ecosystem stability and response to climate change … · ecosystem stability and response to...
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Ecosystem Stability and Response to Climate Change Cover Page
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Ecosystems Stability and Response to Climate Change
At the end of this unit, I will o LS 2-4: Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among
organisms in an ecosystem.
o LS 2-2: Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors
affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
o LS 2-7: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment
and biodiversity.
o LS 4-6: Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on
biodiversity.
o LS 2-6: Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain
relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in
a new ecosystem.
o ETS 1-1: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for
solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
o ETS 1-1: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for
solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
o ETS 1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable
problems that can be solved through engineering.
o ETS 1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that
account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social,
cultural, and environmental impacts.
o ETS 1-4: Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem
with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes I will be able to understand when I see them in words are: o Bio-, eco-, sym-, troph-, mutual-, commense-, succeed-, commune-
o –ism, -system
The terms I can clearly define are: o Background extinction, Bioaccumulation, Biodiversity, Biomass, Commensalism, Community, Competition,
Ecosystem, Extinction, Genetic diversity, Habitat, Introduced/Invasive species, Mass extinction, Mutualism,
Niche, Over-exploitation, Parasitism, Predation, Primary succession, Secondary succession, Symbiotic
relationship, Trophic levels
The assignments I will have completed by the end of this unit are:
Ecological pyramids virtual lab activity
Pyramid of biomass vs. pyramid of numbers
Energy in trophic levels
Deadly links game
What is bioaccumulation?
DDT in real life
Notes: Biodiversity
Notes: Ecological succession
Why conserve biodiversity?
Invasive species and biodiversity
Conserving biodiversity
Lab Activity: Vanishing Frogs
Chlorophyll in lakes
Carbon cycle review
Reforestation: impact on climate
Community & ecosystems unit concept map
Parent page
Community & ecosystems study guide
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Chlorophyll in Lakes
Freshwater algae grow naturally in Maine’s lakes. Scientists hypothesize that most freshwater
algae need phosphorus to grow. In lakes that are not surrounded by human development,
phosphorus is often limited. In these phosphorus-limited lakes, algae do not tend to grow out of
control, and the lake stays in balance.
Human activities around a lake often generate excessive amounts of phosphorus that can run off
into lakes. Scientists hypothesize that the increased phosphorus can cause algae to grow out of
control. When algae multiply, they can block light and cause a green scum that may eventually
deplete oxygen in the water and make the lake unhealthy for fish and other aquatic life.
Many lakes in Maine are monitored every year to see if there are any changes in chemistry, and
to see if there are any potential problems with too much algae. The concentration of algae is
measured by the amount of chlorophyll-a found in the water.
The table below gives concentrations of chlorophyll-a and of total phosphorus measured in
several lakes from the Belgrade Lakes region. Concentrations of both chlorophyll-a and
phosphorus are measured in parts per billion (ppb).
Lake Name Total phosphorus
concentration (ppb)
Chlorophyll-a
concentration (ppb)
Chamberlain Pond 18 12
Long Pond 8 5
McGrath Pond 11 3
Salmon Pond (Ellis Pond) 14 6
Messalonskee Lake 12 4
Great Pond 9 5
Joe Pond 16 8
Penny Pond 14 2
Wellman Pond 54 23
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1. Make a graph that shows whether or not there is a relationship between phosphorus
concentration and algae growth.
Title: _________________________________________________________
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Analysis:
1. Explain how the graph supports or refutes the hypothesis that algae need phosphorus to grow.
Use data to support your claim!
2. What type of human activities increase excessive run-off of phosphorus?
3. In what way would an algae bloom decrease aquatic biodiversity? (hint: you will need to
research eutrophication)
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Notes: Community Interactions
(read pages 36-40 in your textbook)
What is a community?
A biological community is ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is __________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?
Habitat – _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
o Ex. A tree or grove of trees
Niche - ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
o How it meets its needs for food, shelter, and
reproduction.
What are 3 ways communities can interact?
1. Competition
Occurs when ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Predation
The act of ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. Symbiotic Relationships
The close relationship _________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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List and describe 3 types of symbiotic relationships.
