habitat exist in Yellowstone? Which species might make up the community? How might the reintroduction of wolves affect this ecosystem? Watch this video. Review Review: We will play this Quizlet live to review the term introduction in this lesson. Lesson 2: Checking ourselves Today’s lesson 1 State that the Sun is the principal source of energy input to biological systems Starter 2 Describe the flow of energy through living organisms, including light energy from the Sun and chemical energy in organisms, and its eventual transfer to the environment What environmental issues are 1 Describe a food chain as showing the transfer of energy from one organism to the next, beginning with a producer represented here? 2 Construct and interpret simple food chains 4 Describe a producer as an organism that makes its own organic nutrients, usually using energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis 5 Describe a consumer as an organism that gets its energy by feeding on other organisms 6 State that consumers may be classed as primary, secondary and tertiary according to their position in a food chain 9 Describe a decomposer as an organism that gets its energy from dead or waste organic material 11 Describe a trophic level as the position of an organism in a food chain and food web 12 Identify the following as the trophic levels in food webs and food chains: producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers and quaternary consumers 13 Explain why the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another is often not efficient 14 Explain, in terms of energy loss, why food chains usually have fewer than five trophic levels Activity: We will work through the first part of the unit booklet to consolidate Homework: our understanding of key vocabulary and key concepts. BIG Questions: Conservation of species, habitats and natural resources can help to limit the impact of human activities on the environment. Which environmental issues might these images be related to? ATL Strength Test - Self-Management Skills (SM3) Manage time and meet deadlines (SM4) Reflect on strengths and areas for development This is a largely independent task, with clear tasks and a short deadline. Your ability to manage time will be important, but it is balanced by your ability to appropriately diagnose your progress and seek appropriate input to support your learning (from the teacher, a classmate, or a reference material, like Kognity). Task completion is less important than clear evidence of learning progress (completing all the tasks, but getting lots of questions wrong is not evidence of progress). You took in A LOT of information in the last lesson…let’s take a minute and try to make sense of it all. Work through the first section of your unit booklet to check your understanding of key concepts and vocabulary that you encountered in the last lesson. *NOTE* The majority of the lesson should be individual/paired work focused on individuals checking their own understanding. The following slides are available in case you find some common misconceptions or points that you want to draw out from the class as a whole What makes an ecosystem? Ecosystem: a unit containing all of the organisms and their environment, interacting together, in a given area. What might these terms mean? Environment Habitat Community Population Species Key definitions Community - all the populations of different organisms that live together in a habitat Population - all the members of a single species that live in a habitat Environment - all the conditions that surround a living organism Species - a group of organisms who can interbreed to produce fertile offspring Habitat - a place where an organism lives Click here for definitions How do we show the flow of energy in a food chain? Key points: 1. Arrows show flow of energy. 2. Food chains show single lines of energy flow. 3. We label producers, primary consumers, secondary What does flow of energy mean? consumers and tertiary consumers. What type of energy reaches us from the 4. What might be an example sun? of a decomposer? What type is it converted to? How? How does this pass on to consumers? Where do decomposers fit in a food chain? As decomposers can only consume dead organisms, we would not consider them as apex predators. However, they are essential, as they break down matter into nutrients which a producer can use to grow. Energy loss through a food chain 1. What might the ‘10% rule’ mean in terms of energy in a food chain? A pyramid of numbers shows the total number of an organism in a trophic level. 2. How might the 10% rule explain this pyramid shape? ATL Strength Test - Self-Management Skills (SM3) Manage time and meet deadlines How (SM4) Reflect on did youand strengths do on the for areas ATL strength test? development This is a largelyCan you pointtask, independent to evidence of learning with clear tasks andprogress? a short deadline. Your ability to manage time will be important, but it is balanced by your ability to Were you appropriately diagnose able your to stay and progress focused, seek on-task, and input to support your appropriate independently learning (from the productive? teacher, a classmate, or a reference material, like Kognity). Task completionWhere is lessare your ATL important growth than clearareas? evidence of learning progress (completing all the tasks, but getting lots of questions wrong is not evidence of progress). Plenary: what vocab/concepts apply here? Lesson 3: The carbon cycle Today’s lesson Starter 1. Describe the carbon cycle, limited to photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, fossilisation and combustion. Activity: Watch the clip and write down 3 biological processes that are shown/represented BIG Questions: All living things are interdependent, interacting with each other and their environment, and can be affected by human activities.  