ECOLOGY

= ECOLOGY AND STEWARDSHIP =

Established Goals:
State and National Standards for this unit

Essential Questions:

 * 1) Should we restore native plants and animals to local open space?
 * 2) How will these plants and animals interact with other living things and their environment?
 * 3) What can species do to avoid competition?
 * 4) How do species depend on one another?
 * 5) How can we classify species according to their roles in a community?
 * 6) What determines the number of species in a community?
 * 7) What does it mean "that you can't just do one thing?"
 * 8) How do communities respond to change in environmental conditions?
 * 9) How should I live so that all humans can live sustainably? What is a just and fair use of our biological resources?
 * 10) What is my ecological footprint compared to others?
 * 11) What are the major impacts of human activities on populations, communities and ecosystems?
 * 12) How do human activities affect our local open space?
 * 13) What lessons can we learn from ecology about living more sustainably?
 * 14) Are humans a part of nature not apart from nature?

Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand. ..
 * Life has survived for billions of years by relying on solar energy, recycling of nutrients, using biodiversity to sustain itself and adapt to new environmental conditions, and controlling population growth
 * Living things have **resource needs**
 * Each species is somewhat unique in it's needs (but all need water, gas exchange, nutrients, energy).
 * **Living things exist in complex interactive/interdependent systems: Ecosystems**
 * these systems are composed of both living and non-living components
 * **biological communities**differ in their physical structure, species diversity, and the ecological roles their species play.
 * **Species** population size impacts its biological community.
 * No population can continue to grow indefinitely b/c of limitations on resources and competition between species for those resources.
 * How changes in an environment can lead to changes in its populations (CASS 6g)
 * Communities change their species composition and structure in response to changing environmental conditions.
 * Types of community interaction (competition, predator/prey, etc.)
 * that there is no "away" - the Earth is essentially a closed system in terms of Matter.
 * that **matter is cycled** between living things (biotic) and the environment (abiotic)
 * **humans are part of these cycles** and human choices can impact these cycles (CASS 6d)
 * a constant input of high-quality energy is needed to recycle matter for human use
 * that **energy flows one-way** through the biosphere.
 * each of the major trophic roles in an ecosystem (CASS 6e)
 * how to evaluate the importance **highly productive and rare ecosystems**
 * Physical and biotic characteristics of Major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems/biomes
 * conditions why ecosystems (biomes) exist where they do
 * their global **ecological footprint** **& the role of humans in their local ecosystems** (Grad @ Grad: Just use of resources)

Key knowledge and skills acquired:
Students will understand that. ..
 * Photosynthesis plays an important role for all living things
 * Write the chemical equation
 * Identify the energy transfer
 * Follow the cycling of matter; where does the mass of the plant (carbohydates) come from?
 * Identify major features of how plants accomplish the process (leaves, chlorophyll, carbon fixation, stomata, phloem, xylem, etc.)
 * the structure of ecosystems and ecological organization
 * Feeding Relationships: Herbivore/Carnivore/Omnivore/Detritivore
 * Food webs (based on energy flow)
 * Energy Relationships: producers, consumers, decomposers
 * Trophic Levels
 * Organism's Niche: role beyond just energy and matter; space and time; territory; symbiotic relationships; interactions with abiotic environment.
 * the types of interactions, niches and habitats of species in ecosystems
 * Predation, parasitism, mutualism, commensalism
 * Keystone, Indicator, Native and Non-native species
 * ecological disturbance; succession
 * the roles of species in their local ecosystems
 * examples of a species' population, habitat, niche, relationships to urban zones
 * Cycles of matter sustain life by providing molecular and atomic materials for life
 * the hydrologic or Water cycle (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater)
 * the Carbon/Oxygen cycles (Respiration, Photosynthesis, Combustion & Deforestation effects)
 * Nitrogen Cycle
 * that Nitrogen is often a limiting factor in ecosystems and humans can affect ecosystems with over-fertilization (particularly aquatic ecosystems)
 * Other elements necessary for life are cycled, too; usually much more slowly than those listed above.
 * Phosphorus, sulfur, etc.
 * Humans are part of and impact these cycles
 * the Laws of Thermodynamics govern the structure and energy flow through food webs
 * Energy Flow is shaped like a Pyramid
 * reduction in free (useful) energy; 'loss' of heat energy to environment
 * limits to trophic levels; biomass pyramids
 * the dynamic nature of populations
 * Population Growth Features
 * birth, immigration, emigration & death rates
 * carrying capacity
 * Exponential and Logistic Growth curves and their features
 * limiting factors and their effects on population growth and growth curves
 * the importance and relevance of the major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
 * Net Primary Productivity of the Oceans, Wetlands, Tropical Rain Forests
 * Terrestrial
 * Emphasis - Regional Forests, Deserts, Grassland and Climatic connection
 * Aquatic
 * Emphasis - Regional Wetlands, Temperate Lakes, Upwellings and Coral Reefs
 * how to collect, organize and analyze data
 * design, label, and use tables for data organization
 * graph data using both histograms (bar graphs) and scatter-plot (line graphs)
 * identify dependent and independent variables and useful position of a graph
 * label graphs clearly with titles, axis labels and units where applicable.
 * identify and describe trends, changes in trends
 * by describing trends and drawing connections between prior knowledge and new ideas
 * Humans can live more sustainably by mimicking the major ways nature has used to adapt and sustain itself
 * important steps of an ecological restoration project
 * important human values and interests that impact restoration projects.

