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Concrete Jungle:

Urban Ecology OnlineJessica Ebel& Trudy Pachón

EDTEC 544

Welcome to Concrete Jungle

Congratulations!The people of San Diego have elected you for Mayor.

The most recent polls show that the citizens are seriously concerned about the environment.According to surveys, the most important issues are:

•global warming

• endangered species

• overpopulation

• clean energy

• soil and agriculture

• water pollution

• planning for the future

The voters think you have what it takes to make San Diego the greenest city in America. You might be wondering how you’ll learn to make wise decisions about the environment. Well, this program is designed to train you for your new job. Throughout your training you will be able to rely on your advisors and other tools to help you build a cleaner, brighter San Diego.

One more thing! If you are successful at cleaning up San Diego, the President of the United States will allow you to design and build your very own Eco-Friendly city! GOOD LUCK!

Create Your Character

Let’s Get Started!First, you need to create your own avatar. Follow the steps in the tutorial to modify your look!

Your Advisors

Here to Help!These professionals are here to assist you during each of your ecological missions.

Gertie Flanders will be your secretary. She has worked in the Mayor’s Office for over 15 years.

Dr. Juliana de Fleurknows all about air. She is head of the Atmosphere Administration .

Mungo MacGregor is a world famous Scottish explorer and naturalist. He conducts many studies in the Life Sciences Laboratory.

Professor Filbert Finestein is the leading scientist at the Energy Agency.

Dr. Jen Miyuki is a “people person”. She’s in charge of everything over at Population Management.

Russell Lum is an expert on dirt. You can find him at Soil and Agriculture Services.

Dr. Mandira Kapoor, a brilliant Indian chemist, works at the Water Control Center.

Dr. Cleo Jones will help you design your city of the future. Find her at the HQ for Future Development.

How To Play: Tools and ResourcesNavigation Bar: Click on any building.

Checklist: Click the ▼ to see which missions you have

completed.

ECOPOINTS: You will receive points for every mission

you successfully complete. Later, you will be able to use

these points when you build your own city!

Ask Your Advisor: Click on the character to search for

answers to your questions or get helpful reminders and

advice.

Textbook: Use this tool to research topics by chapter or alphabetically. There‟s also a

place to practice vocabulary with flashcards and games.

Notebook: This is where you will take notes

during labs and activities..

ECOPOINTS: 000000

MISSION CHECKLIST▼PretestThis slide represents the pretest. It will be useful later when comparing pretest and

posttest scores for evaluation purposes.

The test will be GRE style, adjusting questions to determine overall level. This way,

the students will not become discouraged if they are unable to answer the more

difficult questions.

NavigationAfter completing the pretest, the students will work through the “Mayor‟s Office”

modules, which provide an overview and help them become familiar with the

program‟s features. Then, the students will learn about biogeochemical cycles, air

pollution, and climate change by completing the “Atmosphere Administration”

lessons.

Our PrototypeFor our prototype, we focused on lessons three and four from the “Life Sciences

Laboratory” section. The students will have already finished lessons one and two

from this unit, so we will presume that they now understand energy flow and how to

classify groups of animals. For our prototype, we developed the “Owl Investigation”

and “Food Chain” activities.

Ready? Let’s start by finding out what you

already know…

ECOPOINTS: 17,000

MISSION CHECKLIST▼

Life Sciences Lab

Dear Mayor,

Hullo there! Welcome to mah laboratory! As ye

know, mah name‟s MungoMacGregor. Ah‟ll be

yore tour guide for this liddle section.

Durin‟ the Life Sciences Unit, you‟ll learn all there

is tae know aboot nature. We‟ll start wi‟ energy

an‟ then you‟ll learn aboot ecosystems. Then,

you‟ll get to study some wee, bonny birdies for a

bit. An‟ have ye no‟ ever wondered how all the

creatures in yore area survive? Och, „tis

allusinterestin‟ to learn about food chains and

webs!

Finally, Ah‟ll take ye aroond San Diego to explore

some of the amazin‟ biomes in yore own

backyarrrd! It‟s gonna be grrreat, Ah tell ye!

