Ecology

Unit Packet

Make-up labs will be Being absent does not

scheduled during Pride excuse you from
Time if you miss a lab. missing work! It is
Make sure you come to your responsibility to
these make up days! get caught up!

Name: _____________________________ Period: _______

Date: Lesson/Worksheets/Labs: Score:
(subject to change)

Every Day Starter Questions (1 box/day) /12

Every Day WS: Rocks Unit Vocabulary /60

Lesson One: Photosynthesis & Respiration

4/18 (A) or 4/19 (B) Quiz: Photosynthesis & Respiration Cycle /23

WS: Bill Nye Food Webs /26

Lesson Two: Ecosystems and Food Webs

4/22 (A) or 4/23 (B)
WS: Food Webs /50

Lesson Three: Natural Relationships

Lab: Best Buddies /50

4/24 (A) or 4/25 (B)
WS: Energy Use in Living Things /20

Homework: Let’s Not Fight /70

WS: Yellowstone Wolves Story /25

4/26 (A) or 4/29 (B) WS: Bill Nye Populations /40

Lab: Monitoring Populations /35

4/30 (A) or 5/1 (B) WS: Bill Nye Wetlands /30

 Quiz: Ecology Unit /48

5/7 + 9 (A) or
5/8 +10 (B) SCIENCE CRT’s TBD

5/13 (A) or 5/14 (B) Easter Island Activity No Score

5/16 (A) or
Ecology Unit Walk Away 5/17 (B)

Use this space for extra notes:

If you miss a starter question day, the

questions are posted to the unit page on
the class website after the class is over. /12
Starter Questions: (3 points each)
If you are missing any part of this worksheet, you can view the
lessons on the unit page any time. The answer key will also be
posted on the website after the review day (before the test) /60

(1 point each written item)

Main Concepts of Ecology:

1) (L1) Living things get their _______________ from chemical reactions called:
__________________________ and ______________________.
2) (L1) Nothing can _____________________ in its ________________________.
3) (L2) All living things (organisms) need ____________ to _________________
and _________________.
4) (L2) ______ livings things ____________________ other to
__________________!
5) (L3) Most consumer organisms are related by a _________________________
relationship.
Vocabulary:

1. (L1) Chemical Changes:

2. (L1) Photosynthesis:

Formula:

Type of reaction:

3. (L1) Respiration:

Formula:

Type of reaction:

4. (L1) Energy Transformation Sequence:

5. (L1) Describe what happened to the Stromatolites:
What are they?

What did they breathe in?

What did they exhale?

Why did they die off?

6. (L2) Ecosystem:

7. (L2) Biotic Factors:

8. (L2) Abiotic Factors:

9. (L2) Types of Ecosystems:

a.
b,
c.
d.
e.
10. (L2) Producer Examples:
a.
b.
c.
How do they get their energy?

11. (L2) Primary Consumer Examples:

a.
b.
c.
How do they get their energy?
12. (L2) Secondary Consumer Examples:
a.
b.
c.
How do they get their energy?

13. (L2) Omnivores:

14. (L2) Decomposer Examples:

a.
b.
c.
How do they get their energy?

15. (L2) Food Web:

16. (L2) Food Chain:

17. (L2) Food Energy Pyramid:

18. (L3) Predator-Prey:

19. (L3) Why do ecosystems need predators?

20. (L3) Explain survival of the fittest:

21. (L3) Symbiosis:

22. (L3) Mutualism:

23. (L3) Commensalism:

24. (L3) Parasitism:

 If you are absent the day of this video, you can check it
out of the school library during pride time /26

1) What do all living things depend on?

2) What do we call the connections between all living things?

3) What are decomposers (A definition! Not an example!)

4) Besides food, what else do good plants make?

5) In the ocean, how big are many of the plants found there?

6) What has happened to the onion that was given lots of light? (What color is it?)

7) What do we call the process plants use to get the energy they need?

8) What do plants produce through photosynthesis?

9) Other than food, what important substance do plants make?

10) What is hydroponics?

11) What is at the bottom of the food pyramid?

12) Why does there have to be more plants than animals according to the food
pyramid?

13) Even if a person never eats a plant himself, why does he still end up eating plants?
 If you are absent the day of this activity, pick a common
ecosystem on your own and follow the instructions given. /50

Last class we learned about food webs and the process of energy flow from one level of an
ecosystem to another. This is the same process that enables energy to get from the sun into us
eventually.

In this exercise we will review and practice the levels of a healthy ecosystem and how energy
moves through it.

Find at least 3 producers, 2 decomposers, and 3 of each type of consumer (primary and
Secondary) that fit properly into your assigned ecosystem. Remember, a Camel would never be found
in a tropical forest ecosystem. If you are reading these instructions write blah blah blah at the top of
your page for 5 extra credit points. In other words, make sure that you choose plants and animals that
properly fit into your ecosystem.