Mutualism:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
o Example:
Commensalism:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
o Example:
Parasitism:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
o Example:
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Conserving Biodiversity
Read pages 131-135 in your textbook about protecting and restoring ecosystems. For each of the human-
caused disasters below, brainstorm a solution. Be creative but try to keep your solutions realistic.
Consider current technologies, financial cost, and preventative measures for the future.
Disaster Aspects/perspectives to consider Possible solutions
Oil spill
Industrial pollution
Acid rain
Modern agriculture
Groundwater exploitation
Urbanization
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Why Conserve Biodiversity?
When scientists speak of the variety of organisms (and their genes) in an ecosystem, they refer
to it as biodiversity. A biologically diverse ecosystem, such as an old growth forest or tropical
rain forest, is healthy, complex and stable. Nature tends to increase diversity through the process
of succession.
The opposite of biodiversity is referred to as monoculture, or the growing of one species of
organism, such as a lawn, a wheat field or corn-field. Monoculture often requires extensive use
of pesticides and herbicides (to fight nature's tendency to diversify communities) and is very
labor and energy intensive (fighting nature is tough). Humans often try to reduce diversity
because it is easier to harvest a crop (whether it is wheat, corn, a lawn or a secondary forest) if it
all contains the same species, but this creates serious problems.
When a habitat is very diverse with a variety of different species, it is much healthier and more
stable. One of the reasons for this is that disease doesn't spread as easily in a diverse community.
In this simulation, you will discover why biodiversity is so important to the stability of an
ecosystem.
Follow up questions:
1. What does biological diversity mean?
2. Why did the disease spread more in a monoculture compared to the bio-diverse culture?
3. In which forest would you need to use more chemicals to control disease? the Douglas fir
forest or the more diversified, old growth forest? Why?
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4. Which forest would have more diversity of wildlife? Why?
5. a. If you cut down the variety in a piece of forest you owned and replanted with one type
of tree, what will happen to much of the wildlife that was adapted to that forest? (Hint:
they cannot just move elsewhere. If other habitats are good, they will probably be near
carrying capacity already.)
6. Many species can only live/reproduce in a specific habitat. The spotted owl is an example
- it can only live and successfully reproduce in old growth forests (big, old cedars,
hemlocks, etc.). If these old growth forests are cut down, it's unlikely this owl will
survive. Environmentalists call it an "indicator" species." What does this mean? Why be
concerned about 1 species?
7. Growing one plant, as is the case of growing only Douglas fir, is called monoculture.
Give an example of growing one type of plant in your city.
8. Why would you need to use more insecticides in monoculture? Is this good or bad?
9. If you wanted to help wildlife, what would you with regards to the landscaping of your
own home?
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Invasive Species and Biodiversity
Brainstorm: What is the difference between an invasive species and a native species? In what
way do you think invasive species impacts biodiversity of an ecosystem?
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Directions: Read the Time magazine article. Number your paragraphs, and mark the text. Circle
important terms and highlight how invasive species affect of biodiversity. You will watch a short
video after the reading.
Forget the Asian Carp. Here’s
a New Great Lakes Invasive
Species to Worry About
The flying Asian carp have been making their way into the Great Lakes. But now a new fish, the
Eurasian ruffe, is threatening to invade the region.
Conservationists and wildlife officials have been policing the porous border between
the Mississippi watershed and the Great Lakes for years. Their main concern: preventing Asian
carp, an invasive species that has established itself in the Mississippi River system, from invading
the Great Lakes, where the voracious eaters could cause havoc with natives. (Not to mention
knocking a few recreational boaters out cold. Some Asian carp have a habit of launching
themselves like missiles out of the water when they hear the roar of an approaching motorboat, as
learned in this TIME video from 2010.)
Officials haven’t had a whole lot of luck with their containment effort, despite spending tens of
millions of dollars on the battle. A study in October found for the first time that a subspecies of
Asian carp, grass carp, had successfully reproduced within the Great Lakes watershed, in a
tributary of a river that feeds into Lake Erie.
Now it turns out that there may be reason to worry about another invasive species—going in the
other direction. Scientists with the Nature Conservancy, the University of Notre Dame and Central
Michigan University have for the first time discovered DNA from the Eurasian ruffe in two water
samples taken in July from Lake Michigan’s Calumet Harbor in Chicago. While a Eurasian ruffe
might sound like some kind of Siberian motorcycle gang, it’s actually an invasive species of small
perch native to central and western Europe that established itself in Lake Superior in the mid-
1980s after hitching a ride in a European freighter’s ballast water tanks. Since then it’s been slowly
spreading around the southern shore of Lake Superior, before invading northern Lakes Michigan
and Huron.
