Do Now Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful break! What does the word “Organic” mean? Why is there an organic section in the food store? So Can eating inorganic foods be harmful to us? Why or why not?
The Effects of inorganic foods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPirDWfxfKc So if eating organic foods is better for us, why do we even use pesticides?
What about our Ecosystem? Can these pesticides sprayed on our foods hurt the ecosystem? Why or why not?
Bioaccumulation vs. Biomagnification What do you think these words mean? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZk6vcmLcKw Can you think of any examples where the use of chemicals started off with good intentions, but ended with harmful effects? HW: find a current event that describes toxins being used today, and what effects they are having on the environment.
Do Now Toxins are spilling into our environment everyday! Some we are aware of, others go unnoticed. Each of you have researched a chemical that is currently used today, and has some influence in the environment. Is the influence of your chemical good, bad, or neutral to the environment? How so? Is it possible for a chemical to be a combination of those options? Why or why not? If there is a negative influence, how can we change that without taking away the purpose of using that chemical?
Objectives Describe the influence that multiple chemicals can have on the environment Create solutions to help counteract the influence chemicals are having on the environment Develop arguments using scientific reasoning/evidence
Battle of the toxins Toxins have been causing chaos in your environment! Your group is an organization assigned to study these toxins, understand their purpose, and understand how they are affecting the environment. Your mission: develop a solution(s) that will not hinder the purpose of using the chemical, but will not harm the environment anymore. Ex: If the purpose was for mosquito control, how can you control mosquitoes without causing the environment detrimental harm? You are to present your findings to a board of investors to convince them your solution(s) are the best answers to the problem in hopes they will provide the money you need to accomplish the task.
Do Now: (almost) Lab day!! Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) has been spreading into the ecosystem! Affecting both water and land organisms! Grab the lab handout off my desk, and begin reading the scenario and procedure Then answer the pre-lab Questions.
Objectives Visualize and explain the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification Calculate the amount of energy gain/lost through the energy transfers of a typical food chain. Recall trophic level names and energy characteristics
Do Now There is a total of 450 wheat grain In a wide open field. The mice that eat the grain consume about 25 pieces each. Snakes consume 3 mice, and the hawk is able to consume 3 snakes. Create a pyramid of numbers using the information above. There was a spill of mercury in the ecosystem allowing biomagnification to occur. What happens to the toxin when an organism, like the hawk, dies?
Do Now the hawks from the previous do now was examined to determine the cause of death. The lab results came back indicating a total of 164 ppm of mercury in their tissues. Create a pyramid indicating the average amount of Mercury found per organism.