It‟ll be a challenge, but dinna worry mah fair lads

an‟ lassies! Ah‟mgonna be right there to help ye if

ye have any questions. Best o‟ luck to ye!

~Mungo

http://www.musthavemenus.com/image/page-scroll-frame.html

Owl Investigation

This morning, some visitors to San Diego captured this incredible footage.

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


Dear Mayor,

We caught this on film

while visiting San Diego. We hope

you can tell us more about what we

saw. We are very worried about this

owlet and want to know if he might

be sick. Perhaps you can help us to

learn more!

Sincerely,

The Australian Tourists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waLiTmLr1nM&feature=related

Your job is to dissect this disgustin’ owl vomit

in order to:

1) identify exactly what this little owl ate

2) determine whether this owl is sick

3) make some inferences about the

nature of the community in which the

owl lives

4) understand what scientists can learn

from dissecting owl pellets

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


Tools

Owl InvestigationFollow the steps to complete the owl pellet dissection.

After that, ye‟ll use a chart to identify what ye discovered!

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS

1. Put your lab gloves on.

2. Use the ruler and scales to

measure your owl pellet.

3. Write down some observations

about your owl pellet on pages

27 and 28 of your notebook.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS

1. Put on your lab gloves.

2. Use the ruler and scales to

measure your owl pellet.

3. Write down some observations

about your owl pellet on page

27 of your notebook.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,200


THE STEPS

4. Carefully use the dissection probe

and tweezers to gently

separate the bones from the

soft bits and fur.

5. You can use the magnifying glass

to zoom in for a closer look.

6. As you remove the bones, place

them in the bowl of bleach

water.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,300


THE STEPS

4. Carefully use the dissection probe

and tweezers to gently

separate the bones from the

soft bits and fur.

5. You can use the magnifying glass

to zoom in for a closer look.

6. As you remove the bones, place

them in the bowl of bleach

water.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,600


THE STEPS

7. Gently remove each bone from

the bowl of water.

8. Sort the bones into piles.

9. Count the number of skulls and

record that in “actual # of

skulls” column on page 28 of

your notebook.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS

7. Gently remove each bone from

the bowl of water.

8. Sort the bones into piles.

9. Count the number of skulls and

record that in “actual # of

skulls” column on page 28 of

your notebook.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,700


THE STEPS

10. Study the Skull Identification

Key on Page 29 of your

notebook.

11 Use the Dissection Microscope to

look closely at each skull.

12. The Bone Charts in your

textbook can also help you to

determine the species of each

skull.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS



notebook.






skull.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,700


THE STEPS



notebook.

11. Use the Dissection Microscope

to look closely at each skull.




skull.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS



notebook.






skull.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,700


THE STEPS

13. Record the number of

skulls in the chart on page


14. Answer the analysis

questions on page 30. If

you need help, search for

“owl” in your textbook.

Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS








Tools

2. Why do you think owls need to

regurgitate owl pellets?

A.They have small stomachs.

B. They get sick easily.

C. They can‟t digest bones and fur.

D. They are being poisoned by pesticides.

E. They need to make room for another meal.

F. Both C and E.

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 17,000


THE STEPS








Tools

Owl Investigation

ECOPOINTS: 18,000


THE STEPS

13. CHALLENGE ACTIVITY for

BONUS POINTS: Choose one

skull. Assemble the rest of the

skeleton using the bone sorting

charts.

No, thanks!

Tools

ECOPOINTS: 18,500


Life Sciences Lab

Congratulations, Mayor!

Ye‟ve completed the Owl Investigation and earned

a thoosand points feryerself! „An on top o‟ that,

you‟ve also won five hundred more points for

completing the challenge activity! I knew ye could

do it!

Now, you shouldnae forget what ye‟ve learned

because ye‟ll surely need it for the next lesson on

Food Chains. Ah must be off to the jungles of

Africa, but mah good friends Diana Torres and Dr.

Marcel Garcia are excellent field biologists. Ye‟ll

have tae meet them at the Natural History

Museum, and then they‟ll take ye out intae the

wilderness!

