Chapter 15: Ecology

Overview

This project is intended for Secondary 2 Science students to study about ecology in various ecosystems by using information available on the Internet to create a wiki page containing the following:

• Information on the ecosystem's habitat by examining physical factors such as light, temperature, water, air, pH, mineral salts and salinity
• Classification of living organisms in the ecosystem into three main types: Producers, consumers and decomposers
• Construct a food web connecting at least 8 living organisms from all three categories.
• Identify and give at least one example of interrelationship among various organisms in a community such as 
  • predator-prey relationship
  • parasitism
  • mutualism

Objectives

At the end of this project students will be able to:

• Explain the importance of physical factors to the life of organisms living in different habitats.
• Explain the terms habitat, population, community, producers, consumers and decomposers.
• Identify a habitat and some organisms associated with it.
• Show an understanding of the interrelationship among the various organisms in a community.
• Construct a food web in a specific habitat.

Teams

Students will be working in groups of 4 - 5. Below are the groupings, as well as links to their group pages.

• Group 1: African Savannah
• Group 2: Tropical Rainforest
• Group 3: Temperate forest
• Group 4: Desert
• Group 5: Seashore
• Group 6: Lake
• Group 7: Deep Sea
• Group 8: Coral Reef
• Group 9: Arctic tundra

Timeline

• Kickoff: Friday 27th March 2009
  • Orientation of wiki page
  • Research on ecosystems
  • Working on wiki page

   

• Project Complete: Monday 6th April 2009
  • Reading peer wiki pages (after the 7th April 2009, Tuesday)
  • Critique on peer's wiki pages (starting from 7th April to 13th April)
  • Reflection on activity  (Submit to Mr Nazrul's 'Submission Tray' on Commontown by 13th April 2009 Monday)

Useful Links

You should click on these links to start off your project but do not limit your information only from these webpages.

• Blue Planet Biomes (http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm)
  • Note: contains information for most terrestial (land) ecosystems
• The Sea (http://www.seasky.org/index.html)
  • Note: contains information about coral reef and deep sea creatures
• Lessons on the Lake (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1998/of98-805/lessons/chpt7/index.htm#animals)
  • Note: contains information about lake ecosystem.

Reflection (*new*)

Choose any two ecosystem that interest you and read the information your friends have put up on their wiki page.

After reading the two wiki pages, write your reflection using the template provided below.

Click on the link to download the Reflection Worksheet for this activity. ( Ecology Wiki Reflection.doc )

• Type in your reflections and submit your individual reflection into Mr Nazrul's Submission Tray in Commontown by 13th April 2009.