Your Ecosystem is: ________________________________________________

***Draw each organism that properly belongs in your ecosystem in the boxes given below. Draw in ALL
the proper arrows pointing to ALL the correct organisms. Finding some organisms may be more
difficult but think hard and search well! If your drawing overflows the box, that’s ok…

Energy Source
Producer Secondary Consumer

Primary Consumer

Producer
Decomposer
Producer

Secondary Consumer
Primary Consumer

Primary Consumer
1) Where does all en

Decomposer
Secondary Consumer
2) Where does the energy for our (and every other) solar system originate from?

3) Why do the arrows in a food web only point one way?

4) Why don’t any arrows point back to the sun?

5) Why are Decomposers SO IMPORTANT to an ecosystem? What would happen if

they didn’t do their job?

6) Which level of an ecosystem would you expect to find the most individual species
(The largest number)? WHY?

7) Which level would you expect to find the least individual species (The smallest
number)? WHY?

8) How would you decipher (figure out) which level a Venus Fly Trap (a plant that eats
bugs) fits into?

9) Why must a particular producer and/or a particular consumer not be removed from
their home ecosystem?
 If you are absent the day of this Lab, come to the Pride
Time make-up session. Watch for the schedule. /50

Description: In nature, plants and animals develop complex relationships. Some natural roles you may
know of are Producer, Primary/Secondary Consumer & Decomposer. You should also be familiar with the
relationships: mutualism, commensalisms & parasitism. These relationships are sometimes amazing to
observe because they mimic human types of behavior. In this activity you will investigate the plant and
animal roles and relationships as well as the human side of interactive relationships.

Instructions: This activity uses pictures of pairs of organisms that have some kind of natural
relationship. Posted around the room are specific examples of symbiotic relationships in the ecosystem.
Students will identify and describe the roles and relationships. Read the information given on the picture to
help with your answers.

Pre-lab Research: Using your notes, define each of the following terms:
1) Producer:

2) Consumer:

3) Decomposer:

4) Predator:

5) Prey:

6) Mutualism:

7) Parasitism:

8) Commensalism:

9) Competition:

***Now use the data table on the next page to describe the roles and relationship type of
each pair of organisms listed on each card.
Picture Type of
Organism and Role Organism and Role
number Relationship
1

10

11

12

Questions:

1) Why do organisms form relationships?

2) How are vegetarians and herbivores different?

3) Describe an example of humans and another organism using mutualism:

4) Describe an example of humans and another organism using commensalism:

5) Describe an example of humans and another organism using parasitism:

This is a regular worksheet. You do not need any special /20
materials. Use your vocab and lessons to answer the Q’s.

1) What kinds of things do organisms use energy for?

2) What determines if an organism is a Producer, Primary/Secondary Consumer,

or decomposer?

3) How do producers use solar energy?

4) How do Primary/ Secondary Consumers use solar energy?

5) Why will any ecosystem eventually die off if there are no decomposers in it?

6) Where do humans (that’s you) fit into any ecosystem?

7) Are humans considered herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores? EXPLAIN!!!

8) What do organisms do with any extra energy they consume but don’t use
right away?

9) Why do Food Webs only point in one direction?

10) In a healthy ecosystem, why will producers always outnumber consumers?

 This is a regular worksheet. You do not need any special
materials. Use your vocab and lessons to answer the Q’s. /70

An important principle in all ecosystems is the amount of available energy verses

the demands of the consumers present in the area. Let’s examine the effects of
energy availability on an ecosystem.

You have an ecosystem with the following organisms:

Prairie Dog
Hawk

Jack Rabbit Coyote

Each of these organisms has a certain amount of energy (from food) that they
require to live. Observe the following data table and complete the last column:

Energy Requirements for Prairie Organisms to Live

Amount of Energy Units

Organism Trophic Level
Required to live
Prairie Dog 50 EU

Jack Rabbit 50 EU

Hawk 150 EU

Coyote 200 EU

1. Which level requires the most total energy per year to live? – Why?
 A prairie’s main producers of energy are grasses. If the prairies grass
produces 10,000 units of energy every year, let’s see how much life it can
support if the populations were allowed to grow by one baby per year with a
new spouse included (population increase by 2/yr). Listed below is each
critter’s energy requirements.

