Chapter 15: Ecology

Overview

This project is intended for Secondary 1 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.

• 1A3_2011 Group 1 - African Savannah
• 1A3_2011 Group 2 -  Tropical Rainforest
• 1A3_2011 Group 3 - Temperate Forest 
• 1A3_2011 Group 4 - Desert
• 1A3_2011 Group 5 - Pacific Seashore
• 1A3_2011 Group 6 - Great Lake
• 1A3_2011 Group 7 - Deep Sea
• 1A3_2011 Group 8 - Coral Reef
• 1A3_2011 Group 9 - Arctic Tundra
• 1A3_2011 Group 10 - Swamps

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

Choose any two ecosystems that you have interest in and read the information that 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 )

Print a copy of your reflection and submit to your Science teacher by Term 2 Week 1.

Timeline

• Project Briefing: Term 1 Week 9
• Orientation of wiki page
• Preliminary research on allocated ecosystem

• Group Project: March Holidays
•  In depth research on allocated ecosystem
• Working on wiki page as a team
• Complete wiki page by 18 March 2011, Friday 

• Peer Review: Term 2 Week 1
•  Reading 2 group wiki pages
• Completing Ecology Wiki Reflection worksheet