9/14/10

Nick S.

Ch. 20 – Human Impact on the Environment

1. We took ch. 18-19 quiz
2. We went over the notes

Important Vocab
In this unit we will look at several environmental problems:

Introduced Species: humans move a species from its original habitat and move it to a new geographic region, and then the species outcompete native species.

Eutrophication

Deforestation

Toxic chemical: Examples are mercury, DDT and PCBs. They are stored in the fats and biological magnification occurs,

Global Warming

Ozone Layer Depletion

Biodiversity crisis: a decline in Earth`s great variety of life in ecosystems, of species, and of genetic variation within each species.

3 main causes:
1. Habitat Destruction
2. Introduced species
3. Overexploitation

Environmental Action Simulation pg. 73-75

The main purpose was to see what programs that your group would pick if you had $20,000 to spend as part of the GCEAO (Granite City Environmental Action Organization).The roles were; Secretary, Reader/Leader, Community Members and Activists. Once your group spent all of your $20,000, then your group must write a paper explaining which organization got your money and why.

Homework:
1. Read ch. 20
2. Oil spill paper- due 9/22

Next Scribe: CJ

9/10/10 Post

9/10/10

Katelynn B.

Communities and Ecosystems Chpt. 19

1. We went over/turned in homework

2. We looked at our current grades

3. We went over notes

Important vocab in notes (*=important)

How do organisms interact in communities?:

Properties of communities

Diversity

Form of vegetation

Stability

Trophic Structure (Trophic is related to feeding)*

Interactions in Communities

Interspecific competition

Ecological niche

Resource partitioning

Predation

Predator adaptions

Plant defenses

Animal defenses

Batesian mimicry

Mullerian mimicry

Keystone predator

Symbiotic relationships

Pparsitism

Mutualism

Commensalism

Disturbances in Communities

Ecological succession

Primary succession

Secondary succession

Pioneer Species

Climax Community

Ecosystem Dynamics

Energy flow

Chemical cycling

Food chain

Food web

Energy

That's where we ran out of time

Homework

UP 43-64, 43-53, 55-59, 61-64, 62A

Next scribe

Davin L.

Sept. 8, 2010

9/8/10


Justin A.

Ecology Population



• We went over the homework (UP pg. 37-41).

• Turned in lab 58.

• Video: How to count populations

- For species that don’t move, like plants, use the method of random sampling (quadrant).

1. First get an area of where the plant is - randomly.

2. Make a quadrant.

3. Count the number of plants in every quadrant.

4. Find the average.

- For species that move like animals, use these methods.

1. For water animals (example: sharks), use photo identification. Identify the skin pattern and then when the next shark’s picture is taken, see if it has a different pattern so you know it is not the same one.

2. For animals like deer, take a video with inferred rays to count them from a helicopter. See the pattern of their skin.

3. For animals at night, use a motion camera with night vision (example: tigers). See the tiger’s skin as it goes by. Then when a new one is seen, check if you’ve seen it before.

4. The most common way to find the population of land animals is mark and recapture. To do this, you need to find a couple of animals of the same species. Mark them in a certain way. Then when you see another one, you know if you have seen it before because it will have the mark.



• Next we did a lab (pg. 76 in workbook).

- Lab: Mark and Recapture.

1. Materials: toy animals, tape and a bucket.

2. Objective: To be able to estimate the total number of toys in the bag without counting every single one using the Mark and recapture method


• Homework: Work on UP pgs. 43-53, Finish Termite lab report, and work on Oil Spill

Next scribe: Katie B.

9.7.10
Kristen M.
Lab 58: Learning About Population Density

• Population density: the numbers of individuals in a population in a certain area
• Carrying capacity: the largest population density that a certain environment can support

Objective:

In this activity you will:

1. Practice one method of measuring population density
2. Calculate the change in population density of one species

• Set up a quadrat of 1 square meter

Count how many clovers, dandelions, and plantain that are in each quadrat
Population denisty-

Dandelion: 18.4/m^2

Plaintain: 3.8 /m^2

Clover: 59.8/m^2


Next Scribe: Justin

9/2/10
Christine K
Ecology

Chapter 18 notes cont...
Vocab

• Population Ecology- factors that influence a population's size, growth rate, density & structure
• Population- group of individuals of the same species in a given area
• Population Density- # of individuals of a species per unit area/volume
• Sampling techniques- impossible to count ALL individuals; estimate
• Patterns of dispersion: Clumped, Uniform, Random
• Population Growth Models: Exponential Growth (J-curve), Logistic Growth (S-curve)
• 2 limiting factors of population growth: density-dependent, desity-independent
• Survirorship curve- plots # of organisms still alive at each age (3 types)
• Life History: Opportunistic, equilibrial, big bang

Video:

• Minamata disease- 1) mercury poisoning pollutes water 2)contaminates fish 3) consumed by animals 4) effects of food poisoning first shown through cats (paralysis, death) 5) people become paralyzed, some children born with paralysis
• DDT used to get rid of insects (esp. farmers)- Rachel Carson's Silent Spring publicizes negative effects, traced in pelican eggs causing them to break when incubating mother sits on them because the shells become thin
• Environmental problems

Homework:

• UP 37-41 for Tues.
• Termite Lab due Fri 9/10
• Read lab 58
• Oil Spill Paper 9/22

Next Scribe: Kristen M.

