Coe Lake Outdoor Science Education Life Science Unit Life Science I. Ecosystems & Food Chains from Water to Land w/ Biotic & Abiotic Lab II. Soil Profiles w/ Leaf Litter Lab

Ecosystem An ecosystem is comprised of the living and nonliving components interacting with one another. Abiotic – non-living EX: soil moisture, pH, DO, nitrate, phosphate, amount of sunlight Biotic- living EX: centipedes, millipedes, bass, pickerel weed

Ecosystems: abiotic & biotic factors

Ecosystems are Interconnected Notes here: (talk about deciduous forest ecosystem, riparian zone ecosystem, fw ecosystem & how they are interconnected)

Coe Lake Ecosystem– Temperate Deciduous 4 distinct seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter)-remember from Day & Night Lesson? Plants – leaves change color in autumn & are dropped in winter. EX: red oak, white oak, sugar maple, sycamore, sassafras, red bud, black cherry, locust, river birch, american elm Animals – many hibernate during winter EX: american toad, ground squirrel-chipmunk, arboreal squirrel-gray squirrel, opossum, raccoon, cardinal,

What is a food chain? A food chain shows how each living thing gets its food. It shows the energy flow through an ecosystem. Some animals eat plants (herbivores) Some animals eat other animals (carnivores). Each link in this chain is food for the next link. A food chain always starts with plant life and ends with an animal.

Energy Moves Through Food Chains The circle above represents the producer. All of the stored energy in the body of the producer organism is eaten by the primary consumer. The circle above represents the primary consumer. A small portion of the producer's original energy is stored in the primary consumer. The circle above represents the secondary consumer. Only a very small fraction (shown in green) of the producer's original energy is stored by the secondary consumer. This energy is taken into the body of the tertiary consumer.

As the energy is passed along the food chain much of it is either used or lost. (to run the body (metabolism), stored as biomass, waste (fecal matter) and/or heat. The pyramid below is a way of showing how the numbers of organisms decrease along the food chain, finishing with the top carnivore at the apex. A = plankton, B = shrimp, C = fish, D = seagull

Sand Demonstration

Energy Transfer Video Clip

Microscopic Food Chains are SWEET!

Microscopic Life is Really Important in Food Chains Life (algae, protists,bacteria) you can not see Need microscope to see EX: Daphnia, Copepods, Paramecium, Euglena, Diatoms, bacteria

ID Parts of A Typical Food Chain at Coe Lake Notes Here:

What is a food web? Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. This is a food web! What about decomposers?

Aquatic Life Zones at Coe Lake Littoral Limnetic Profundal Benthic

Riparian Zone Habitat areas that surround water bodies in the watershed and are composed of moist to saturated soils, water-loving plant species

Poor Riparian Zone at Coe Lake Notes Here:

Poor Riparian Zone Along Lake Erie Shoreline Notes:

Soil Profile Notes Here:

Leaf Litter Organisms Food Web

Prairie Habitat Living birdfeeder Deep roots, hold soil >reduce soil pollution/run-off > improve water quality > retain moisture in ground Provides habitat & food

Trees Trees Trees

More Plants Serviceberry Tupelo Tree

Animals at Coe Lake

Environmental Issues Habitat Degradation & Invasives

LABS for Food Chains Abtioic/Biotic Lab Analysis of Disturbed vs Undisturbed Habitat Coe Lake Water Sample Food Chain Lab

Coe Lake Biotic/Abiotic Lab Hand out lab procedures and review. Soil Component: soil will be tested for pH, temperature, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, moisture Water Component: water will be tested for pH, temperature, DO, electrical conductivity, nitrate, phosphate, fecal coliform

Analysis of A Local Ecosystem: Disturbed & Undisturbed Hand out laboratory investigation and review procedures 

Coe Lake Water Sample Food Chain Lab See next slide for microscope review…

Parts of A Microscope