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Hierarchy of Ecological Relationships

Unit Plan

Hierarchy of Ecological Relationships

  • Grade Levels
    8th Grade
  • Related Academic Standards
    4.3.8.A
    Compare and contrast alternative sources of energy.
    4.5.8.A

    Explain how Best Management Practices (BMP) can be used to mitigate environmental problems.
    3.3.8.A5

    Explain how the curvature of the earth contributes to climate.

    Compare and contrast water vapor, clouds, and humidity.
    3.3.8.A6

    CHANGES

    Explain changes in earth systems in terms of energy transformation and transport.

    MODELS

    Explain how satellite images, models, and maps are used to identify Earth’s resources.
    3.3.8.A7
    • Compare and contrast scientific theories.
    • Know that both direct and indirect observations are used by scientists to study the natural world and universe.
    • Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
    • Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence.
    • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models.
    • Explain the importance of accuracy and precision in making valid measurements.
    4.2.8.C

    Describe how a diversity index is used to assess water quality.
    3.1.8.A8

    CHANGE AND CONSTANCY

    Explain mechanisms organisms use to adapt to their environment.
    3.1.8.A9
    • Compare and contrast scientific theories.
    • Know that both direct and indirect observations are used by scientists to study the natural world and universe.
    • Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
    • Formulate and revise explanations and models using logic and evidence.
    • Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models.
    • Explain the importance of accuracy and precision in making valid measurements.
    3.3.8.A1

    Distinguish between physical and chemical weathering.

    Compare and contrast the types of energy that drive Earth’s systems.
    3.3.8.A2
    Describe renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
    3.3.8.A3
    Explain how matter on earth is conserved throughout the geological processes over time.
    3.3.8.A4
    Explain how the oceans form one interconnected circulation system powered by wind, tides, the Earth’s rotation, and water density differences.
    3.4.8.A1

    Analyze the development of technology based on affordability or urgency.
    3.4.8.A2

    Explain how controls are steps that people perform using information about the system that causes systems to change.
    3.4.8.A3

    Compare how a product, system, or environment developed for one setting may be applied to another setting.
    3.4.8.B1

    Evaluate the societal implications of the management of waste produced by technology.
    3.4.8.B2

    Compare and contrast decisions to develop and use technologies as related to environmental and economic concerns.
    3.4.8.B3

    Explain how throughout history, new technologies have resulted from the demands, values, and interests of individuals, businesses, industries, and societies.
    3.4.8.B4
    Explain how societal and cultural priorities and values are reflected in technological devices.
  • Assessment Anchors
    S8.A.1

