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| Dallas Zoological Society Partnership : Middle School Lessons Preserving Animal Life |
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WebLesson Sites
Introduction Every creature is connected to all others in a system known as an ecosystem. Plants supply food, water, and shelter. Plants depend upon animals for such processes as pollination and breaking down necessary nutrients. Animals are part of complex food webs, chains, and pyramids that rely on a balance in the predator-prey relationship.
The way in which living and non-living components interact comprise what is called an ecosystem. Some of these factors include precipitation, sunlight, ground covering, and temperature. The design of these interactions allows certain organisms to thrive; this is called the carrying capacity. Limiting factors, such as food, water, shelter, and space control population size. This usually results in the fluctuation of various populations over time. Natural disasters are a major factor that can also cause dramatic and immediate changes in populations. Ecosystems provide both renewable and nonrenewable resources. Human interactions with these resources often have devastating effects. With time and effort, humans have begun to recognize the warning signs of a deteriorating ecosystem. Environmentalists have created a variety of solutions, including recycling, reducing, conserving, and reorganizing landfills. These efforts are world-wide and our hope is to see the Earth’s valuable resources renewed to sustainable conditions. Scenario You are a concerned activist trying to encourage other students to help conserve the ecosystem in your town. You know that animal habitats and ground water are deteriorating due to litter and waste buildup in the city. You want to discover more about how an ecosystem thrives so that you can help others to enhance the environment around your town.
Lesson Pages
Ecosystems of Our World
http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/ecosystems.htm
World Builders: Carrying Capacity
http://www.world-builders.org/lessons/less/biomes/carryingcap.html
Nature Works – Limiting Factors
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep12a.htm
ECO –PROS Non-Renewable Resources
http://www.eco-pros.com/non-renew.htm
BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/greenhouse.stm Rich Media
FEMA for Kids: The Disaster Area
http://www.fema.gov/kids/dizarea.htm
EPA Bioindicators - Indicator Species
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/indicator.html
Energy Efficiency World- Conserve Resources
http://www.ngridenergyworld.com/eew/kids_help1.html Conclusion & Project
Conclusion Every creature is connected to all others in an ecosystem. The organisms live and work together to form a natural balance. The ecosystem provides food, shelter, warmth, and security with no intervention from the outside. Ecosystems are delicate and sensitive. They are easily affected by human activities.
The renewable and non-renewable resources found in various ecosystems have proven quite valuable to humans. Humans have taken and used these resources, often with destructive results. Environmentalists have tried to make efforts to reverse the negative impact that humans have had on the environment, such as recycling, reducing, and conserving. Project Write a plan for a school environmental club. You will need to think of a name and a mission. The mission should list the goals of your organization. Write an introduction for your club detailing who you are and what you are attempting to achieve. Write in a persuasive tone which will convince others to join in your efforts.
Glossary
ecology - the science of the relationships between organisms and their environments
ecosystem - an ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit
biome - a major regional or global living community, such as a grassland or desert, characterized chiefly by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate
habitat - the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs
flora - plants
fauna - animals
microorganism - organism of microscopic or submicroscopic size
demographic - balance of a population especially with regard to density and capacity for expansion or decline
epoch - particular period of history
forage - the act of looking or searching for food or provisions
productivity - being productive or having the power to create
salinity - relating to, or containing, salt
mechanism - arrangement of connected parts
predation - the act of capturing prey as a means of maintaining life
adapt - to make suitable to or fit for a specific use or situation
global warming - an increase in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere, especially a sustained increase sufficient to cause climatic change
extinct - no longer existing or living
exhausted - completely emptied of resources or properties
acid rain - the deposition of acidic compounds onto the ground and surface waters when it rains from burning fossil fuels
infrared - electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than radio waves; associated with heat
deforestation - to cut down and clear away the trees or forests from
methane - an odorless, colorless, flammable gas, CH4, the major constituent of natural gas used as a fuel; an important source of hydrogen and a wide variety of organic compounds
flash flood - a sudden inundation of water in low-lying areas, usually brought on by heavy rain or a dam break
tsunami - very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption; not a tidal wave
tidal wave - an unusual, often destructive rise of water along the seashore, as from a storm or a combination of wind and high tide; not a tsunami
bushfires - fire in low-growing scrubby trees and brush
indicator - a plant or animal whose existence in an area is strongly indicative of specific environmental conditions
watershed - the region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water
sustain - to keep in existence; maintain
benthic - of, pertaining to, or living on the bottom or at the greatest depths of a large body of water
zoological - relating to animals or animal life
exotic - unusual or different; strange; not from the area originally
biodiversity - number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region
efficiently - producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort
carpooling - group, as of commuters or parents, participating in a carpool
equivalent - equal to
toxic - capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means
agriculture - the science, art, and business of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock; farming
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