Och, I almost forgot! As another reward for

yerharrd work, the citizens of San Diego have

given ye this liddle beauty! It‟s a solar-powered

personal helicopter. Go „head and give it a whirl!

~Mungo

http://www.musthavemenus.com/image/page-scroll-frame.html

Thank You!

ECOPOINTS: 18,500


Dear Mayor,

Thanks for doing all you can to learn

about our beloved owls of San

Diego! We just know that when the

time comes, you‟ll be ready to make

the best decisions for us and our

precious wildlife. Good luck on your

next mission!

Your adoring,

Citizens

Now you’ll have to fly your new ride from your downtown

office to the Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park for

your next mission!

The next set of images

would simulate the

helicopter flight from

downtown San Diego to

Balboa Park.

Urban Food Chains

By the end of this lesson you

should be able to:

1. Identify the main habitats in San Diego.

2. Identify urban, riparian and chaparral

creatures from San Diego.

3. Create a simple food chain.

4. Predict what will happen when a

creature is removed from a food chain.

Back

Directions

Back

Dr. Marcel Garcia will

take it from here. He is

very knowledgeable

about San Diego ecology.

To complete this lesson:

1. Use your notebook to take notes.

2. Click to learn about each local organism. Click

on hotspots to learn more.

3. Review energy flow in a food chain and make

sure you know each organism’s role in the food

chain.

4. Click to learn vocabulary words you don’t know.

5. Review previous lessons if you need to. These

cover some of the material we will go over

here:

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.11

http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm




Back

Hi! I‟m Dr. Marcel Garcia. I work

here at the Museum of Natural

History. I‟m going to take you to

a couple of spots here in San

Diego where we can learn about

food chains.

First we‟ll look around right here

in our city, then we‟ll go to the

San Diego River to explore

riparian habitats. Finally, we‟ll

explore Rose canyon here in

San Diego covered in chaparral

habitat.

Let‟s look at some San Diego Habitats

Back

Riparian- Areas surrounding the

creeks and rivers

here in San Diego. Think: water

City/Urban-Areas that are dominated by

humans. San Diego is special because of

the canyons. Even urban areas have

native wildlife!

Chaparral /Sage scrub- The plants

and animals you see around the

canyons here in San Diego.

Now it‟s your turn

Drag habitat type to its picture.

Urban

Riparian

ChaparralBack

Now it‟s your turn

Drag habitat type to its picture.

Urban

Riparian

Chaparral

Good Job! You know

your San Diego

habitats!

Back

Native vs. Non-nativeYou will need to know what native and non-native species

are.

Back

Native Species-Naturally lives in and evolved in San Diego.

Wasn‟t brought in by humans.

Non-Native-Does not naturally live in San

Diego. Was brought in by humans.

Non-Native species can have big effects on

ecosystems. They take space, use

resources and/or pollute environments to

the point that native species can‟t live there

anymore.

Urban Ecosystems

Back

Let‟s go to Paradise Hills here in San

Diego to look at some of the plants and

animals that live in the urban

environment! Look at each plant and

animal on your own.

Welcome to

Paradise!

Back

American Crow

The American Crow is found

throughout San Diego.

• Native Species

• Extremely intelligent

• Gets energy from plants,

scavenges, and hunts small

mammals and insects

• Can remember where food is and

strategically hunt

• Very social birds (and loud!)

Back

http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/crow.htm

Black Mustard

Black Mustard is found throughout

San Diego County.

• Non-Native Species

• Rapidly spreads, chokes out

native plants

• Mustard seeds were used to

make mustard

• Has become an important base

of many food chains

Back

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/brassica_nigra.html

House Mouse

There are many species of mice in San Diego. Many are native, but the most common in homes is the House Mouse. House mice are found throughout San Diego County in populated areas and in homes.


• Gets energy from human trash, plants and hunts insects and spiders

• Natural enemy of the Black Widow!

• Click here to see all the species of mice here in San Diego

Back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_mouse

Species of mice found

in San Diego.