If Eurasian ruffes do establish themselves in the Mississippi watershed, the consequences would
not be good. The ruffes have been identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as one of the
29 species that have the potential to transfer between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River
basin. Ruffes are comfortable in large rivers, and the Mississippi and its tributaries have twice the
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number of native fish as the Great Lakes basin does. That’s a lot of local fish that could be
displaced if the ruffes move in.
“The Eurasian ruffe is a relatively small fish that produces a lot of eggs and reaches maturity very
quickly,” says Lindsay Chadderton, the Aquatic Invasive Species Director for The Nature
Conservancy’s Great Lakes Project. “They feed from the bottom of the food chain, and they’re
going to compete with native and introduced species dependent on the same fauna.”
Still, Illinois officials note that no live ruffe have yet been captured in Calumet Harbor, and it’s
possible the water containing the genetic material could have come from a bait bucket or ballast
tanks, not from an actual fish. But even the possibility that ruffe could be poised to continue their
invasion underscores how vulnerable the Great Lakes and the Mississippi basin are to invasive
species and the need for some kind of two-way species barrier in the artificial canal in Chicago
that connects the two systems. Invasive species might be inevitable - nature has a way of going
where we don’t want it to go, but we don’t have to make it easy for them.
Reflect: After reading and watching the video, were your initial ideas about how invasive
species impacts the ecosystem correct or incorrect? Explain and summarize what you learned
about invasive species in the space below.
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Thinking about Biodiversity – what would happen if…
1. What would happen if all of the jackrabbits in a food web died suddenly?
2. Is the disappearance of one species from Earth important, or will another species fill its
niche?
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Deadly Links Game: What happened to your animal?
In the environment in which these animals live, a pesticide was sprayed onto the crops to prevent
damage by the grasshoppers. The colored food pieces represent plants that contained the
pesticide. Grasshoppers, shrews, and hawks should check their food pieces. What might have
happened to the grasshoppers with colored food pieces?
1. What may have happened to grasshoppers that ate the colored food pieces?
2. Do shrews have more or less colored pieces than grasshoppers? What might happen to the
shrews that ate grasshoppers with too many colored pieces?
3. Which organism had the highest number of colored food pieces? Why?
4. Based on this activity, try to come up with a working definition for “bioaccumulation.” What
do you think this term means? Don’t worry. You will get the chance to revise your definition
later. Use evidence from the activity to support your working definition.
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Create a Pyramid of Numbers from your “Deadly Links” Food Chain
1. Fill in the table below with the name of and total number of each “link” in your food chain:
Role Name of organism Number of organisms
Producers
Primary (1⁰) Consumers
Secondary (2⁰) Consumers
Tertiary (3⁰) Consumers
2. Using the graph paper below, create a pyramid of numbers from your deadly links food chain.
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What is Bio-Accumulation?
First, watch a quick video that your teacher will present to you on bio-accumulation.
Bioaccumulation is the increase in concentration of a substance in living organisms as they take
in contaminated air, water, or food.
As bigger animals eat smaller animals, the level of contamination in the food is added to the
level of contamination already in their body and often stored in fat.
What do the circles in each level respresent?
Assuming that a pesticide was added to the water that the algae grow in, defend which organism
on this food chain would be the most affected. Use the space below for your response.
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2
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Graphing DDT in Long Island
1. Graph the data points in the graph provided below:
2. Do the graph and data show biological magnification? Why or why not?
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Notes: Biodiversity
(read pages 116-131 in your textbook)
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is ___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
It increases the ___________________________________________________
It contributes to __________________________________________________
What are extinction and genetic diversity?
Extinction is ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Genetic diversity is ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Genetic diversity increase the chances ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Read pages 118-120 and describe, in your own words, the importance of biodiversity.
What is the difference between mass extinction and background extinction?
Mass extinction:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Background extinction: _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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What are 5 factors that threaten biodiversity?