    Reasoning and Analysis
    S8.A.3

    Systems, Models, and Patterns
    S8.B.3

    Ecological Behavior and Systems
  • Eligible Content
    S8.A.1.1.3
    Use evidence, such as observations or experimental results, to support inferences about a relationship.
    S8.A.1.3.2
    Use evidence, observations, or explanations to make inferences about change in systems over time (e.g., carrying capacity, succession, population dynamics, loss of mass in chemical reactions, indicator fossils in geologic time scale) and the variables affecting these changes.
    S8.A.1.3.4
    Given a scenario, explain how a dynamically changing environment provides for the sustainability of living systems.
    S8.A.3.1.1
    Describe a system (e.g., watershed, circulatory system, heating system, agricultural system) as a group of related parts with specific roles that work together to achieve an observed result.
    S8.A.3.1.2
    Explain the concept of order in a system [e.g., (first to last: manufacturing steps, trophic levels); (simple to complex: cell, tissue, organ, organ system)].
    S8.A.3.1.5
    Explain how components of natural and human-made systems play different roles in a working system.
    S8.A.3.2.1
    Describe how scientists use models to explore relationships in natural systems (e.g., an ecosystem, river system, the solar system).
    S8.B.3.1.1
    Explain the flow of energy through an ecosystem (e.g., food chains, food webs).
    S8.B.3.1.3
    Explain relationships among organisms (e.g., producers/consumers, predator/prey) in an ecosystem.
    S8.B.3.2.1
    Use evidence to explain factors that affect changes in populations (e.g., deforestation, disease, land use, natural disaster, invasive species).
    S8.B.3.2.2
    Use evidence to explain how diversity affects the ecological integrity of natural systems.
    S8.B.3.2.3
    Describe the response of organisms to environmental changes (e.g., changes in climate, hibernation, migration, coloration) and how those changes affect survival.
    S8.B.3.3.1
    Explain how human activities may affect local, regional, and global environments.
  • Big Ideas
    • A technological world requires that humans develop capabilities to solve technological challenges and improve products for the way we live.
    • An object’s motion is the result of all forces acting on it.
    • Each area of technology has a set of characteristics that separates it from others; however, many areas overlap in order to meet human needs and wants.
    • Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy can be transformed from one form to another, but transformation between forms often results in the loss of useable energy through the production of heat.
    • Matter has observable physical properties and the potential to mix and form new materials.
    • Solid, liquid and gaseous earth materials all circulate in large scale systems at a variety of time scales, giving rise to landscapes, the rock cycle, ocean currents, weather, and climate.
    • Technological design is a creative process that anyone can do which may result in new inventions and innovations.
    • Technological literacy is the ability to use, assess and manage technology around us.
    • Technology is created, used and modified by humans.
    • The cell is the basic unit of structure and function for all living things.
    • Aquatic, terrestrial and human-made ecosystems consist of diverse living and non-living components that change over time and among geographic areas.
    • Environmental laws and regulations impact humans, the environment, and the economy in both positive and negative ways.
    • Humans depend upon the management and practices of agricultural systems.
    • Living things depend on their habitat to meet their basic needs.
    • People acting individually and/or as groups influence the environment.
    • Sustainable use of natural resources is essential to provide for the needs and wants of all living things now and in the future.
    • The health of all living things is directly related to the quality of the environment.
    • The survival of living things is dependent upon their adaptations and ability to respond to natural changes in and human influences on the environment.
  • Concepts
    • A substance has characteristic properties such as density, boiling point, freezing point, solubility, all of which are independent of the mass or volume of the sample.
    • A technological design & problem solving process changes ideas into a final product or system.
    • All living things are made up of smaller units called cells.
    • All matter is made up of building blocks called atoms. Atoms are characterized by their parts including protons, electrons, and neutrons.
    • All matter is made up of particles, which are far too small to see directly through a microscope.
    • All multicellular organisms have systems that interact with one another to perform specific functions and enable the organism to function as a whole.
    • An object will stay at rest or continue at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external, unbalanced force.
    • Batteries store chemical energy and transform it into electrical energy.
    • Bio-related technologies are the processes of using biological mater to make or modify products.
    • Bio-related technologies are the processes of using biological organisms to make or modify products.
    • Cells carry out the many functions needed to sustain life.
    • Cells grow and divide thereby producing more cells.
    • Cells take in nutrients that they use to provide energy to carry out their life functions.
    • Changing a substance’s state of matter may change its density but not its composition.
    • Communication is the process of composing, sending, and receiving messages through technology.
    • Communication is the process of composing, sending, and receiving messages using technological devices.
    • Compounds may only be broken down into simpler types of matter (elements) by chemical means.
    • Construction is the process of turning materials into useful structures.
    • Construction is the process of turning raw materials into useful structures.
    • Creating optimal solutions under constraints are a primary component of technological problem solving (e.g., tools/machines, materials, information, people, capital, energy, and time).
    • Decisions about the use of products and systems can result in expected and unexpected consequences.
    • Decisions about the use of products and systems can result in known and unexpected consequences.
    • Different body tissues and organs are made up of different kinds of cells.
    • Disease affects the structures and/or functions of an organism.