Produces 10,000 EU/yr Requires 50 EU / yr Requires 50 EU / yr Requires 150 EU / yr Requires 200 EU / yr

Fill in the data table below to numerically see the increase of energy demands
on the ecosystem with each critters population growth. Year one is filled in for
you.
 To find the total amount of energy used:
 Multiply the population size x each of the units of energy used by each
critter,
 Then add up all the energy units used by each critter under Total
Energy Used.
o Pop x (PrD + Rbt + Hwk + Cyt) = Total Energy Used

 To find the energy left over, subtract your total energy used from total
energy produced.
o 10,000 energy units [EU] – Total Energy Used = Energy Left
Over

Table of Energy Usage in a Prairie Ecosystem

Jack Total Total
Prairi Haw Coyot Energ
Populatio Rabbi Energy Energy
Year e Dog k e y Left
n t Consume Produce
[EU] [EU] [EU] Over
[EU] d d
1 1 each 50 50 150 200 10,000
2 3 each 10,000
3 5 each 10,000
4 7 each 10,000
5 10,000
6 10,000
7 10,000
8 10,000
9 10,000
10 10,000
Next Graph the results of year to total energy used and years to energy left
over.

This graph will be a multi-lined graph. Plot your x-axis as number of years, and
your y-axis as energy units [EU]. Plot both the “Total Energy Used” and “Energy
Left Over” as separate lines. Then use the graph to answer the following
questions.

Title: ____________________________________
11k
10k
9k
8k
7k
Energy Units [EU]

6k
5k
4k
3k
2k
1k

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
Years
Questions:

2. What happens to the amount of available energy as the populations of

species in this ecosystem increases?

3. Does the energy last for the entire time? If so, how much energy is left
after 10 years?

4. How many generations (years) of all the above species can this
ecosystem support? (In other words, at what point will the total amounts
of available energy produced run out?)

5. If the available energy begins to get too low, what might happen in our
ecosystem if the critters cannot simply move to another place?

6. How would a rancher bringing a herd of cattle affect our graph?

7. If our data is correct, then it seems to spell doom for our ecosystem! But
we did simplify many factors to make our data collection simpler. What
important factors did we leave out? (Give at least 2 – 3 factors)

8. What must an ecosystem have in order for all levels to maintain their
populations?
If you are absent for this activity, the story needed to answer the
questions can be found on the unit page of the class website.
/25

1. Name five ways that Yellowstone was affected by the wolves

being taken out of the ecosystem?






2. Why would an ecosystem be affected if carnivores are taken out

of an ecosystem?

3. How could an ecosystem be affected if producers are taken out

of an ecosystem?

4. How could an ecosystem be affected if decomposers are taken

out of an ecosystem?

5. What evidence can you see in the article to show that removing
one part of a food web can mess up many parts of the ecosystem
and not just one?

6. Why were the coyotes negatively effected when the wolves were
reintroduced?
 LESSONS FROM THE WOLF:

See how many effects simply removing one part of an ecosystems food web (wolves) can

have on every other part of the ecosystem. Some of these changes might seem positive,

some might seem negative. That is not what is important, simply look for effects. Fill in

the spaces below with each cause and effect relationship you can find:

 Removed wolves  # of elk increased  ___________________

_________________________ _______________________

________________________________________________

 _____________________  _________________________

__________________ _______________________

_____________________________________________

 Wolves put back in  _________________  _________________

__________________ _______________________

_____________________________________________

 _________________  _________________

__________________ _______________________

_____________________________________________
If you are absent for this video, you can check it out
anytime from the school library during pride time. /40

1) All living things are part of what?

2) Populations do what with each other?

3) What happens to the balls in the bin when new balls are added?

4) What happens to the total population every time an organism reproduces? (Found
in the nifty home experiment)

5) How many “generations” of pennies did it take to get over 100?

6) How does the amount of bacteria living in your stomach compare to the amount
of people living on earth?

7) What is a “Population?”

8) Cheetahs are one of only 2 large cats that can do what?

9) Why did the Cheetah population decline in the early 1900’s?

10) How fast can wild Cheetah run?

11) What happens if the wolf population gets too big?

12) What do populations of flowers compete with wild things for?

13) A vine fits into what group of organisms?

14) Honey is actually what?

15) The human population has gotten so large it is now doing what?

16) List at least 2 endangered species:

17) How many new people are there every year in the world?

18) All populations are limited by what?

19) What might be one way that YOU think we could control the population of the
human species?

20) Why might it be a bad thing to get rid of organisms that we think are bad for us
(think about the Yellowstone wolves)

If you are absent for this lab, come to the Pride Time
make up session. Watch for the schedule.
/35
Purpose:
You will be using a method of Population size monitoring that ecologists use to determine if a population
size is increasing, decreasing or staying the same. Afterwards you will analyze possible reasons for the
changes in populations you see.

Pre-Lab Questions:
1) What are some possible Limiting Factors that could decrease a population size?

2) What are some reasons why a population could greatly increase?

3) What would happen to our population if there were more deaths than births during a given year?