1. Overexploitation - ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Habitat loss (two types):
____________________________ of habitat
____________________________ of habitat
3. Fragmentation of Habitat - ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Pollution
Acid precipitation occurs when __________________ acid and
___________________ acid fall to Earth’s surface as rain, sleet,
snow, or fog.
Eutrophication occurs when ______________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5. Introduced Species - ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
What is biological magnification?
Biological magnification is ____________________________________________
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Intentionally Left Blank
for additional notes and brainstorming
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Types of Succession Venn Diagram
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Notes: Ecological Succession (read pages 62-65 in your textbook)
What is ecological succession?
Ecological succession is _______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What is primary succession?
Primary succession is __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Soil is formed by __________________________ (fungus & algae).
These are called ________________________ species.
Eventually the area becomes a climax community - ________
_____________________________________________________________________
What is secondary succession?
Secondary succession is ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The images on the opposite page shows ecological succession. In a paragraph, describe what is
happening in each image. What type of succession is this?
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Opening Biodiversity Discussion:
Imagine a food web where there are only 5 different types of animals in each trophic level. What do
you think would happen to this ecosystem? Record your discussion ideas in the space below.
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Lab Activity: The Vanishing Frogs
Objective: To determine an ecosystem’s health by examining a single population of frogs and to
investigate the decline of the population due to factors such as changes in local climate, acid
precipitation, disease, parasites, environmental contamination, habitat loss and degradation due to
direct human impacts, fungal infections, and increases in UV radiation. We will also see if
protecting a species may or may not help the species stabilize over time.
Materials: graph paper 25 six-sided dice frog containers
Procedure:
1. Each group begins with a population of 20 healthy frogs and a dice.
2. Each roll of the dice represents a one-year period of time. The numbers on the dice represents events that occur during a frog’s lifetime. Keep track of the numbers of births and deaths of frogs each year by removing frogs from your containers or adding frogs from your containers. Your teacher will have extra frogs to add to your population, if you need.
3. When you have collected all of your data, you will share your data with the class.
4. Repeat the game with a starting population of 20 healthy frogs, for Game 2, then again for Game 3.
5. Graph the class data on graph paper. You will need to create a key and use three different colors, each game represented by a different color.
Game 1: Perfect Frogland
1 = death by starvation (remove a frog)
2 = tadpole metamorphoses into a frog (add a frog)
3 = abundant food supply for 1 year (population unchanged)
4 = tadpole metamorphoses into a frog (add a frog)
5 = eaten by a snake (remove a frog)
6 = healthy habitat (population unchanged)
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Game 2: Humans vs. Nature
1 = death by pollution-induced starvation (remove a frog)
2 = tadpole metamorphoses into a frog (add a frog)
3 = habitat destroyed by filling in wetlands to build houses (remove a frog)
4 = habitat destroyed by building dams or canals for irrigation purposes
(remove a frog)
5 = eaten by introduced species of snake or fish (remove a frog)
6 = destroyed by building new roads (remove a frog)
Game 3: Government vs. Nature: Now that the frog populations are
declining, can the Endangered Species Act save them?
1 = death by pollution-induced starvation (remove a frog)
2 = tadpole metamorphoses into a frog (add a frog)
3 = habitat saved by using the Endangered Species Act (population
unchanged)
4 = habitat destroyed by to build a new road (remove a frog)
5 = eaten by an introduced species of snake or fish (remove a frog)
6 = habitat destroyed by building dams or canals for irrigation purposes
(remove a frog)
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Vanishing Frog Lab Data:
Year Game 1:
Perfect Frog-land
Game 2:
Humans vs. Nature
Game 3:
Government vs. Nature
Group
Results
Class
Results
Group
Results
Class
Results
Group
Results
Class
Results
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
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Vanishing Frog Lab Graph:
Graph the data collected during the lab below.
Title: ____________________________________________________
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Analysis:
1. Explain the results from your games. What happened to the frog population in each game?
Explain why the number of frogs changed with each game.
2. Based upon your graph, rank the three “Frog Lands,” from best to worst.
3. What will happen to the ecosystem if all of the frogs vanish?
4. If a frog population does not decline after habitat destruction, what might be the reason?
5. What does UV radiation have to do with frog decline
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Reforestation: Impact on Climate
1. What do you already know about climate change? And in what ways do you think
deforestation drives climate change?