    • Earth materials (rocks and soils) can be classified by their composition and texture and those features can be interpreted to infer the history of the material.
    • Elements are the basic building blocks of matter that cannot be broken down chemically and are made up all of the same type of atoms.
    • Energy and power technologies are the processes of converting energy sources into useful power.
    • Energy and power technologies use processes to convert energy into power.
    • Energy appears in different forms and can be transformed within a system.
    • Energy can be transformed within a system or transferred from one system to another (or from a system to its environment) in different ways. Thermal energy is transferred from warmer objects to cooler objects. Mechanical energy can be transferred when two objects push or pull on one another. Electromagnetic energy can be transferred when an electrical source such as a battery or generator is connected in a complete circuit to an electrical device. Chemical energy is transferred when particles are rearranged in a chemical reaction.
    • Energy from the sun warms air and water, which creates moving currents within them. This movement causes changes on the earth’s surface.
    • Every organism has a set of genetic instructions that determines its inherited traits.
    • Everything on or near the earth is pulled toward Earth’s center by a gravitational force. Celestial revolutions are caused by gravitational attraction.
    • Friction is an example of an electromagnetic force that opposes motion between two surfaces.
    • Heat energy is usually a by-product of an energy transformation.
    • Heat flow from the earth and motion within the earth lead the outer shell of the earth to move around in large rigid pieces (plates) and leads to the creation and destruction of ocean basins, motion of continents relative to one another, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and development of mountain belts.
    • Heat moves in predictable ways, normally flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until the objects reach the same temperature.
    • Human activities change land cover and land use patterns, add or remove nutrients from ecosystems and modify some of the fundamental cycles of the earth system, including the carbon cycle. These changes can have unexpected and far-reaching effects due to the complex interconnections among earth systems.
    • Human decision making (e.g. Human needs and wants plus cultural considerations) drives the selection and/or use of technologies.
    • In a technological world, inventions and innovations must be carefully assessed by individuals and society as a whole.
    • Innovation is the process of improving an existing product, process, or system.
    • Innovation is the process of modifying an existing product, process, or system to improve it.
    • Interaction of circulating air masses gives rise to a wide variety of weather phenomena including fronts, mid-latitude cyclones (and anti-cyclones), and severe weather (tropical storms, tornados, severe thunderstorms, etc.).
    • Invention is a process of creating new products, processes, or systems.
    • Invention is a process of turning ideas and imagination into new products, processes, or systems.
    • Inventions and innovations must be carefully assessed by individuals and society.
    • Large scale wind patterns drive surface currents in the oceans and affects weather.
    • Manufacturing is the process of turning materials into useful products.
    • Manufacturing is the process of turning raw materials into useful products.
    • Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object.
    • Materials are characterized by having a specific amount of mass in each unit of volume (density).
    • Mechanical advantage, using less force over a greater distance, allows the same work to be performed with less effort.
    • Models (graphs) of an object’s velocity versus time can be used to infer the presence of absence of unbalanced forces.
    • Moving electric charges produce magnetic forces and moving magnets produce electric forces.
    • Particles are always in motion with the smallest motion in solids progressing to the largest motion in gases.
    • People select, create, and use technology.
    • Plants transform light energy into chemical energy, which then can be used by other living things.
    • Safety is a preeminent concern for all technological development and use.
    • Safety is one of the most important concerns for all technological development and use.
    • Science and technology are interconnected.
    • Science is the study of the natural world and technology is the study of the human designed world but both are inextricably connected.
    • Simple machines help accomplish a task with less effort by either changing the direction of motion or increasing the mechanical advantage.
    • Some changes in Earth’s surface are abrupt, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, meteor impacts, and landslides. Others are gradual, such as the lifting up of mountains or their wearing away by erosion.
    • Some organisms are made up of only one cell.
    • Specialized cells perform specialized functions in multicellular organisms.
    • Technological design & problem solving follows many steps.
    • Technological design & problem solving includes both formative and summative analysis.
    • Technological design & problem solving includes clearly communicated solutions.
    • Technological design & problem solving includes frequent checking.
    • Technological design & problem solving requires hands-on applications.
    • Technological design & problem solving requires the ability to clearly communicate engineered solutions.
    • Technological design & problem solving requires the application of hands-on abilities such as sketching, prototyping, and fabricating.
    • Technological design & problem solving transforms an idea into a final product or system.
    • Technological design & problem solving utilizes a series of steps that take place in a well-defined sequence.
    • Technological literacy is necessary for a productive workforce.
    • Technological literacy is necessary for all citizens.
    • Technological literacy is the ability to understand, use, assess, design, and create technology.
    • Technological literacy requires lifelong learning.
    • Technology and society impact each other.
    • The abilities required in a technological world include diagnosing, troubleshooting, analyzing and maintaining systems.
    • The abilities required in a technological world include understanding, fixing, and maintaining systems.
