This lesson is intended for teaching AQA A2 biology and should take hours depending on class size and how much time they spend on solo. The reading activity in the end is just in case they finish early. The information about NY moors conservation was gained from talking to National Park volunteers with a display caravan near the Hole of Horecam in N Yorkshire. I hope it will test the students’ ability to evaluate on a topic which may be quite controversial.

GUESS THE LESSON TOPIC Pioneer species – how ecosystems develop

Objectives To define ‘succession’ and ‘community’ To list the order in which organisms will occupy an area over time To explain why these changes occur To evaluate habitat management

Think/pair/share Write definitions of these words: Ecosystem Biotic factor Abiotic factor Community Population If you are unsure of the meaning of any of these words, use the glossary on moodle to check, and LEARN THEM

Succession The changes over time in the species that occupy a particular area Write this down and learn it Can you think of any environments where new communities might develop?

Bare rock or barren land may result from…. Glaciers Lakes formed due to land subsidence Silt and mud at river estuaries

Colonisation by pioneer species Which type of organism would be well adapted to colonising a bare, hostile (ie no nutrients, no shelter) environment? Discuss together and write a LIST of what the organisms would need to do. Think about: How does the organism get there in the first place (seeds, spores?) What do the seeds/spores then need to do? Where do energy, carbon and nitrogen come from? Will there be shelter, water, habitats? 5 minutes

Typical colonisers…. Large quantities of wind-dispersed seeds/spores Rapid germination Photosynthetic Fix nitrogen Tolerate extreme conditions Make notes! What does this mean?

Stages of succession – SOLO activity At each stage, species change the environment, enabling the next species to develop What species grow here? What species are on this rock? What happens when these species die – link to last topic!!

Uni structural I can define the terms ‘succession’ and ‘climax community’ (use the text book if necessary) Multi structural I can identify a pioneer species and put a range of organisms in the order in which they would appear in a new community RelationalI can explain why organisms appear in a particular order (you need to think about the carbon and nitrogen cycles for this) Extended abstract I can evaluate ways of managing habitats and conservation

SOLO stations Write the definition of succession and community – check your answer in the text book Put a range of organisms in the correct order in which they would appear in a new environment Create a flow chart showing how one organism would prepare the environment to enable the next one to grow Answer evaluation question If you are stuck, use the text book or work together

Note to teachers – I used a range of ‘real’ organisms eg lichens, mosses, plus a stuffed dead pigeon we have in college (yes really!) also some of those laminated guides to wild flowers, trees etc. You could use pictures instead.

North Yorkshire Moors – the heather would not be there if the moors were not ‘managed’ Heather enables grouse to breed (food and shelter) So the grouse can be shot…………..

Without conservation the NY moors would look like this

The North Yorkshire Moors are not naturally covered in heather, without human intervention they would be colonised with bracken. The moor is ‘managed’ – bracken is cleared with herbicides to enable the heather to grow. The heather is important for the grouse (they nest within the heather and young shoots provide food for their young). Heather is deliberately burnt every year to enable the young shoots to regrow. People who shoot grouse – ‘guns’ rely on the moors being ‘managed’ so that they have a supply of grouse to shoot (shooting season begins August 12 th when the baby grouse are big enough to shoot). Evaluate the decision by the land owners to manage the land (land owners are often ‘guns’ and shooting generates a lot of revenue and local employment, it is a country tradition). You need to consider points for and against maintaining the heather. Tourism is very important in North Yorkshire as there is little local employment other than farming, many people will travel to see the heather and spend money in the local area – travelling usually involves petrol! Without the revenue from shooting the land owners could not afford to manage the land and it would revert to bracken. Write a list of bullet points, or a mind map, or a flow chart setting out your evaluation of this topic. Read p108 for ideas. For homework write your notes up into an essay (practise evaluation skills for synoptic essay)

Reading activity Using the text book p105, draw a flow chart showing the stages of succession which eventually lead to increased biomass. Complete the application activity on p106/107 Teachers – this refers to Toole and Toole A2 book