Recap questions…. What is the equation for respiration? What is the equation for photosynthesis? Which process takes carbon from the air & which puts it back into the air?  Optional -Group Activity Try and build the carbon cycle on your piece of paper using the items in your tray. Check your connections are correct and your arrows are going in the correct direction Finally copy the cycle into your books Photosynthesis: Plants take in water (H O) from 2 the soil through their roots. And carbon dioxide (CO ) from 2 the air in through their leaves. Then they use sunlight energy to rearrange these into molecules of glucose.  Whiteboard review Fill in the missing words: Photosynthesis Animal respiration Plant respiration Fossils and fossil fuels Decay organisms Complete questions in unit booklet  Review What is the process where plants capture carbon and give off oxygen? What process returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere? Lesson 4: Intro to Human Impacts Today’s lesson Starter 10 Use food chains and food webs to describe the impact humans have through overharvesting of food species and through introducing foreign species to a habitat … 15 Explain why it is more energy efficient for humans to eat crop plants than to eat livestock that have been fed on crop plants Activity: Students will engage in activities to link last lessons learning to Homework: investigating the impact of humans on ecosystems and feeding Eco-Values Poster relationships. BIG Questions: All living things are interdependent, interacting with each other and their environment, and can be affected by human activities. As you watch the video, make note of key statistics that are mentioned. (1) Some humans eat cornbread, which is made from corn. Draw a food chain to represent this feeding relationship. (2) Some humans also eat chicken, which is fed corn. Draw a food chain to represent these feeding relationships. (3) Based on what you learned about energy transfer, explain which food chain is more efficient, in terms of energy. (4) What elements are not considered when we look at energy efficiency alone? (Hint: can humans survive off of corn alone?) Energy flow and food chains From last lesson you should be able to… appreciate that interdependent relationships exist between organisms and systems that interact with each other in the natural world. understand that the amount of energy at each trophic level significantly decreases as it moves through an ecosystem. understanding that maintaining an ecosystem requires a balance between producers and consumers. What might be the impact on rabbits if… A. A disease wipes out the mice. B. A farmer plants more grains. C. The owl population grows. Student-paced learning Task 3 - Invasive species Watch this video (~4 min) Task 1 - Food chains, food webs, Task 2 - The impact (10-15 and overharvesting: min) Choose one of the fish Watch this video (~5 min) mentioned in the video and build or find its food chain or web Identify 3 negative effects of overfishing on the food chain/web Task 4 - The impact (10-15 min) Go local (10-15 min): Think global (4 min): Singapore is famous for its chili Research an invasive crab. Where do they come from Watch David species in Singapore these days? Attenborough solve the Where did it originate? How How has overharvesting problem of overfishing. did it get here? What are its impacted the ecosystem here? negative impacts? Think. Pair. Share. What can we do to make a difference? Extension/Homework Extension or Homework: Produce a simple poster explaining: ‘5 reasons you might want a healthy global ecosystem…’ Teaching Notes for Lesson 5 We’ve updated the paired task to introduce the conservation techniques that are not explicitly covered in the the final assessment (lessons 5-6). The 2-minute presentations are critical to the learning in this unit and students should take notes in their unit booklets on each one to support their learning. Spaces have been created toward the end of the booklet (pages 24-25). Encourage students to think about why species become endangered, both in the preparation of their presentations and the delivery. Lesson 5: Human Impact & Systemic Effects Today’s lesson Starter: 18 Describe an ecosystem as a unit containing the community of organisms and their environment, interacting together Do you remember what biodiversity 19 Describe biodiversity as the number of different species that live in means and why it is important? an area 20 Describe the reasons for habitat destruction, including: (a) increased area for housing, crop plant production and livestock production (b) extraction of natural resources (c) freshwater and marine pollution (a detailed description of eutrophication is not required) Activity: Homework 30 minute group presentation Did you bring your poster? BIG Questions: Conservation of species, habitats and natural resources can help to limit the impact of human activities on the environment. What characterises the difference in biodiversity between these two images? HIGH BIODIVERSITY LOW BIODIVERSITY (lots of different species) (few different species) Human impacts on biodiversity What are some of the reasons for deforestation? What are some of the consequences of deforestation? Where do we see human impact around us? Here are two examples of human impact in Asia: deforestation and water pollution. ATL Strength Test - Communication Skills (COM1) Choose body language, content, tone and medium appropriate to audience and purpose (COM4) Express ideas verbally (COM5) Clearly structure communications You will have the opportunity to evidence these skills both in your paired work…and as you present in front of the class. These represent two very different contexts, so you should evidence different skills that are appropriate to each context. 