    • The atmosphere circulates in large scale patterns which steer weather systems due to heat from the sun.
    • The circulation of the ocean and atmosphere carries heat energy and has a strong influence on climate around the world.
    • The cycling of water in and out of the atmosphere plays an important role in determining climatic patterns.
    • The Earth is mostly rock, with a metallic core, a thin layer of water covering about ¾ of the surface and surrounded by a thin blanket of air.
    • The Earth’s revolution around the Sun causes the seasons and the year. Because of the Earth’s tilted axis, sunlight falls more intensely on different parts of the earth during different parts of the year, producing the seasons and seasonal patterns in weather.
    • The Earth’s rotation around its tilted axis causes day and night.
    • The gene is the basic unit of inheritance.
    • The goal of technology is to meet human needs and wants.
    • The gravitational force is a universal force that depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.
    • The magnitude of the gravitational force is weight (oz, lb, newtons).
    • The Moon’s revolution around the earth once in about 28 days changes what part of the moon is lighted by the sun and how much of that part we can see from the earth, giving rise to lunar phases.
    • The rhythms of the Earth are caused by 3 celestial motions: The Earth’s rotation, revolution around the sun, and the Moons’ revolution around the Earth.
    • The study of the impacts of technological systems enables us to plan and direct technological developments.
    • The sun is the main source of energy for biological systems on the surface of the earth.
    • The use of technology involves weighing the trade-offs of the positive and negative effects.
    • There are defining structures of cells for both plants and animals.
    • There are over one hundred known elements each with characteristic properties from which all other matter is made.
    • There are structural and functional similarities and differences that characterize diverse living things.
    • There is a relationship between structure and function at all biological levels of organization.
    • Thousands of layers of sedimentary rock confirm the long history of the changing surface of the earth and the changing life forms whose remains are found in successive layers.
    • Transportation is the process of safely and efficiently moving people and products.
    • Two of the fundamental forces that exist in the universe are gravity and electromagnetism.
    • Unbalanced forces acting on an object cause changes in its velocity.
    • Understanding technological systems help us plan and control technological developments.
    • When two or more substances are combined, they may form a mixture and maintain their original properties or they may react chemically to form a new substance with new properties.
    • While science is the study of the natural world, technology is the study of the human designed world.
    • Adaptations develop over time and are passed from one generation to the next.
    • Agricultural changes have been made to meet society's needs.
    • Agricultural production, cost, and, quality are related to environmental conditions.
    • Animal populations change over time.
    • Climate and soil conditions affect the diversity of plants and animals in an ecosystem.
    • Conservation and best management practices can affect continued availability of resources.
    • Cycles exist in an ecosystem.
    • Energy flows through a food web within an ecosystem.
    • Environmental health is directly related to resource use, reuse and recycling.
    • Environmental laws and regulations exist to protect the environment.
    • Habitat loss effects both the interaction among species and the population of a species.
    • Habitats can be lost or altered through natural processes or human activities.
    • Human actions can result in the loss of habitat and species.
    • Human actions related to agricultural systems affect the health of the environment.
    • Human land use practices can affect the health of the environment.
    • Improvement in knowledge and technology allows humans to better mange their environment.
    • Landforms determine the boundaries of a watershed.
    • Limiting factors affect ecosystems.
    • Living components in the ecosystem are dependent upon the non-living components.
    • Natural and human factors affect water quality and flow through a watershed.
    • Natural resources and technological changes affect the development of civilizations through the advancement of agricultural production.
    • Natural resources are an integral component for survival in different parts of the world.
    • Natural resources are found in specific locations on the earth.
    • Natural resources are necessary for agricultural systems.
    • One species may adapt to environmental change while another may not, making it more susceptible to becoming endangered.
    • Organisms have basic needs for survival.
    • Pennsylvania agencies exist to develop and enforce environmental laws and regulations.
    • Pennsylvania contains several major ecosystems.
    • Pest management has long-term effects on an ecosystem.
    • Physical components of aquatic systems influence the organisms that live there in terms of size, shape and physical adaptations.
    • Plants and animals are uniquely adapted to their environment.
    • Predator/prey relationships have a role in an ecosystem.
    • Raw materials come from natural resources.
    • Recycling and waste management have an effect on the available resources.
    • Renewable and non-renewable resources provide for human needs (energy, food, water, clothing and shelter).
    • Residential and industrial pollution can affect environmental health.
    • Resources are either renewable or nonrenewable.
    • Several types of wetlands exist.
    • Some diseases are associated with poor environmental quality.
    • Species can be classified as threatened, endangered, and extinct.
    • Sustainable use of natural resources is essential for the survival of humans and other organisms.
    • Technological advancements impact our use of resources.
    • The environment is impacted by the consumption of resources and generation of waste.
    • There should be a balance between living and non-living components of the ecosystem (e.g., enough food to support the number of animals.
    • Water is an integral part of the life cycles and stages of life for some organisms.
    • Watersheds are an integral component of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
    • Wetlands contain animals, plants and soils with specific characteristics.
    • Wetlands perform unique functions within an ecosystem.