Procedure:
-The data table shows the results from the first year of a population study for turtles in an area.
-Obtain a box “lake” of turtles from the teacher.
-The number of turtles that have been previously captured and marked each year are indicated in the
“Number Marked” column.
-For year one, 28 total turtles were captured from the unknown population. Of these 28, 15 turtles had a
mark on them. Use the equation given you to solve for the total population for year one.
-For year two, 25 total turtles had been captured and marked. Capture 21 turtles and record the number of
turtles with marks. Then solve for the population.
-For year three, 23 total turtles were captured and marked. Capture 20 turtles and record the number of
turtles with marks. Then solve for the population.
-For year four, 19 total turtles were captured and marked. Capture 16 turtles and record the number of
turtles with marks. Then solve for the population.
-Complete the graph of turtle populations for the four year study.
-Answer the questions that follow.

Equation for solving population:

Number Marked x Number Recaptured = Total Population
Number recaptured (with marks)

Total Number Captured Number Number Recaptured with Estimated Total

Year
and Marked Recaptured Marks Population

1 32 28 15

2 25 21

3 23 20

4 19 16

Graph of Estimated Populations for the 4 Year Study:

Questions:
1) Did the population show a constant increasing or decreasing trend? Or did the trend change year to
year?

2) What has the population of your lake done over the course of the overall study?

3) What further variables would you now look at to explain the changes in the trend of the
population?

4) Use your graph to predict year 5:

5) Why would it be very impractical to simply capture ALL the turtles over and over again and count
their number?

6) Why would monitoring populations of species in a given area be important for us?
If you are absent for this video, you can check it out /30
anytime from the school library during pride time.

1. What is a wetland?

2. Why does water not travel fast through a wetland?

3. What has happened to the water that comes out of a wetland?

4. What does the human impacted wetland flood with the same amount of water?

5. What are three things that wetlands do?

a)

b)

c)

6. Why does a wet sponge “suck up” more water than a dry sponge?

7. How long can it take for water to flow through a real wetland?

8. What is one critter in a wetland that helps to purify water?

9. The soil of a wetland is full of what?

10. How do humans ruin a wetland?

11. A third of what depend on wetlands?

12. Name 2 reasons why wetlands are SO important!

13. New Orleans experienced a lot of flooding during hurricane Katrina. Based upon
the video, why might this have happened?
 If you are absent for this quiz, you can find the
questions/answers on the unit page of the class website.
/48

1) What do we call the process of taking in Oxygen and Glucose to make energy?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

2) What is the source for all energy in our solar system?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

3) Which form of energy do plants make as a result of Photosynthesis?

Attempt: _____________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

4) All energy from the sun arrives as what two forms?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

5) What chemicals are formed through the process of Photosynthesis?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: _______________________________________________________

6) Why do we call the producers; “producers”?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: _______________________________________________________
7) Which level of organisms recycles waste back into the ecosystem?

Attempt: _______________________________________________________

Correct: ________________________________________________________

8) Why did the Stromatolites die off?

Attempt: ________________________________________________________

Correct: _________________________________________________________

9) What do the arrows in a food web represent?

Attempt: _________________________________________________________

Correct: __________________________________________________________

10) Humans exhale what important chemical?

Attempt: ___________________________________________________________

Correct: ____________________________________________________________

11) Why are vegetarians NOT primary consumers?

Attempt: ____________________________________________________________

Correct: _____________________________________________________________

12) What do we call the non-living things in an ecosystem?

Attempt: ____________________________________________________________

Correct: ____________________________________________________________
13) Which level of ecosystems needs the most energy to live?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

14) What do all organisms compete for?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

15) How would an Elk population respond to the loss of wolves in the ecosystem?

Attempt: _____________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

16) Which type of relationship would a doctor fish & a shark be?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: ______________________________________________________

17) Which type of relationship involves one organism receiving a positive benefit,
while the other isn’t helped or harmed?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: _______________________________________________________

18) If the population of rabbits in an ecosystem dropped, what would you expect the
population of wolves to do?

Attempt: ______________________________________________________

Correct: _______________________________________________________
19) What are the products of the Respiration Reaction?

Attempt: _______________________________________________________

Correct: ________________________________________________________

20) A Tic that has burrowed its way into a person’s skin would be which type of
relationship?

Attempt: ________________________________________________________

Correct: _________________________________________________________

21) Predators hunt what?

Attempt: _________________________________________________________

Correct: __________________________________________________________

22) Why are decomposers so important to ecosystems?

Attempt: ___________________________________________________________

Correct: ____________________________________________________________

23) Which level of ecosystems performs Photosynthesis?

Attempt: ____________________________________________________________

Correct: _____________________________________________________________

24) What are the products of the Photosynthesis reaction?

Attempt: ____________________________________________________________

Correct: ____________________________________________________________