Topic 2 – The Ecosystem

Topic 2 – The Ecosystem covers the essentials of ecology: the structure and function of ecosystems and biomes around the world, the living and non-living characteristics of those systems, and measurements of those characteristics. Some of the most important internal assessments (IAs) we carry out in ESS will focus on one of the components of ecosystem science.

“Chapter 3 – The Ecosystem” in the ESS Course Companion corresponds with the material in Topic 2. It’s a long chapter, so read it thoroughly more than once, and make sure you take note of all the key words and case studies.

Objectives (Students will be able to…)

• Distinguish between biotic and abiotic (physical) components of an ecosystem, including trophic levels in food chains and food webs selected from the local environment.
• List, describe and evaluate methods for measuring abiotic (physical) factors within an ecosystem.
• Discuss how pyramids of numbers, biomass, and productivity affect the functioning of an ecosystem.
• Construct and use dichotomous keys to identify, describe, and evaluate the biomass of trophic levels in a community.
• Define biome and explain the distribution, structure and relative productivity of tropical rainforests, deserts, tundra and any other biome.
• Describe and explain the transfer and transformation of energy and matter in ecosystems, through photosynthesis, respiration, producers, consumers, and decomposers.
• Describe and evaluate the factors regulating change within ecosystems, including populations, energy, productivity, and succession.
• Describe and evaluate methods for measuring changes in abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem due to specific human activity along an environmental gradient.

 Resources and Notes

• ESS Topic 2.1 – Ecosystem Structures
  • A nicely done and very thorough Prezi on Topic 2.1.
  • Mr Mike’s ESS Weebly for Topic 2.1.
  • Quizlet flashcards for Topic 2.1 vocabulary
  • Symbiosis between clownfish and anemones in coral reefs – from the May 2008 issue of PSA Journal
  • Here’s a nice summary of trophic levels, food chains, and pyramids of numbers
  • Symbiosis of green turtles and reef fish – nice video from Cornell University, USA

ESS Topic 2.2 – Measuring Abiotic Components of the Ecosystem

• This ESS wiki has a nice summary of the key concepts in subtopics 2.2 and 2.3
• Great information on ecological sampling methods to use for IA’s
• Some more information on quadrats and transects – scienceaid.co.uk
• All about transects – This wiki explains in plain English the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of transects, and it also links to several other websites to help round out the information needed to properly conduct a transect survey.
• This is a nice transect model from New Zealand.

• The video below describes the line transect method used to monitor animal populations.

• ESS Topic 2.3 – Measuring Biotic Components of the Ecosystem
  • This ESS wiki has a nice summary of the key concepts in subtopics 2.2 and 2.3 (same one referenced in 2.2 above)
  • What is diversity? From Mr G’s ESS class at Sciencebitz.com
  • All about biomass, from Princeton University, USA
  • Principles of vegetation measurement, University of Idaho, USA
  • Dichotomous Key scavenger hunt
  • Quadrat method.doc
  • Simpson Investigation 1.doc
  • Lincoln Investigation 1.doc
  • Lincoln sample methods – from Offwell Woodland and Wildlife Trust, UK
  • Sample Diversity Investigation.doc
  • Investigating Life in Soil.doc

• ESS Topic 2.4 – Biomes
  • Terrestrial Biomes – This page from The Knowledge Project at Nature.com has a ton of excellent information linking temperature and precipitation patterns tothe distribution of terrestrial biomes and the diversity of organisms living in each one.
  • Biomes Matrix.pdf – This document summarizes the climate, distribution, structure, and productivity of the world’s major terrestrial biomes.
  • There are 2 biome presentations below, which I found on Slideshare.net, and they cover all the major terrestrial biomes on Earth.

• ESS Topic 2.5 – Functions
  • Calculating Productivity – Student Worksheet.doc
  • Here’s a productivity data table from World-Builders.org
  • Here’s a link to some biogeochemical cycles worksheets about water, nitrogen, and carbon

• ESS Topic 2.6 – Changes

Click on the image below for an animation of secondary succession in a bog forest.

 

• ESS Topic 2.7 – Measuring Changes in a System

Of Interest…

• Symbiosis between cleaner wrasses and predatory fishes 
• Tropical forests ‘fix’ themselves, according to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.