  • Competencies
    • Clearly communicate technological solutions.
    • Demonstrate how technological progress promotes the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
    • Describe and demonstrate how to use technological design & problem solving.
    • Describe how science and technology work together.
    • Describe how technology impacts society.
    • Describe the complementary roles of scientific knowledge and technological application.
    • Describe the flow of energy from the sun, throughout the earth system, living and non-living, from the cellular scale to the global scale, and describe the transformations of that energy as it moves through the system.
    • Describe the nature of technology and the consequences of technological activity which impact society and the world.
    • Describe the nature of technology.
    • Describe the relationships among the parts of a system, the ways that they work together, the flow of matter or energy through the system, and the feedback and control mechanism present in the system.
    • Design and develop the ability to create and send messages using technological devices.
    • Design and develop the ability to safely and effectively use tools and materials to build structures.
    • Design and develop the ability to safely and effectively use tools and materials to convert energy into power.
    • Design and develop the ability to safely and effectively use tools and materials to create bio-related products and systems using technology.
    • Design and develop the ability to safely and effectively use tools and materials to create vehicles that transport people and products.
    • Design and develop the ability to safely and effectively use tools and materials to manufacture products.
    • Design, implement, record, explain, and justify safe and effective laboratory procedures to determine the relationship between two variables, controlling for other factors that might also affect the relationship.
    • Develop the abilities to use and maintain technological products and systems.
    • Differentiate between the study of science and technology.
    • Explain how making informed decisions about the development and use of technology may have known and unexpected consequences.
    • Explain how people select, create and use technology.
    • Explain how technology has and can change the human condition throughout time.
    • Explain how technology has and can change the world.
    • Explain the importance of carefully assessing technological inventions and innovations.
    • List possible consequences of technology.
    • Recognize the importance of using technological knowledge in society.
    • Use appropriate technologies to make precise quantitative measurements and observations and to organize and analyze the data.
    • Use design and problem solving skills to solve technological challenges.
    • Use models and patterns to make predictions, draw inferences, or explain scientific and technological concepts.
    • Verify that engineering design is influenced by personal characteristics, such as creativity, resourcefulness and the ability to visualize and think abstractly.
    • Analyze the effects of management practices on natural resources.
    • Analyze the ways in which societal needs have prompted agricultural changes.
    • Compare and contrast organisms with very specific needs with those organisms that have more general requirements.
    • Compare and contrast the cost and quality of a product in agricultural production as related to environmental conditions.
    • Compare and contrast two different ecosystems in Pennsylvania including their living and non-living components.
    • Describe how available natural resources are utilized in agricultural systems throughout the world.
    • Describe how changing the balance of living and nonliving things can affect the ecosystem.
    • Describe the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
    • Describe the life cycle of organisms that depend on water for all or part of its life cycle and describe the limited factors which affect its cycle.
    • Describe the natural and human factors which affect the water quality and flow through a local or state watershed.
    • Describe the response of organism to environmental changes and how those changes affect survival (e.g., habitat loss, climate change).
    • Discuss how a change of one component in an ecosystem may affect the entire ecosystem.
    • Discuss how one species may adapt to environmental change while another may not.
    • Explain how a dynamically changing environment provides for the sustainability of living systems.
    • Explain how an ecosystem can change over time, e.g. succession.
    • Explain how the development of civilization has been affected by natural resources and technological changes.
    • Explain how the wise use and misuse of resources affects the environment.
    • Explain society’s standard of living in terms of technological advancements and how these advancements impact our use of resources (e.g., agriculture, transportation, energy, production).
    • Explain the long term effects of using integrated pest management on the environment (e.g., herbicides, natural predators, bio-genetics).
    • Explain the role of local and state agencies in enforcing environmental laws and regulations.
    • Identify alternative actions that are used to reduce pollution (air, water, land).
    • Identify and explain environmental laws and regulations.
    • Identify and explain the cycles found within an ecosystem (water, carbon, nitrogen).
    • Identify environmental issues and explain their potential long term health effect (e.g., agriculture land use, urban sprawl, pest controls, pollution).
    • Identify how the use of resources used to provide humans with energy, food, housing and clothing has changed.
    • Identify human impacts that cause habitat loss.
    • Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources and describe their uses in providing humans with energy, food, housing and water and the waste derived from them.
    • Identify the locations of different concentrations of fossil fuels and mineral resources, their time spans for renewability and how consumption affects their availability.
    • Identify the relationship between resource use, reuse and recycling and environmental health.
    • Investigate the effects of local residential and industrial pollution on environmental health (e.g., point and non-point).
    • Use evidence to explain factors that affect changes in populations. (e.g., deforestation, disease, land use).
    • Use evidence to explain how diversity affects the ecological integrity of natural systems.

