Yellowstone Food Chain Energy Flow

Yellowstone Park The food web of the ecosystems within Yellowstone National Park are very complex and varied. We are just focusing on one simple food chain for this mini- lab.

Our Food Chain Aquatic Plants Aquatic Insect Trout Bear

Food Chain Rules Each person will select one bag – plant, insect, trout or bear. You will have to follow the niche rules for that organism. What it eats and what eats it. This simulation can only work if you follow the directions – You get out what you put in!!! You HAVE to interact with the person that is randomly generated.

Interaction Rules 1. Your interaction follows the food chain. If you eat the organism you interact with then he/she gives you 5 beans from his/her bag (you put them into your bag) Then you BOTH place 2 beans into the LOSER bin. 2. You are the same organism OR your interaction does not follow the food chain (like bear and insect) then the only thing to do is BOTH place 2 beans into the LOSER bin. 3. Finally for PLANTS only after each interaction you quickly get 10 beans from the SUPPLY bin. 4. If you run out of beans sit down your organism is dead.

Checking for Understanding What happens if……. Bear and Trout meet? Answer: Trout gives Bear 5 beans and both put two each into LOSER bin.

Checking for Understanding What happens if……. Insect and Insect meet? Answer: NOTHING BUT both put two each into LOSER bin.

Checking for Understanding What happens if……. Plant and Insect meet? Answer: Plant gives Insect 5 beans and both put two each into LOSER bin. AND plant gets 10 NEW beans from supply bin.

Checking for Understanding What happens if……. Plant and Trout meet? Answer: Nothing and both put two each into LOSER bin. AND plant gets 10 NEW beans from supply bin.

5 Rounds with Random Generator (at least)

After all rounds… In your journal and on the board record your organisms name and the number of beans you have in the bag. Record the whole class data table in your journal. Organism Number of beans left at end Total number of Beans Plant Insect Trout Bear

After all rounds… Reset your bag. – Make sure you only have 15!! Either get some more or take them out to make 15. Place all extra beans into the SUPPLY bin.

Graph Data In your journal create a bar graph of the data Beans on the y axis Organisms on the x IN THIS ORDER: BEARS, TROUT, INSECTS AND THEN PLANTS

Discussion Questions What do the beans represent? Which organism finished with the most beans? Explain what happened by using the term “energy flow”.

Discussion Questions Which organism finished with the least beans? Explain what happened by using the term “energy flow”. What does the supply bin of beans represent?

Discussion Questions What vocabulary term describes organisms that eat producers? What vocabulary term describes organisms that eat primary consumers? What vocabulary term describes organisms that eat secondary consumers?

Discussion Questions What do the arrows represent? What would have happened to the bears if they could have gotten beans from aquatic plants? What happens to the number of beans as you move up through the food chain?

Discussion Questions Why did each interaction require the organism to lose 2 beans? Which level of your Yellowstone food web contained the most energy? Do you think this is true for all ecosystems? Why?

Biomass The total mass of all living organisms in the environment.

Energy Pyramid: What % of energy is passed up each level?

Rule of 10

5 Summary Statements Record 5 summary statements in your journal about this mini-lab. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Share with quad pod Then share with class…

Model Use the piece of poster paper to create a model of the energy flow we demonstrated in this mini-lab Together we will create a class model

Teacher notes Plants = ½ of class Insects = ¼ of class Trout = 1/6 of class Bears = 1/12 of class