UNIT 9: ECOLOGY

Biodiversity is maintained by the balance of the biogeochemical cycles that move matter and energy.  The alteration of habitat has impacted the stability of the ecosystems leading to population shifts. Factors of biotic potential and environmental resistance website ecologydetermine a species carrying capacity; graphing data from a variety of species students will differentiate between logistic and exponential growth.  Net Primary Productivity  identifies the amount of energy locked into a Biome.  Comparing the graphical data from a variety of Biomes, students will develop an argument in support of the protection of one Biome compared to another in terms of primary productivity and biodiversity. Each biological community differs in their population levels in each trophic pyramid, using Ecological Efficiency and the Law of Thermodynamics students will develop a model representative of a community’s trophic levels which includes population numbers and energy available at each level for the organisms.  Anthropogenic activity has greatly impacted the biodiversity of our planet by altering habitat and biogeochemical cycles. Using primary documents, graphical data and computer modeling, students will analyze a major global challenge and design a solution to a real world problem.

website resources
Lectures and Notes:

Honors Biology Syllabus
Syllabus and Behavior Contract
Safety Contract
Unit 9 Study Guide

Unit 9 (Chapter 13) PowerPoint Lecture
Unit 9 (Chapter 14) PowerPoint Lecture
Unit 9 (Chapter 15) PowerPoint Lecture
Unit 9 (Chapter 16) PowerPoint Lecture

Unit 9 (Chapter 13) Student Notes
Unit 9 (Chapter 14) Student Notes
Unit 9 (Chapter 15) Student Notes
Unit 9 (Chapter 16) Student Notes

Chapter 13 Study Guide (student created)
Chapter 13 Quizlet  (student created)
Chapter 14 Study Guide (student created)
Chapter 14 Quizlet  (student created)
Chapter 15 Study Guide (student created)
Chapter 15 Quizlet (student created)
Chapter 16 Study Guide (student created)
Unit 9 Study Guide
(student created)

Worksheets:

Formal Lab Write-up
Interpreting Ecological Graphs
Pogil: Population Growth
Pogil: Ecological Relationships
Pogil: Nutrient Cycles
Video Worksheet: Cosmos episode 12 “The World Set Free”

Labs and Classroom Activities:

Lab: Modeling Ecosystems Virtual
Lab: Virtual Food Web
Lab: Virtual Population Growth
Lab:  Predator Prey Simulation (requires Shockwave)
Lab: Biome Poster
Lab: Invasive Species Poster & Gallery Walk
Lab: Catching the Wrong Species (article) (video)
Conservation Genetics    (learn.genetics link)
Food Chains and Food Webs

Climatograms
Predation and Starvation
Population Ecology Graphs
Owl Pellet Dissection
Survivorship Curves
Honors Biology Final Project (rubric) (rubric)

Textbook Resources:

Textbook Online Resourcesbiolog3[1]
Textbook Practice Quizzes Unit 3

Chapter 13 Review Game
Chapter 14 Review Game
Chapter 15 Review Game
Chapter 16 Review Game
Textbook Animated Biology

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quizlet   Get a Quizlet account and begin making your own review games

Videos:

Seinfeld: The Scientific Method
Exploring Ecosystems: Coastal Food Webs
“Skunk Bear”: The Hopeful Story Of A Doomed Fox
TedEd: Dead stuff: The secret ingredient in our food chain
TedEd: Why is biodiversity so important?
TedEd: How parasites change their host’s behavior 
TedEd: Population pyramids: Powerful predictors of the future
TedEd: Climate change: Earth’s giant game of Tetris
TedEd: Can wildlife adapt to climate change?
Amoeba Sisters: Ecological Succession: Nature’s Great Grit   
The Majestic Plastic Bag – A Mockumentary
How Wolves Change Rivers
How Whales Change Climate
Tackling Bycatch in U.S. Fisheries
7 Super Toxic U.S. Sites
NOAA: Endangered Species Act
Home Movies:  Historic Dana Point/SJ Mission/Newport (1933)
Home Movies: Catalina Island early 30’s