Fist Learning Objectives scientific method and the process of science.

How would you formulate and test a hypothesis? Hypothesis is must be testable – use an if then statement and identify controls and variables.

Independent variable What you change (like time or temp) It goes on the X axis

Dependent variable What you are measuring Y axis

When using data to interpret among biotic and abiotic factors within an ecosystem What factors might you look at? pH Temperature Precipitation Light intensity Populations diversity

What does this graph say about temp and photosynthesis? There is an optimal temp range for photosynthesis Optimal range is 27 – 37

What is qualitative data words

What is quantitative data Number s

More stuff about the scientific method

What is an inference It is an assumption based on an observation. For example, If I measure the length of different fish in one area of a stream and I found most of them to be about 4 inches long, what might I infer? Natural selection favors lengths of 4 inches

Collecting information by Field observations One of the things you might observe is birds on many different islands. You may find that they are flightless birds. What might you infer? there are no predators on these islands so birds don’t need to fly.

All experiments must be? REPEATABLE!!!!

Objective I Summarize How energy flows through an ecosystem

Arrange components of a food chain according to energy flow Draw a basic food chain with bunny, grass,fox Make sure your arrows are in the right direction Producer 2 Consumer 1 consumer

How does energy flow through an ecosystem? What is the primary source of energy for everything?

Is a fungi an autotroph or a heterotroph? heterotroph! – It has a cell wall like plants but does not produce its own food.

Nutrition and Energy Flow Autotrophs – Producers – Plants Heterotrophs – Consumers – Herbivores – Carnivores – Omnivores – Decomposers

Protists and bacteria – autotrophs or heterotrophs Some are autotrophs and some are heterotrophs.

How much energy in a food chain passes to the next level? 10 percent energy passes to the next level.

What happens to the 90 % of energy that does not move to the next level? It is used for things like movement and metabolism, growth and reproduction

What is a strategy used by organisms to balance the energy expended to obtain food to the energy gained from the food. Switching the type of prey based upon availability Hibernation or dormancy Or estivation

Compare the relative energy output expended by an organism in obtaining food to the energy gained from the food. – Give an example Hummingbird – energy expended hovering at a flower compared to the amount of energy gained from the nectar Coyote chasing mice to the energy gained from catching one

Why do birds migrate? Think of the energy budget. Energy expended in migration of birds to a location with seasonal abundance compared to the energy gained by staying in a cold climate with limited food.

Why would food production in various parts of the world be important to the ecosystem? Industrialized societies have a greater use of fossil fuel in food production Human health is related to food production Think about the impact of farming – depleting the soil of nutrients Or Cows that over eat all the grass and turn a grass land into a desert - desertification

1.2 Carbon cycle Draw a diagram to trace carbon dioxide – include photosynthesis – an animal – and a factory

What is global warming / green house Effect? Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere captures heat – sending it back to earth – earth temperature rises – melting of polar ice caps – beach front property in Utah.

Draw a cycle that includes Oxygen and Carbon dioxide – plants and a human

1.2 Draw the nitrogen cycle – include plant – animal – factory – decomposers -

What causes acid rain? Nitrogen and Sulfur from burning of fossil fuels?

What is eutrophication / algae blooms Fertilizer that gets into the lake – plants grow, die – decompose – use the oxygen in the lake Fish die

Explain how water is a limiting factor in various ecosystems

What is a limiting factor? Abiotic or biotic factors that define weather or not an organism can survive are limiting factors. Examples of limiting factors are? food, temperature, water, predators.

What is the number one limiting factor and why? Water – all living organisms require it.

What is the difference between inference and evidence Evidence is measurable and illuminates bias

What would be the best source for a scientific evidence? - newspaper, magazine, scientific journal or Internet article ? Scientific Journal

When Evaluating the impact of personal choices in relation to the cycling of matter within an ecosystem what are some things to consider? – think of automobiles, land fields, processed and packaged food. Impact of automobiles on the carbon cycle Impact on land-fields – land usage an pollutants processed and packaged foods. – bad for you bad for the land - packaging – not biodegradable. Ecological footprint: release of greenhouse gases, all is driven by personal choice -

Objective 3 – Interactions Symbiosis – what are the 3 types 1. Mutualism – both benefit 2. Commensalism – one benefits – one is not affected 3. Parasitism – one benefits and the other is harmed

Explain Predator and prey Predator depends on prey for food Prey depend on predator to control population

What would happen to the grass population if the Lynx population went away It would decrease