Ecological Systems
Ecological Systems
Objectives
In this lesson, students will be introduced to various biomes and their characteristic biotic and abiotic factors. Biomes consist of various ecosystems that function as interdependent units. Students will:
- identify the biotic and abiotic characteristics of various biomes.
- construct food webs to illustrate energy relationships within a biome.
Essential Questions
Vocabulary
- Biome: A large geographical area with certain plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment. The biome depends on the climate and geography of a region. Biomes are many similar ecosystems grouped together.
- Ecosystem: A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.
- Food Chain: A group of organisms in a community in which each member feeds on the member below it in the chain.
- Freshwater: A biome that includes all of the fresh water on Earth; divided into lentic (standing water) and lotic (flowing water) ecosystems.
- Grassland: A biome with large, rolling hills of grasses, flowers, and herbs, but not many trees. Also known as a prairie, steppe, pampas. or veldt.
- Lines of Latitude: Curves of constant latitude parallel to the Equator that show the angle that sunlight strikes the Earth; latitude is related to the climate of a region.
- Marine: A biome that includes all of the saltwater ecosystems on Earth.
- Savanna: A biome that has rolling grasslands scattered with shrubs and a few trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and a desert biome. Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands.
- Taiga (Boreal Forest): A biome that has evergreen forests with coniferous trees, very cold winters, and summers mild enough for the ground to thaw.
- Tundra: A biome that has permanently frozen ground and trees can’t grow there. The bare and sometimes rocky ground can only support low growing plants like mosses, heaths, and lichen.
- Temperate Deciduous Forest: A biome that has forests that are highly seasonal with warm summers and cold winters. The trees in this region have leaves that change color and drop in the fall.
- Tropical Forest: Biome that can be either a rainy or dry forest that circles the Earth with millions of varieties of plants and animals.
Duration
90 minutes/2 class periods
Prerequisite Skills
Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.
Materials
- Biome Data Chart Instructions (S-7-7-1_Biome Data Chart Instructions.doc)
- Biome Data Chart (S-7-7-1_Biome Data Chart and KEY.doc)
- Biome Information Cards (S-7-7-1_Biome Cards.doc)
- Biome Pictures (S-7-7-1_Biome Pictures.doc)
- Biome Food Webs (S-7-7-1_Biome Food Webs.docx)
- poster board, one sheet per group
- crayons, markers, and/or colored pencils
- glue
- scissors
- construction paper
- small box of animal crackers for each group
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.
- World Biomes
www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
- Biome Activity
www.abcteach.com/free/a/animalcracker_biome.pdf
- The Tundra Biome
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php
- Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome
www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/Forsite/tdfbiome.htm
- Marine Biome
http://rrms-biomes.tripod.com/id12.html
- Tropical Dry Forest
http://thebirdzoo.com/Tropical%20Dry%20Forest.htm
- The Tropical Seasonal Forest
www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tropdry.htm
Formative Assessment
Suggested Instructional Supports
Instructional Procedures
Related Instructional Videos
Note: Video playback may not work on all devices.
Instructional videos haven't been assigned to the lesson plan.
DRAFT 05/12/2011