Who’s on Top of Pennsylvania’s Food Chain?
Who’s on Top of Pennsylvania’s Food Chain?
Objectives
In this unit, students learn about ecological relationships among organisms in Pennsylvania ecosystems. They trace the flow of energy through food webs. Students will:
- describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in local ecosystems.
- create food chains and food webs to model ecosystem relationships.
- describe the transfer of energy between organisms and the environment in an ecosystem.
- compare inherited and acquired traits.
- explain how certain traits and behaviors help organisms to survive and reproduce in different local environments.
Essential Questions
Related Unit and Lesson Plans
Related Materials & Resources
The possible inclusion of commercial websites below is not an implied endorsement of their products, which are not free, and are not required for this lesson plan.
- Ecosystems
Formative Assessment
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View
Multiple-Choice Items:
1. Which organism best fits in the blank in the food chain below?
Sun → wheat → grasshopper → _________
A
Grass
B
Algae
C
Bluebird
D
Oak tree
2. What is the role or roles of the rabbit in the food web shown below?
Source:
http://mdk12.org/assessments/high_school/look_like/2007/biology/images/19n21_q.gif
A
producer and secondary consumer
B
primary consumer and secondary consumer
C
primary consumer only
D
decomposer only
3. What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?
A
To break down dead organisms into nutrients in the soil
B
To provide energy for the consumers that eat them
C
To transfer energy from producers to consumers
D
To carry out photosynthesis to capture the Sun’s energy
4. Which kind of organism in an ecosystem can change sunlight energy into chemical energy?
A
Producer
B
Decomposer
C
Primary consumer
D
Secondary consumer
5. Which statement best describes the transfer of energy in the food chain below?
Sun → algae → minnow → frog
A
The minnow gets food energy from the frog.
B
The frog gets food energy from the minnow.
C
Energy flows from the minnow to the algae.
D
Energy flows from the frog to the minnow.
6. What happens to the energy in an ear of corn once a cow eats it?
A
The cow gives all of the corn’s energy off as heat energy.
B
The cow uses all of the corn’s energy for life processes.
C
Most of the energy from the corn is available to a human who eats meat from the cow.
D
It uses some of the energy for life processes and some of its energy is given off as heat energy
7. An oak tree grows taller than the other trees around it. How does this help the tree to survive in its environment?
A
It helps it to change the color of its leaves.
B
It helps it to get enough sunlight.
C
It keeps its leaves from drying out.
D
It prevents insects from eating its leaves.
8. Which term(s) best describes a white-tailed deer’s strong sense of hearing?
A
inherited trait
B
acquired trait
C
behavior
D
learned sense
9. Which of these is an inherited trait in humans?
A
Reading
B
Having a scar
C
Having brown hair
D
Playing an instrument
Multiple-Choice Answer Key:
1. C
2. C
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. D
7. B
8. A
9. C
Short-answer Items:
10. Arrange the following organisms in a food chain. Label the organisms as: primary consumer, tertiary consumer, producer, and secondary consumer. Use arrows to show the transfer of energy.
Caterpillar Snake Frog Sun Dandelion
11. Explain what happens to the Sun’s energy as it travels through a food chain. Include what causes heat energy to be given off.
Short-Answer Key and Scoring Rubrics:
10. Arrange the following organisms in a food chain. Label the organisms as: primary consumer, tertiary consumer, producer, and secondary consumer. Use arrows to show the transfer of energy.
Caterpillar Snake Frog Sun Dandelion
Points
Description
2
The student:
- correctly arranges the food chain:
Sun → dandelion → caterpillar → frog → snake
- correctly labels the organisms’ ecosystem roles.
- correctly uses arrows to show the transfer of energy.
1
The student:
- correctly arranges the food chain with one mistake:
Sun → dandelion → caterpillar → frog → snake
- labels the organisms’ ecosystem roles with one or two mistakes.
- correctly uses arrows to show the transfer of energy.
0
The student:
- does not correctly arrange the food chain:
Sun → dandelion → caterpillar → frog → snake
- does not correctly label any of the organisms’ ecosystem roles.
- does not correctly use arrows to show the transfer of energy.
11. Explain what happens to the Sun’s energy as it travels through a food chain. Include what causes heat energy to be given off.
Points
Description
2
The student’s answer contains all three of the following explanations:
- Producers change the Sun’s energy into stored food energy.
- Consumers get energy from eating producers.
- Some energy is given off as heat when consumers use the energy for life processes such as movement and digestion.
1
The student’s answer contains two of the explanations.
0
The student’s answer contains one or none of the explanations.
Performance Assessment:
Based on what you have learned about ecosystems in this unit, choose an animal that you think should be the new official Pennsylvania state mammal, fish, or bird. You may not choose the following current organisms that are already Pennsylvania state animals: white-tailed deer, brook trout, or ruffed grouse.
Write a persuasive letter to a state legislator about why your animal should be the new official mammal, bird, or fish. Make sure to write your letter using correct letter form.
In your letter, include the following information:
- Which ecosystem(s) does it live in?
- What is its role or roles in its ecosystem? (For example, is it a producer?)
- How is the animal important to other organisms in its ecosystem?
- What inherited traits and behaviors does this organism have that help it survive in its environment? List at least three.
- On a separate page attached to your letter, create a food web that shows how energy is transferred between the animal and other organisms.
Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric:
Points
Description
5
The student completes all five of the requirements:
- describes the animal’s role in its ecosystem.
- describes the relationships between the animal and other organisms.
- explains why the animal is important in its ecosystem.
- gives at least three examples of inherited traits and behaviors that help the animal survive.
- creates a food web that correctly shows the transfer of energy in the animal’s ecosystem.
4
The student completes four of the requirements.
3
The student completes three of the requirements.
2
The student completes two of the requirements.
1
The student completes one of the requirements.
0
The student demonstrates lack of understanding or does not attempt to complete the assessment.
DRAFT 05/04/2011