9/1/10
Aliza R.
Examining an Ecosystem

Eco-walk:
(Pg. 35of UP)

• Purpose: To see and personally experience how man has impacted the environment
• Walk around your neighborhood (or in our case, outside the school) and observe the things that mankind has implemented that are harmful and, or beneficial to the environment
• Use the table on UP pg. 35 to write down some things outside and write one positive and negative thing that relates to the ecosystem about it. (eg: Car; good for humans because of transportation purposes; bad for the environment because of harmful emmisions)

The Study of a Pond Water Ecosystem:

• Purpose: Since it is not within reach to build/create an ecosystem in the science room, we studied pond water to get a feel for what an ecosystem may look like
• Find the Biotic and Abiotic factors in the pond water. (eg: Planerium- flatworm-is a biotic factor while water is an Abiotic factor)
• In the water was:
• Algae: The producer
• Bacteria/ micro-organisms: The secondary consumers
• Planeruim: The tertiary consumers

Important Vocabulary:

• Ecosystem: The system formed between organisms and their environment
• Abiotic Factor: The non-living aspect of an ecosystem.( sun, soil, water..ect.)
• Biotic Factor: The living aspect of an ecosystem.(plants, animals, bacteria...ect.)
• Producer: The bottom of the food chain; Makes its on food using te sun's energy. (plants)
• Consumer: One level higher than producers; Gain energy by feeding off of producers.( animals, insects...ect.)

Homework Assigned

1. Termite Lab Report DUE 9/10/10

• Use template on UP pg. 27
• Must have cover page, visuals, and a bibliography
• Termite Lab rough drafts DUE 9/7/10

2. Oil Spill Research Project DUE 9/22/10

• Description on UP pg.5
• Must have intext citations, bibliography must be in MLA format
• Grading rubric on UP pg. 7

Next Scribe: Christine K.

Aug 31, 2010

Scribe - Bridget S.

Agenda for Today

• Finished Lab 1- Microscope
• Talked about “Ecology of an Oil Spill” writing assignment- DUE 9/22/10
• Started ecology notes Ch. 18

The Microscope Lab Summary

• This lab was to help you get used to using a microscope.
• First, we put a small letter “e” clipped from a newspaper onto a slide, dropped a drop of water onto it, and placed the cover slip on top. (this is called a wet mount.)
• Then, we looked at the “e” from the microscope, adjusting the coarse focus knob until it came into focus. (your field of view.)
• We examined what happened when the slide was moved to the left and when it was moved to the right.
• We also examined the “e” under different powers and recorded what it looked like.
• Then, we prepared a wet mount with 2 pieces of crossing hair and examined them under different powers.

**Why did we do this lab? - to understand 1.  field of view, 2. depth and resolving power, 3. how to increase magnification without losing your object, 4. familiarize yourself with how to use the microscope


 Please answer questions on page 34. (UP)

“Ecology of an Oil Spill” Assignment- DUE 9/22/10

• Please read pgs. 5-7. (UP)

o You have been hired by BP to write a paper suggesting 3 ideas (and their approximate cost for each) for solving the oil spill problem and to help save the lives of marine organisms. (plants and animals)
o You need to research the effects an oil spill has on plants and animals first.
o Your paper should include the following;

 A cover sheet
 Intro paragraph
 Body
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

• Here are some additional things we went over in class:

 “Wikipedia “ is NOT a source
 Use in-text citations (Author, pg. #) after every sentence that is not yours
 Do not use contractions
 Be sure to write in 3rd person, no “I”
 If you use the websites on pg. 6, still cite them correctly
 Use the MLA FORMAT TO CITE
 You may use the article on pg. 8A to get you started

Ch. 18 Notes so far

Pgs. 1-2

• Population is increasing rapidly, so we have to be careful to not lose all of the resources that we have.
• We learned new terms about ecology like;
 Ecology- interactions between organisms and their environment
 Abiotic factors- non- living chemical and physical factors
 Biotic factors- living factors
 Population- group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area
 Community- all the organisms inhabiting a particular area
 Ecosystem – the community and abiotic factors
 Biosphere- sum of earth’s ecosystems
 Environmentalism – started in the 1960s when people realized that unsafe technology was being practiced in the 1950s

Homework

• Start oil spill research
• Read textbook Ch. 18 and do notes (in Moodle)
• Finish Lab #1
• Termite Lab report due 9/10

Next scribe = Aliza