Unit 3:

Organisms and
Environments

Unit
Unit Test:
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 Unit 3 Vocabulary
As we progress through this unit, insert definitions to these terms
below. Definitions can be from your notes or written in your own words!

Coppell Middle School East

Imagine a world where no one goes hungry,
where the environment is free of pollution, where
everyone has access to clean and safe water, and
where all people are living sustainably.
Could we as a society eliminate hunger? Could we
stop polluting our land and water? Could we all
become responsible consumers and save our
planet? Could we protect the land for future
generations?
The United Nations developed the Global Goals
for a Sustainable Development to address and
solve these problems by the year 2030. Click the
image below to learn more about the individual
goals.
Earth’s Water
Water Resources Phenomena

Have you ever stopped to think about how vital water is to life on Earth? Water
is necessary to all living things on Earth, from the smallest bacterium to the
largest animal on Earth, the blue whale. We also use water in many ways. We
drink it, we cook with it, and use it for recreation and transportation. Water is
such a valuable resource. It is important to protect it for all living organisms on
Earth.
A sudden unexpected death of a large number of one or two species of fish is
called a fish kill. There are several reasons for a fish kill to occur, but they are
often associated with changes in oxygen levels in the water. This fish kill was
found in the Mississippi River Delta, a region where ocean and freshwater meet.
Scientists report that a large amount of nitrogen was found in the water. As you
observe the two images, consider what you think might have caused the
phenomenon you observe. After observing the images, record your
observations about the phenomenon and write down questions you have.
The environment contains many substances that
are harmful to the plants and animals that live
there. Review the major types of pollution below
and think about your own impact. How often do
you contribute to these types of pollution?
The Earth is called the “Blue Planet” because about 71%
of our surface is covered with water. Salt water makes up
97% of our water and the remaining 3% is fresh water.
Around 20% of the water we need to grow food and to
drink comes from water below ground, called
groundwater. This water is stored in aquifers, which
have been storing and collecting water that seeps through
the earth for 1000’s of years. We are using this
groundwater faster than it can be refilled.
Watch the FlipSide Science video below and complete the chart
provided.

70% of fresh water is Special water

used in agriculture conserving machines
and crops can be used on crops
to save water
Water Water cleaning machines and
pollution tools
Water pollution is a global issue that is destroying
our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Run off from our
yards and factories seeps into the ground and
eventually will become part of our groundwater.
We need to take steps to reduce this water
pollution before it has a detrimental effect on all
life on Earth. Be creative and fill the water droplet
below with all the things that cause water
pollution.
Notes:
7.11B
Notes:
7.11B
The accumulation of plastic on our planet is
growing by the minute. Products that help your
life be more convenient for a day or so, such as
grocery store bags or plastic food wrappers take
100’s of years to break down in the environment,
if they even break down at all.
But how does our land pollution end up in the
ocean? Map the rivers that connect our
Think of theto
community plastics you
the Gulf of Mexico.
currently use and think of a
way to NOT use them.
Could you convince your
family to make better
choices regarding plastic
waste?
A circular economy is one that focuses on taking
products that are no longer needed and
recreating them into new, useful items. This is
beneficial to our society because it decreases
waste.
Watch the video below to learn more about a
circular economy.

Research one of the companies below by

clicking on their logo. Learn how they
demonstrate a circular economy.
Invention Supplies
Name: Needed:

Prototype Drawing and

Labels:
It is important for us to manage our water and
prevent pollution. As water seeps into the
ground, it eventually reaches underground
aquifers and becomes part of our groundwater.
Pollution of our groundwater could be
catastrophic because we depend on it for drinking
and watering our crops.
Water quality can be measured in several ways.
Add to the graphic organizer below as we discuss
methods of analyzing water.
 Earth’s
Organisms
 Earth’s Organisms
Phenomena
Have you ever eaten a mushroom? If you have, you ate a species from the
fungus
kingdom! Fungi, plural for fungus, are among the most widely distributed
organisms on Earth and are of great environmental and medical importance.
However, scientists have just begun to identify the many species of the fungi
and we have much to learn about how they might be used to improve the
health of our bodies and our ecosystems.
The video clip features Professor Kathy Willis, Director of Science at the Royal
Botanic Gardens in London, England. She tours the fungarium, which holds over
1.25 million specimens of fungi! Watch the video and record your observations.
Write down any questions you have about what you are observing.
 Six Kingdoms of Life

As human beings, we love to group things together that share similar characteristics.
This process is called classification . When we classify living things, we put them into 6
groups called the 6 kingdoms of life . The kingdoms include-

Eubacteria Fungi

Archaebacteria Plant

Protista Animalia

We will be creating a chart that organizes all of the characteristics that organisms in
each Kingdom share. The characteristics we will be looking at include...
1. What domain are they in?
2. What types of cells make up the organism?
3. How many cells make up the organism?
4. How do they get their nutrition?
5. How do they reproduce?
 Six Kingdoms of Life

Bacteria Archaea Eukarya Eukarya Eukarya

Eukarya
 Six Kingdoms of Life
Step 1: What domain are they in?
Archaea: a group of primitive (old) prokaryotes that, based on their distinct
characteristics, form a separate domain from bacteria.
Bacteria: single cell organisms that form a domain of organisms diverse in shape, size,
structure, and habitats.
Eukarya: all organisms with cells that contain a nucleus.
Step 2: What types of cells make up the organism?
Prokaryotic: Oldest type of cell with no nucleus.
Eukaryotic: Younger cells that do contain a nucleus.
Step 3: How many cells make up the organism?
Unicellular: The entire organism is made up of one cell .
Multicellular: The organism is made of more than one cell.
Step 4: How do they get their nutrition?
Autotrophic: Organisms that can produce their own food through a process called
photosynthesis.
Heterotrophic: Organisms that cannot produce its own food and therefore need to intake
nutrients from other organic material.
Food webs show the flow of energy
through an ecosystem or environment. On
the marine food web below, label the
producer, a herbivore, and a carnivore.
Notice that the arrow points in the
direction of energy flow.
BrainPop
Food
Chains
An energy pyramid represents how much energy
is available to each trophic level. On average,
about 10% of the energy is passed up to the next
level, as the animals themselves use the energy to
move, breathe, eat, and reproduce.
Use Keynote shapes to add images to
the energy pyramid below to show
how energy is transferred up the
pyramid. Put a STAR by the level that
has the most usable energy from the BrainPop
Sun. Energy
Pyramids
Keystone species are ones that are critical to
an ecosystems survival.
Other species in the environment are dependent
on the keystone species and removal of it would
drastically impact the entire ecosystem.
Examples of keystone species are sea otters,
prairie dogs, and sharks. Learn more by clicking
on any of the keystone species below.
In order for something to be considered alive, it
must have the ability to reproduce. Living things
can reproduce either sexually or asexually.
Sexual reproduction involves fertilization between
two parents. Their genes combine to create unique
offspring. Plants, animals, and humans are all
examples of organisms that reproduce sexually.
Asexual reproduction involves only one parent.
Offspring are genetic clones of the parent since
there is no combination of genes. Bacteria and
some plants reproduce asexually. Examples of
asexual reproduction are budding, regeneration, or
binary fission.
Use Utah Genetics to complete this Venn diagram
comparing the different types of reproduction. Drag
the correct label and images into each area.