2. Watch the following short video on climate change by Bill Nye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tugoFbmOoZM
As you watch the video, jot down notes on what you didn’t already know.
3. In addition, watch another short video on reforestation and the impact on climate.
http://vimeo.com/77792711
As you watch the video, jot down the benefits of reforestation.
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Socratic Seminar on the Pros and Cons of Deforestation
You will be participating in a Socratic seminar. In this seminar, you will be grouped by roles and
will discuss through sharing different perspectives on the pros and cons of deforestation. The
roles are:
Conservationists: Forests are home to many species of plants and animals.
Logger: My job is to cut down trees and without this job I cannot provide for my family.
Pharmacist: Many medicines come from our forests and many are yet to be discovered.
Farmer: I clear away land by burning a few acres of trees to grow crops for my family to
eat.
Environmentalist: Forests help moderate climate change by taking in carbon dioxide
during the day. Too much carbon dioxide leads to an increase in greenhouse gases,
which causes changes in our climate.
Restaurant owner: I need paper and meat products to meet my customers’ demands.
To prepare for the seminar, you will research more information about your role in small groups.
Organize your research using the Placemat Strategy. On one placemat, write down supporting
evidence for your position for or against deforestation. On the other write down ways in which
the actions associated with your role impact the carbon cycle.
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What evidence do you have in
support of your argument for
or against deforestation?
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How does evidence
for your role impact the
carbon cycle?
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Offsetting the Global Carbon Emissions
You will now find a tree outside. Select a tree that is at least 5 feet tall of known species.
Measure the circumference at breast height in cm. Breast height is the circumference of the tree
at 4.5 feet from the base.
Use the equation below to measure the biomass of the tree. Information about the species
coefficient can be found at: http://www.yale.edu/fes519b/saltonstall/biomass2.html#estimate
Calculate the biomass of your tree in kg ______________
Formula: M=aDb
M= biomass
a= species coefficient
D= diameter at breast height
b= species coefficient b
After calculating the biomass, determine the amount of carbon stored in their tree.
Is the species hardwood or softwood? ______________________
Calculate the amount of carbon in your tree in kg: __________________
Hardwood trees: Multiply biomass (M) by 0.521
Softwood trees: Multiply biomass (M) by 0.498
Covert kg to tons to make it easier to compare your measurement and the carbon counter’s
measurement of greenhouse gases in the air: ______________
(1 metric ton = 1000 kg)
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TABLE 1
Species-Dependent Coefficient and Exponent Values for Biomass Equation
Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
Tree Species a b D (in cm) Number of
trees in
Hoosier
National
Forest
CC/FIA Plots
Percentage
of tree in
Forest
Total
Biomass
Ash, white .1063 2.4798 24 139
Basswood .0617 2.5328 10 8
American Beech .0842 2.5715 26 88
River Birch,
black/sweet
.0629 2.6606 27 2
Cedar, Red .1019 2.3000 20 53
Cherry, Black .0716 2.6174 19 292
Elm, American .0629 2.6606 20 26
Elm, slippery/red .0629 2.6606 21 115
Black Locust .0792 2.6349 17 24
Flowering dogwood .0792 2.6349 11 7
Hackberry .0792 2.6349 32 2
Hickory, mockernut .0792 2.6349 3.3 1
Hickory, pignut .0792 2.6349 30 70
Hickory, shagbark .0792 2.6349 25 24
Hop hornbeam .0792 2.6349 14 4
Bluebeech/hornbeam .0792 2.6349 14 1
Maple, Red .0910 2.5080 22 162
Maple, Sugar .2064 2.5300 22 244
Oak, black .0904 2.5143 32 179
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Oak, chestnut .0554 2.7276 32 126
Oak, Northern red .1130 2.4572 39 89
Oak, white .0579 2.6887 34 227
Pine, white .1617 2.1420 25 62
Sumac, Staghorn .0825 2.4680 4 2
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Compare your figure to how much carbon dioxide is expected to be emitted by 2025.
Reflect:
Would you have enough trees in Hoosier National Forest in Indiana to offset the carbon
emissions in North America in 2025? Use the data you calculated in the previous pages to
support your answer.