List provided by San

Diego Natural History

Museum.

Note: This does not

include Pocket Mice (17

more species!)

Back

Coyote

Coyotes are amazingly adaptable animals. Found throughout San Diego, they have found ways to co-exist well with humans.

• Native Species

• Gets energy from hunting individually, or in pairs

• Favorite food sources are rabbit, snakes, other small reptiles and rodents

• Intelligent, social mammals

Back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote

California Sunflower

California sunflower is a lovely plant which grows throughout San Diego County.

• Native Species

• Part of the chaparralcommunity

• Flowers once yearly

• Seeds eaten by many rodents in the ecosystem

• Leaves eaten by insects

Back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_californicus

Brush Rabbit

The California Brush Rabbit is abundant in San Diego county.

•Native Species

•Gets energy from plants in the chaparral

• One to seven young are born per litter, reproduces fast!

•The brush rabbit is a type of cottontail rabbit

Back

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Brush_Rabbit

California Buckwheat

California buckwheat is found throughout San Diego and is found in canyons as well as in urban areas

• Native Species

• Native Americans used as a grain

• Blooms once yearly

• Tolerates extremely low water conditions

• Seeds and and flowers support a wide variety of animals

Back

http://www.birdandhike.com/Veg/Species/Shrubs/Eriogo_fas/_Eri_fas.htm

Grasshopper

Grasshoppers are common in San Diego

• Native Species

• Many species of grasshoppers

• Eat green parts of plants

• Can become problematic when populations increase

• Can be a food source for lizards, spiders, snakes, mice, birds and other animals

Back

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/pests/e272-1.htm

Black Widow

The Black Widow spider is a common arachnid which lives throughout San Diego, often in people‟s yards and garages.

• Native Species

• Preys on insects

• Most venomous spider in North America, but deaths are rare

• Injects very little venom

• Very shy animals

• Spin webs that lack shape and form. Webs look erratic in appearance.

Back

http://www.hastingsreserve.org/Invertebrates/Arachnids/BlackWidows/BlackWidowSpiders.html

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are very common in San Diego

• Native Species

• Coexist well with humans

• 12 species in San Diego

• . Feeds on nectar from flowers

• Preys on insects and spiders as well

• Can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings up to 90 times per second

Back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humming_bird

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are common throughout San Diego county in inhabited areas. They are not often found without humans.


• Eat human trash, food droppings, pantry foods

• Coexist with humans

• 3 species are most common

• American, Oriental, German

• German cockroaches are most common in homes in San Diego.

• Click here to see each type of roach

Back

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach

Good Job, you showed how energy flows in the food

chain!

Show How Energy Flows in a Food ChainDrag and drop your energy sources to the correct position. Click here to review food chains.

Back



Show How Energy Flows in a Food ChainDrag and drop your energy sources to the correct position. Click here to review food chains.

Back

Ooops! Remember

what you learned

about how energy

flows in a food chain!

Try again



What would happen if you removed one link

from the chain?

Let‟s remove the coyote.The mouse population explodes

because there are no coyotes.

The black widow population decreases due to mouse

overpopulation.

With the spiders gone the grasshopper population

expands.

The uncontrolled grasshopper population

devastates the plants.

Back

Now it‟s your turn. What will happen when you remove

the mouse?

A. The black widow population will go down.

B. The coyote population will go up.

C. The grasshopper population will go down.

D. The sunflower population will go up.

✔

That‟s right! With the

mice gone, the spider

population will grow and

the grasshoppers will

decrease!

Back

Click on the Chapparal/Sage scrub

organism

Sage

Broom bacchus

Owl

Coyote

Mouse

Ground squirrel

California Sagebrush

Cooper‟s Hawk

Back

Click on the Riparian

organismCottonwood Tree

Mulefat

Raven

Coyote

Mule deer

Bee fly

Willow

Benthic insects

Dragonfly

Back

Vocabulary

Food chain

Urban

Riparian

Chaparral

Native species

Non-native species

Arachnid

Coexist

Exotic species

Habitats

Inhabited

Back

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