Build your Ecosystem By: Frank Klauder

What is an Ecosystem? An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. (wikipedia.org)communitynonliving components

What can an Ecosystem look like?

What else can an Ecosystem look like?

Some items from the last slide were labeled but others were not did you find all of these items? algae, air, sunlight and heat, bacteria, birds, clouds, fish, a frog, fungi, a kangaroo, plankton, pond (water), protozoans, reeds, rocks, a rotting log, sand, shrub, a snail, a snake, termite mounds, insects, and trees. (On the next slide see if you can find them now.)

algae, air, sunlight and heat, bacteria, birds, clouds, fish, a frog, fungi, a kangaroo, plankton, pond (water), protozoans, reeds, rocks, a rotting log, sand, shrub, a snail, a snake, termite mounds, insects, and trees.

Ok now lets see what your group can do! Individually you will draw an ecosystem on paper. (you will have 10 minuets to do this) Next we will get into groups and share our individual ecosystems. (6 minuets total) Now we will decide what our group ecosystem will look like.

Group Ecosystem Project Each group will draw their ecosystem making sure they include some local plants, animals and microbes as well as things like air, water and mineral soil. Next the group will build a three-dimensional (3- D) Ecosystem. The group will have the following materials. Think about what your ecosystem would look like with these materials? What could you make?

1 tray 2 boxes of clay 2 sheets of tissue paper 10 tooth picks 1 pack of index cards 1 long piece of yarn 1 ruler sized stick 1 paper plate 1 glue stick 1 pair of scissors Group materials

What can you make? Can you make a tree? Can you make any of these plants, animals and microbes as well as things like air, water and mineral soil. Can your group think of anything else not mentioned? Now lets get started!

Let’s get started! One person from your group will get the supplies and bring them back to the group. As a group you will be responsible for building the 3-D Ecosystem. Once the Ecosystem is built on a piece of paper you must describe EVERYTHING in your ecosystem. Explain why you made it the way you did.