If not, how many more trees would you need to plant? Is this number of trees/amount of land
needed to plant the trees practical?
Why or why not?
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Intentionally Left Blank
for Brainstorming
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Intentionally Left Blank
for Brainstorming
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Rainforests of Brazil
Directions: Recently, you and your classmates have been studying global problems and issues from
a variety of perspectives. It is now your turn to create a proposal/or a practical solution to the
deforestation problem in Brazil. Consider everything that you learned from this unit, especially the
data! Think about what we discussed in the Socratic seminar, and all of the topics you learned in
recent activities on climate change, carbon foot-printing, and so forth. Read the article below and
watch a short introductory video so that you fully understand the nature of the problem. Mark the
text as you read. Start by numbering paragraphs, circling terms, circling data/evidence, and
highlighting important information. Pay special attention to the benefits of their rainforest and
what might be contributing to the deforestation problem. Also, use mobile technology to explore
the links provided at the end of the reading to gather more data.
Introductory Video to the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3bPaUQjwG4
One of Brazil’s most valuable assets is its dense covering of rainforests. Of course,
the Amazon Rainforest is the most significant of these, covering a vast portion of the
country and providing the ideal habitat to approximately one-third of all animal species in
the world. To date, there have been identified approximately 56 000 species of plants
(described), 1 700 bird species, 695 amphibian species, 578 mammal species and 651
reptile species.
Rainforests cover almost 60% of the entire area of Brazil at 477 698 000 hectares, which
is equivalent to 1 844 394 square miles or just under 3 million square kilometres. This
means that Brazil is home to a third of the world’s rainforests, making it one of the most
intriguing and beautiful lands on earth. The dense rainforests of Brazil consume an
enormous amount of the world’s Carbon Dioxide and release Oxygen in return. However,
when they are destroyed, the trees release the Carbon as greenhouse gases, with huge
implications for earth and its atmosphere.
Most of the rainforest areas in Brazil are concentrated within the Amazon Basin, which is
particularly humid, with year-round precipitation, making for the ideal ‘jungle’
environment.
The Brazilian rainforests, also dubbed as the “lungs of the world” for the valuable
Oxygen that they release during respiration, serve many purposes for humankind. This has,
unfortunately, led to their large-scale destruction. Currently, more than 5.5% of the
rainforests are used for production, approximately a quarter are used for social services and
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about 45% serve multiple services. Only about 8.5% of the rainforests enjoy a conservation
status, while less than 20% are officially protected. Of all the tree species, there are 7 880
native tree species, of which 34 are critically endangered, 100 are endangered and 187 are
vulnerable.
Deforestation, the destruction of these priceless rainforests, is the result of several
activities, including:
• Agriculture – replacing the rainforest vegetation with grass for cattle and crops
for human consumption. This extends both to commercial agriculture and small-
scale farming.
• Urbanization – as the number of people in Brazil grows, the amount of space that
they occupy needs to be expanded. Rainforests are being cleared to make way for
urban and suburban expansion.
• Infrastructure – new roads and other infrastructural changes invariably extend
into the Amazon Basin and other rainforests in time.
• Logging – the cutting down of trees for timber or for clearing an area for other
purposes is a major industry in Brazil, providing jobs to many people.
If deforestation continues at its current rate, the entire Amazon Rainforest will be depleted
by the end of the 21st century. Some of the valuable fruits, spices and other plants that this
gem yields include coconuts, avocados, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, guavas, figs, oranges,
pineapples, mangos, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, rice, black pepper, cayenne pepper,
chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, turmeric, coffee, vanilla nuts and cashew
nuts. Incredibly, about 25% of the modern prescription drugs that come from plants
actually hail from rainforest vegetation. These include drugs that tackle cancer, AIDS
symptoms, viruses and infections.
There is no question, then, as to the importance of these natural treasures, and the urgency
with which they need to be conserved and protected.
For more information, please view:
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20brazil.htm and
http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm
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Proposal/Solution to Deforestation in Brazil
Directions: Create a proposal or a practical solution to the deforestation problem in
Brazil. You are tasked with the responsibility of recommending to the governing body of
Brazil how to maintain a sustainable Amazon rainforest ecosystem while also meeting
their needs for urbanization, agriculture, infrastructure, and logging. Use the space in the
following pages to brainstorm your proposal. After you complete your draft proposal for
homework, you will be placed in a group to share out your individual proposal. Your
group will then decide on the best aspects of EVERYONE’s proposal and create a
collaborative proposal that you will finally present to the class or the “Government of
Brazil” The class (acting government) will then vote and accept ONE of the proposals
presented and reject the rest.