Objectives

In this unit, students examine various relationships between organisms in ecosystems. Students will:

  • apply the concept of trophic levels in ecosystems.
  • trace the flow of energy through ecosystems using food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids.
  • compare various symbiotic relationships (e.g., predator–prey, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism).
  • examine the effects of human activities on relationships in a coral reef ecosystem.

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.

www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm

Formative Assessment

  • View

    Multiple-Choice Items:

    Use the food chain below to answer questions 1 and 2.

    grass → cricket → sparrow → owl

    1.   Which organism is the secondary consumer?

    A

    Grass

    B

    Cricket

    C

    Sparrow

    D

    Owl

     

    2.   What would most likely happen if the sparrow population decreased in the community?

    A

    The crickets would have more grass to eat.

    B

    The owl population would increase.

    C

    The cricket population would increase.

    D

    The grass would grow more slowly.

    3.   What kind of information is represented by the energy pyramid shown below?

     

    03.PNG

    A

    The number of different species in an ecosystem

    B

    The transfer of energy between organisms at each level

    C

    The amount of matter available at each trophic level

    D

    Humans have more energy than the pigs or grains

     

     

    4.   Killer whales eat seals. If the seal population declines, the killer whale population also declines. Which of the following best describes the relationship between killer whales and seals?

    A

    Killer whales are prey of seals.

    B

    Seals and killer whales are both producers.

    C

    Killer whales are predators of seals.

    D

    Seals are competitors with killer whales.

    5.   A student has two pet frogs, which s/he keeps in a terrarium, along with several types of insects and plants. What level of an ecosystem is represented by all of the organisms in the terrarium together?

    A

    Community

    B

    Ecosystem

    C

    Individuals

    D

    Population

     

    6.   Which group of organisms is independent of other organisms for energy?

    A

    Decomposers

    B

    Primary consumers

    C

    Secondary consumers

    D

    Producers

    7.   Based on the data in the table below, which of these statements about the two populations is true?

    Population Size of Red Foxes and Rabbits in a State Park from 2005–2009

    Year

    Number of Red Foxes

    Number of Rabbits

    2005

    79

    785

    2006

    93

    728

    2007

    110

    645

    2008

    91

    668

    2009

    83

    691

     

    A

    Both populations were largest in 2007.

    B

    Both populations were smallest in 2005.

    C

    When the number of red foxes increases, the number of rabbits increases.

    D

    When the number of red foxes increases, the number of rabbits decreases.

    8.   In the food web shown below, what is a source of energy for the herbivorous zooplankton?

    08.png

    A

    Arctic cod

    B

    Phytoplankton

    C

    Carnivorous zooplankton

    D

    Capelin

     

    9.   The presence of fleas living on a dog harms the dog while benefiting the fleas. What type of biological relationship is this?

    A

    Parasitism

    B

    Commensalism

    C

    Mutualism

    D

    Predation

     

     

    Multiple-Choice Answer Key:

    1. C

    2. C

    3. B

    4. C

    5. A

    6. D

    7. D

    8. B

    9. A

     

     

    Short-Answer Items:

    10.    Give a specific example of a predator and prey, and describe the relationship using the terms energy and trophic level. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    11.    How have human activities affected coral reef ecosystems, and why is it important to protect coral reefs?