30 minute paired task Task: Create your 2 slide, 2 minute presentation on an assigned topic on the next slide. Objective: To provide: a succinct outline of the issue possible solutions and a link to a UN Sustainable Development Goal.  Task: Create your 2 slide, 2 30 minute paired task minute presentation on an assigned topic on the next slide. 1. Deforestation and extinction Objective: To provide: 2. Deforestation and soil loss and flooding 3. Deforestation and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere a succinct outline of the issue possible solutions 4. Water pollution from chemical waste and sewage and a link to a UN Sustainable Development Goal. 5. Water pollution from discarded plastic Protecting endangered species through: 6. Monitoring and protecting species and habitats 7. Education 8. Captive breeding programmes 9. Seed banks ATL Strength Test - Communication Skills (COM1) Choose body language, content, tone and medium appropriate to audience and purpose How did you do on the ATL strength test? (COM4) Express ideas verbally Can you point to evidence of appropriate (COM5) Clearlycommunication skills deployed? structure communications How You will have the would antoobserver opportunity evidenceassess these your skillsskills? both in your paired work…and as you present in front of the class. These represent two very Where different contexts, areshould so you your ATL growthdifferent evidence areas? skills that are appropriate to each context. Teaching Notes for Lessons 5-6 *Note that seed banks and captive breeding are not explicitly taught here* This is largely student led, but has a couple of places where you need to bring the students together for discussion and input: 1. The beginning with the Think, Pair, Share 2. Prior to the ‘assessment’ to discuss and direct students around the questions associated with their proposals. You will want to decide whether students are working independently or in pairs. The video is roughly 20 minutes long - you can watch this as a class or ask students to watch it independently. An additional 20 minutes has been allocated for students to work through the questions that lead into and follow from the video. Lesson 6: Human Impact & Systemic Effects Today’s lesson Starter 22 Explain the undesirable effects of deforestation as an example of habitat destruction, to include: reducing biodiversity, extinction, loss of soil, flooding and increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 23 Explain why organisms become endangered or extinct, including: climate change, habitat destruction, hunting, overharvesting, pollution and introduced species 24 Describe how endangered species can be conserved, limited to: a. monitoring and protecting species and habitats b. education c. captive breeding programmes d. seed banks Activity: From Ants to Grizzlies, a general Homework: prep for rule to save biodiversity. proposal (optional) BIG Questions: Conservation of species, habitats and natural resources can help to limit the impact of human activities on the environment. Make observations of this image using the sentence stems: “I notice…”, “It reminds me of…”, and “I wonder…” Think, Pair, Share OBSERVATIONS WONDERINGS  Which of your questions Background Information have been answered? What questions remain? The image shows a wildlife overpass, a bridge that allows wildlife to move safely from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The road in the image is part of the BKE, one of the major thoroughfares in Singapore. Many animals cannot easily cross roads or are hit by cars while crossing. By limiting how far wildlife can move, roads and other human made structures may fragment, or break, larger habitats into smaller ones. Wildlife in smaller habitats may have a harder time finding food, mates, living space, and other important resources. A wildlife overpass is one way to reconnect fragmented habitats. By providing a safe path above a road, it allows animals to move freely between habitats on both sides, thereby expanding the overall area in which wildlife can live.  Think, Pair, Share OBSERVATIONS WONDERINGS There is a wide, multiple-lane When was this photograph road with mountains in the taken? background. Why was the bridge built over There is a bridge (overpass) the road? Why does the bridge have plants over the road, which connects growing on it? the sides of the road. What crosses over the bridge: Plants are growing on the humans, animals, or both? overpass and on the sides of Are there other similar bridges the road. over other parts of the road? If so, The overpass is not flat like a how many bridges, why were they road for cars would usually be. built, and who paid for them? Some of the plants (like What kinds of animals live in this grass) are brown, whereas the area? trees are green. Do animals ever run across the The trees look like … and road? If so, do cars hit them? Are there any animals that can’t appear similar to one another. cross the road? There