Proposal Requirements:
Proposal to the government must be clear. The proposal must be a solution to
current problem of deforestation and the negative environmental impacts of
deforestation on a global scale.
The proposal should clearly demonstrate how the solution would allow Brazil to
maintain a sustainable rainforest ecosystem, while managing their needs for
urbanization, agriculture, infrastructure, and logging.
The proposal should address everybody’s needs and predict the impact for all
parties involved.
You should be able to support your proposal with data, statistics, facts, evidence,
or explanation of impact.
Your proposal should be convincing!
Final proposal can also include pictures or illustrations.
Final proposal will require all members to speak and present.
270
Individual Draft of Proposal/Solution to Deforestation in Brazil
271
Individual Draft of Proposal/Solution to Deforestation in Brazil
272
Group Collaboration/Brainstorm
of Proposal/Solution to Deforestation in Brazil
273
Ecosystem Stability and Response to Climate Change Study Guide
Review each of the topics in the left column, and add important information on the right. The more
details you add to your study guide, the better prepared you will be for the exam. Remember to
review not only the notes for this unit, but also all of the activities and articles we read. The following link
has a fun activity to review succession, too.
http://www.projectsharetexas.org/resource/ecological-succession
Topics Notes
Definitions of the terms:
Community
Ecosystem
Biome
Types of symbiosis & examples
Mutualism
Commensalism
Parasitism
Habitat vs. Niche
Predation vs. Competition
274
Law of Conservation of
Energy
Law of Conservation of
Matter
How does energy enter the
food chain?
How does energy leave the
food chain?
How does energy transfer up
the food chain?
Sample Energy Calculations: Show
your work.
If an organism eats 80 kJ of
energy, and 10 kJ are used
to build its own tissues, what
percent of energy leaves the
trophic system due to heat,
respiration, and waste?
In this same organism, 25 kJ
of energy leaves the trophic
system as waste (urine, fecal
matter, etc.) How much
energy left the trophic
system due to this
organism’s cellular
respiratory process?
275
What is Bioaccumulation?
Which trophic level is often
most affected by toxins and
why?
What is the difference between:
Biodiversity
Genetic Diversity
Ecological Diversity
What are 5 factors that
threaten biodiversity and
why?
276
Invasive vs. Native species
Compare the two forms of
succession:
Primary succession
Secondary succession
Pioneer species vs. Climax
Species
Explain or diagram how the
Carbon cycle through the
ecosystem. In the diagram or
explanation, specify the
processes involved in the
cycling of carbon.
277
Explain the environmental
impact of excess carbon in
the atmosphere.
What is/are limiting
resource(s) in aquatic
systems such as lakes?
What types of human
activities have increased this
resource thus causing
uncontrolled growth of
algae?
Explain the environmental
impact of uncontrolled
growth of algae in aquatic
systems.
How are these three pyramids the
same? How are these three pyramids
different? What “alternative” shapes
can these pyramids take and why?
Pyramids of Numbers
Pyramids of Biomass
Pyramids of Energy
278
Explain how human activities have
negatively impacted the ecosystem.
Use specific examples that have not
been discussed previously in this
study guide.
279
Ecosystem Stability and Response to Climate Change Unit Concept Map
280
Parent/ Significant Adult Review Page
Student Portion
Unit Summary (write a summary of the past unit using 5-7 sentences. Use your concept map to guide
your writing. Be sure to include all important topics from the unit):
Explain your favorite topic/activity this unit:
281
Adult Portion
Dear Parent/ Significant Adult:
This Interactive Notebook represents your student’s learning to date and should contain the work your
student has completed. Please take some time to look at the unit your student just completed, read his/ her
reflection and respond to the following
Ask your child to explain biomagnification to you. Record your discussion below:
Look through your student’s notebook. Which assignment do you think your student excelled at and why?
Parent/ Significant Adult Signature:
Comments? Questions? Concerns? Feel free to email your child’s teacher.