2. Ecology - 2017 (B & C) NY coaches meeting J.D. Lewis NY test writer
@astorialis

3. Ecology events and rotation
In for 2017 and 2018
Other events in this rotation:
Water quality
Green generation
Focus is on principles of ecology related to terrestrial ecosystems:
2017: tundra, taiga and forests
2018: deserts and grasslands

4. Objectives
Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of ecology, terrestrial biomes and human impacts on ecosystems
Emphasis on process skills related to ecology, including data, graph and diagram analysis
(2001)

5. Event components Three main areas, weighted roughly equally
I. Principles of Ecology
II. Terrestrial Ecosystems:
tundra, taiga and forests
basic concepts of biodiversity
III. Human Impacts on Ecosystems

6. Event parameters Teams of up to two Each team may bring: Format: exam
single 8.5” x 11” two-sided page with information in any form from any source
up to two non-programmable, non-graphing calculators
Format: exam
50 minutes

7. General principles of ecology
Ecology: how organisms interact with one another and with their environment
Environment: living and non-living components
abiotic: non-living component or physical factors as soil, rainfall, sunlight, temperatures
biotic: living component
(2001)

8. Ecological organization
Can be an individual, population, community, ecosystem or the biosphere
Each smaller system is a subset of the next larger system

9. Ecology of populations
Properties of populations
Patterns of distribution and density
Intra-specific competition
Population dynamics
Growth and regulation
Altering population growth
Extinction, migration, selection
Human impacts

10. Ecology of populations
Population dynamics includes density dependent and independent factors, carrying capacity, doubling time, growth curves and calculating population growth
(2001)

11. Ecology of communities
Open vs. closed communities
Species abundance and diversity
Species interactions:
e.g., be able to differentiate between symbioses and mutualisms
Food webs and trophic pyramids
food chains and food webs
number, biomass and energy pyramids

12. Food webs and trophic pyramids
Be able to diagram food webs and predict what would happen if a trophic level were reduced or increased
Understand and apply the different types of trophic pyramids
(2001)

13. Nutrient cycling Water, P, N, C
In addition to knowing the basics, be able to predict adaptations for the rates of nutrient cycling in tundras, taigas and forests
(2001)

14. C only - state and nationals
Life history strategies, including age structure, survival curves, life tables, succession and R vs. K strategies
Questions on these topics likely will be based on graphs, tables and similar
(2001)

15. Tundras, taigas and forests
Basic differences in abiotic and biotic factors that differentiate tundras, taigas and forests
Be able to apply the basic principles of ecology to each of these systems
As mentioned, understand adaptations that reflect each type of biome
(2001)

16. Biodiversity Combines species richness and species abundance
indices differ in the weight they place on richness vs. abundance and on common vs. rare species
Types include genetic, species and ecological diversity
Levels include alpha, beta and gamma
(2001)

17. C only - state and nationals
Questions will evaluate understanding of the mechanisms that regulate biodiversity (e.g., selection)
(2001)

18. Human impacts
Will have a fair amount of overlap with Green Generation, reflecting the specific topic areas
Will address effects of climate change, invasive species, acid rain, erosion and pollution
Be able to apply understanding of pros and cons of alternative energy
Understand the goals of conservation and mechanisms for application
Compare reclamation vs. reintroduction
(2001)

19. C only - state and nationals
Case studies!
(2001)

20. Tips Learn all the vocabulary words in the rules
Use the topics as a study guide, as well as guide to relative weight of each area
Because it will be exam-based, divide and conquer may work with the right pair of students
For part 1, questions will reflect in part recent and current topics relevant to NY and the NE US
Read Science, Nature, Science Times and similar
(2001)

21. Skills
Just to reiterate, the challenge focuses on process skills in the areas of defining variables, forming hypotheses, analyzing data and presenting data
Critical thinking skills…
Good math skills are key
Teams should combine skills reading graphs and tables
With only one sheet allowed, students will need to be able to function basically without notes
(2001)

22. Scoring High score wins… Legibility matters
Using correct units is critical
no units = partial credit
No penalty for guessing incorrectly
Tiebreakers identified in the directions
(2001)