are buildings in the background. From Ants to Grizzlies: A General Rule for Saving Biodiversity Access the assignment and complete Part 1 before starting the video. Work your way through the remaining prompts after watching the video…stopping when you get to Q11. Connecting to our local context… Take a moment to consolidate your key takeaways… Describe and explain the Evaluate the connection between the considerations and work of E.O. Wilson and implications when it that of Hilty and comes to planning roads Camel-Means. and housing. Extension Habitat fragmentation can also have indirect effects on non-mobile species, such as plants. Extend students’ exploration of this topic with the Seed Dispersal and Habitat Fragmentation Scientists at Work video and accompanying “Seed Dispersal in Tropical Forests” activity. Both discuss how reconnecting brown spider monkey habitats in Colombia can increase tropical seed dispersal, which aids in forest regeneration. Isolating wildlife populations from one another through habitat fragmentation can lead to increased competition for limited resources, as well as a decrease in genetic diversity (since fewer individuals are able to breed with each other). Students can explore the effects of small, isolated populations on inbreeding through additional resources, such as the Science News article “Big cats in urban jungle: LA mountain lions, Mumbai leopards.” Lesson 7: Human Impact & Systemic Effects Today’s lesson Starter 22 Explain the undesirable effects of deforestation as an example of habitat destruction, to include: reducing biodiversity, extinction, loss of soil, flooding Food web starter and increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 23 Explain why organisms become endangered or extinct, including: climate change, habitat destruction, hunting, overharvesting, pollution and introduced species 24 Describe how endangered species can be conserved, limited to: a. monitoring and protecting species and habitats b. education c. captive breeding programmes d. seed banks Activity: From Ants to Grizzlies, a general rule to save biodiversity. Your proposal. BIG Questions: Conservation of species, habitats and natural resources can help to limit the impact of human activities on the environment. Food web starter Read this information. Wagtails are small birds which live near mountain streams and feed on insect larvae. The larvae feed on water fleas. Wagtails are sometimes eaten by sparrowhawks. Sparrowhawks also eat finches and skylarks. Finches feed on farmland crops. Trout which live in the stream feed on insect larvae too. Water fleas feed on water weeds. Food web starter 1. Complete the food web. One box has been filled in. Wagtails are small birds which live near mountain streams and feed on insect larvae. The larvae feed on water fleas. Wagtails are sometimes eaten by sparrowhawks. Sparrowhawks also eat finches and skylarks. Finches feed on farmland crops. Trout which live in the stream feed on insect larvae too. Water fleas feed on water weeds. Food web starter 2. What do skylarks eat? 3. From the food web name: (a) Producer (b) Herbivore (c) Carnivore (d) Primary consumer (e) Secondary consumer. 4. The wagtail eats insect larvae. Why does it still depend on the water weed for its food? Food web starter answers Have you heard of ? Here is an example of a successful proposal from 2021 to DCF. What are some GC’s at our school that work with plant/animal species that have been negatively impacted by human activity? Your Task: You will create a 2 minute presentation where you… Select a species that has been negatively impacted by human activity (Overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, climate change). It can be plant or animal! Select an organisation that works with your species. Outline the type of work they do to help your selected species. After presenting to your classmates, each member of this esteemed group of scientists will have $1 million to grant to their chosen project they feel is most worthy of the funding. Let’s explore Choose a species in Singapore (or another place that you have a connection to) that has been impacted by human development. You can look at the links here (link 1 and link 2 and link 3) for inspiration or conduct independent research. What organisation exist that work with these species?  Your presentation should answer the following: 1) Select a species that has been negatively impacted by human activity (Overpopulation, overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, climate change). It can be plant or animal! a) Where are they located? 2) Explain the problem using your scientific knowledge. a) How has human activity has created a vulnerable environment for your selected species? b) What data/evidence has demonstrated that this is a problem? 3) Select an organisation that works with your species. Outline the type of work they do to help your selected species. a) Give some statistics that demonstrates their effectiveness in helping the species. 4) Evaluate the work of this organisation. a) What kind of moral, ethical, social, economic, political, cultural or environmental advantages/disadvantages might your organisation have? Resources for revision 1) How well do you know the B3 vocabulary? Test yourself here. 2) Why not complete one of these B3 revision sheets or mind map as a kick start to your revision for this unit. 3) Self assess using the Kognity questions sent to you (Section B12/B13 on Kognity) 4) Try this B3 practice test (different exam board) 5) Conceptual questions.