Stage 2 - Determine Acceptable Evidence
==**__Performance Task__: Using posters, slides, and explanations provided by each student of a group, describe the steps necessary to restore a local disturbed open space. Provide ecologically sound reasons for each necessary step.** ==

**This Performance Task is broken up into a series of sections, each section focusing on a specific core aspect of understanding their restoration site as interactive and interdependent system.**
=Other Evidence (e.g., tests, quizzes, prompts, work samples, observations)=
 * Quizzes (each week or every other week when a test is not given)
 * Tests (every 3-4 weeks)
 * Eco-Column study report
 * On-going daily class discussion and laboratory notebook record keeping.

**Learning Experiences in the Text Book //Insights in Biology//:**
Week 1: April 4-8 Week 2: April 11-15
 * Days 1-2
 * Learning Experience 3: Everything Under the Sun
 * Day 3
 * Introduction of Performance Task - Restoration Plan for a Local Disturbed Habitat
 * Learning Experience 7: A Breath of Fresh Air
 * Learning Experience 7: A Breath of Fresh Air (continued)
 * Assign topics for Performance Task to each group

Week 3: April 18-22
Week 4: April 25-29 Week 5: May 2-6 Week 6: May 9-13 Week 7: May 16-20
 * Learning Experience 1: Home is Where the Habitat Is
 * Begin Ecocolumn Project
 * Learning Experience 2: Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave
 * Learning Experience 3: Round and Round They Go
 * Learning Experience 5: Population Pressures

Week 8: May 23-27 Week 9: May 31-June 3 Semester Final Exam Wednesday June 8, 2016
 * Completion of Performance Task
 * Personal Ecological Footprint Calculation Handout[[file:Personal Ecological Footprint Calculation.pdf]]
 * Presentation of Performance Task
 * Presentation of Performance Task
 * **Useful Resources**
 * []
 * **Additional Readings:**
 * Cart, J. 2008. Delisting endangers wolves. Los Angeles Times. September 28, 2008.
 * Ellis, R. (2008. __The Bluefin in peril__. Scientific American. March 2008. [[file:Bluefin-SciAm-Mar08.pdf]]
 * Holloway, M. __Nurturing Nature: Trends in Biological Restoration__. Scientific American. April 1994 [[file:Nurturing Nature.pdf]]
 * Micklin, P. and Aladin, P. 2008. __Reclaiming the Aral Sea__. Scientific American. April 2008. [[file:Aral Sea.pdf]]
 * Marks, J.C. 2007. __Down go the damns__. Scientific American. March 2007. [[file:Down go the dams.pdf]]
 * Robbins, J. __Lessons From the Wolf__. Scientific American. June 2004. p. 75-81.
 * Robbins, J. __Lessons From the Wolf__. Scientific American. June 2004. p. 75-81.