     


    Short-Answer Key and Scoring Rubrics:

    10.    Give a specific example of a predator and prey, and describe the relationship using the terms energy and trophic level.

     

    Points

    Description

    2
    • Student gives a specific example of a predator and prey relationship.
    • Student correctly uses both of the terms energy and trophic level to describe the relationship.

    1
    • Student explains what predators and prey are, but does not give a specific example.
    • Student correctly uses one of the terms energy or trophic level to describe predators and prey.

    0
    • Student does not correctly explain what predators and prey are or give a specific example.
    • Student does not correctly use the terms energy or trophic level to describe predators and prey.

     

    11.    How have human activities affected coral reef ecosystems, and why is it important to protect coral reefs?

     

    Points

    Description

    2
    • Student correctly describes at least two effects of humans on coral reef ecosystems.
    • Student thoroughly and correctly explains why it is important to protect coral reefs.

    1
    • Student correctly describes one effect of humans on coral reef ecosystems.
    • Student briefly and correctly explains why it is important to protect coral reefs.

    0
    • Student does not correctly describe any effects of humans on coral reef ecosystems.
    • Student does not correctly explain why it is important to protect coral reefs.


    Performance Assessment

    Should We Protect Sharks?

    Using the student handout and worksheet Should We Protect Sharks? (S-8-9_Shark Performance Assessment and KEY.doc), students read about the ecological role that sharks play in Atlantic Ocean ecosystems and the relationships among other organisms that depend on shark populations. Students examine a food chain that includes sharks as the top predators. Then, students study graphs containing population data for sharks and sting rays. Students are asked to answer analysis questions on the written information and data, and then use their findings to decide whether we should protect shark populations.

    This task is designed to take students approximately 40–50 minutes to complete.

    Objectives:

    Students will be able to:

    • use evidence to make inferences about population dynamics.
    • explain information presented in a variety of formats (i.e., written, graphs, and food chain model).
    • trace the flow of energy through an ecosystem.
    • describe the role sharks play as top predators in ocean ecosystems.
    • explain how human activities affect ocean ecosystems.

     

    You may choose to have students work alone or in small groups to complete the first part of the assessment. This would include the reading, graph analysis, and food chain questions. Have students work alone to write the conclusion paragraph. In advance, make copies of the handout and form group assignments. As an extension, students could research and create a poster about the role of sharks in coral reef ecosystems.

    Materials:

    Resources:

    http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/o/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/Sharks/Predators_as_Prey_FINAL_FINAL.pdf

     
    Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric:

    Points

    Description

    5

    The student completes all five of the requirements:

    • Describes the flow of energy in a food chain accurately.
    • Identifies trophic levels and describes relationships within the food chain.
    • Analyzes data to infer the relationship between populations.
    • Evaluates the impact of humans on the ecosystem.
    • Uses evidence to form a judgment about whether to protect shark populations.

    4

    The student completes four of the requirements:

    • Describes the flow of energy in a food chain accurately.
    • Identifies trophic levels and describes relationships within the food chain.
    • Analyzes data to infer the relationship between populations.
    • Evaluates the impact of humans on the ecosystem.
    • Uses evidence to form a judgment about whether to protect shark populations.

    3

    The student completes three of the requirements:

    • Describes the flow of energy in a food chain accurately.
    • Identifies trophic levels and describes relationships within the food chain.
    • Analyzes data to infer the relationship between populations.
    • Evaluates the impact of humans on the ecosystem.
    • Uses evidence to form a judgment about whether to protect shark populations.

    2

    The student completes two of the requirements:

    • Describes the flow of energy in a food chain accurately.
    • Identifies trophic levels and describes relationships within the food chain.
    • Analyzes data to infer the relationship between populations.
    • Evaluates the impact of humans on the ecosystem.
    • Uses evidence to form a judgment about whether to protect shark populations.

     

     

     

    1

    The student completes one of the requirements:

    • Describes the flow of energy in a food chain accurately.
    • Identifies trophic levels and describes relationships within the food chain.
    • Analyzes data to infer the relationship between populations.
    • Evaluates the impact of humans on the ecosystem.
    • Uses evidence to form a judgment about whether to protect shark populations.

    0

    The student demonstrates lack of understanding or does not attempt to complete the assessment. 

     

DRAFT 05/16/2011
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