Grade 7 Ecosystem Investigation Group and Independent Assignment Outline

 

Ecosystem Investigation

Group Submission

Please submit the following in a group report:

1. Your completed recording sheet – Please rewrite a clean version, do not submit the sheet that was used outdoors

2. A sheet of completed calculations for all the estimated populations in the ecosystem

3. Three drawn and labeled biotic elements that your group observed in the ecosystem

4. Please include the answers to the following questions in complete sentences:

a.       Why was it important to throw a pencil to select the location of our quadrats?

b.      Aside from grass, the white clover was the most common plant. What features does the white clover have to make it grow so well? Do some research to find out!

c.       Compare your individual counts in your quadrats to the average of all 5 quadrats. How do they compare? Were the populations spread evenly?

d.      Did you observe any unusual features in one quadrat that were not found anywhere else on the site such as an ant hill?

e.      How is the sampling of animal populations more difficult than that of plant populations?

f.        Identify at least 5 different interactions in the lawn ecosystem you observed; these could be biotic-biotic, abiotic-abiotic, or biotic - abiotic

g.       Did you observe any scavengers, detritivores, or decomposers in the ecosystem? If you did, which ones? How do these organisms keep the ecosystem healthy?

h.      Explain what would happen in your lawn ecosystem if only the scavengers, detritivores and decomposers were removed from the site.

The group submission is due: _____________________________________________

Independent Submission

Instructions:

a)      Each student must work on the following questions independently

b)      The submitted work must be neatly written or typed

c)       All answers must be written in detailed sentences where possible

1.       As we investigated our ecosystem, we saw very few animals. Explain why the animals were not seen.

2.       Research what type of animals would be part of our lawn ecosystem and consider the animals you regularly see in your neighbourhood. Make a list of animals that could potentially be members of our lawn ecosystem.

3.       Research what some of the animals in our local ecosystem eat.

4.       Create at least 3 food chains that could exist in this ecosystem. Remember that all food chains begin with a producer. The food chains should include at least 3 organisms. You are not required to draw the organisms, simply write the name of the organism.

5.       Explain in a paragraph what would happen of one part of the food chain was removed.

The independent submission is due on:

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