1. Ecosystems Unit Activity 1.2 Key Features of Ecosystems
Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy
Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University
Ecosystems Unit Activity 1.2 Key Features of Ecosystems

2. What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a group of living and nonliving things in a place that has a specific climate, landforms, soil types, and vegetation. What types of ecosystems can you name?
Students debrief from the pretest and brainstorm initial ideas about ecosystems.
Ask students to share their ideas and questions about ecosystems. Students will likely have heard the word “ecosystem” before. You may want to tell them that the word combines two Greek root words that mean “house” (eco) and “to combine” (system). What ideas do they have about what defines an ecosystem? Show students Slide 2 from Lesson 1.2 Carbon in our Ecosystems Presentation to define an ecosystem. Ask if the students can name some ecosystem types (desert, forest, prairie, tundra, etc.).

3. Where is the meadow ecosystem?
Students identify the meadow ecosystem and things that live there.
Have students locate a meadow ecosystem in the aerial photo in Slides 3-4. Show Slide 5 to look at different pictures of meadows. Have students list all of the living things that they think may live in a meadow and record them on the board or on Slide 6. (Note: the meadow image on Slides 3 and 4 is from 44°00'19.99" N 85°58'59.62" W in Manistee National Park. Historical imagery of this meadow can be viewed in Google Earth. It is likely a man-made meadow since it didn’t exist before 2009.)
Image Credit: Map layers from © MapBox; © OpenStreetMap contributors
This meadow is in the Manistee National Park.

4. Meadow ecosystem is outlined in red
Meadow ecosystem is outlined in red. The rest of the image is a forest ecosystem.
Students identify the meadow ecosystem and things that live there (cont.)
Have students locate a meadow ecosystem in the aerial photo in Slides 3-4.
Image Credit: Map layers from © MapBox; © OpenStreetMap contributors
This meadow is in the Manistee National Park.

5. Zoom to the land surface
Students identify the meadow ecosystem and things that live there (cont.)
Show Slide 5 to look at different pictures of meadows.
Image Credit: Hannah Miller, Michigan State University

6. Meadow ecosystems have many living things:
Plants:
Animals:
Students identify the meadow ecosystem and things that live there (cont.)
Have students list all of the living things that they think may live in a meadow and record them on the board or on Slide 6.
Meadows may include:
Plants– grasses, golden rod, tree seedlings (oak, pine, maple), clover, daisy, milkweed, etc
Animals– rabbits, birds, insects (ants, bees, grasshoppers), foxes, deer, snakes etc

7. Where is the carbon in the ecosystem?
Name all the places where you would find carbon in an ecosystem: 1.
Students discuss where carbon is located in this ecosystem.
Have students list all the places where they would find carbon in an ecosystem in Slide 7 (or on the board). Examples include plant and animal tissues, soil (dead material as well as microorganisms), and air.
Note: Remind students that in the Systems & Scale Unit they learned that organic carbon is bonded to hydrogen or other carbon atoms, while inorganic carbon is not. Organic molecules (such as C6H12O6) have more energy stored in their bonds than inorganic molecules (such as CO2).
In Slide 8, have students list the types of molecules they would find the carbon atoms in, and which of the molecules are organic versus inorganic.
Go back to Slide 7 (or the board) and put a star next to all of the places where carbon is organic. Reminder: the inorganic carbon is in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. All of the other carbon is organic. (Optional: have students identify all the places where they could find carbon in their drawing, and put a star next to the places that have organic carbon.)

8. Where is the carbon in the ecosystem?
For all of the places you named, what kinds of molecules are the carbon atoms in? Which of those molecules are organic, and which are inorganic?
Students discuss where carbon is located in this ecosystem (cont.)
Have students list the types of molecules they would find the carbon atoms in, and which of the molecules are organic versus inorganic. Go back to Slide 7 (or the board) and put a star next to all of the places where carbon is organic. Reminder: the inorganic carbon is in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon in all other pools is organic. (Optional: have students identify all the places where they could find carbon in their drawing, and put a star next to the places that have organic carbon.)
In Slide 8, have students list the types of molecules they would find the carbon atoms in, and which of the molecules are organic versus inorganic.
Go back to Slide 7 (or the board) and put a star next to all of the places where carbon is organic. Reminder: the inorganic carbon is in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon in all other pools is organic. (Optional: have students identify all the places where they could find carbon in their drawing, and put a star next to the places that have organic carbon.)

9. Where are the producers?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Students identify groups of organisms that have similar roles in an ecosystem.
Use the picture of a meadow in Slides 9-12 to identify producers, herbivores, carnivores and decomposers in an ecosystem. Introduce the role of each of those types of organisms.
The producers are the plants. They are called producers because they make food for themselves (and for all other organisms) through the process of photosynthesis.
Producers do photosynthesis to create organic materials for food and for the materials that make up their parts

10. Where are the herbivores?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Students identify groups of organisms that have similar roles in an ecosystem.
Use the picture of a meadow in Slides 9-12 to identify producers, herbivores, carnivores and decomposers in an ecosystem. Introduce the role of each of those types of organisms.
The herbivores are the rabbits. They get their food (matter & energy) from the plants.
Herbivores eat plants and digest plant materials for food and for the organic materials that make up their parts

11. Where is the carnivore?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Students identify groups of organisms that have similar roles in an ecosystem.
Use the picture of a meadow in Slides 9-12 to identify producers, herbivores, carnivores and decomposers in an ecosystem. Introduce the role of each of those types of organisms.
The carnivore is the wolf. Its food (matter & energy) is the rabbits.
Carnivores eat other animals and digest animal materials for food and for the organic materials that make up their parts

12. Where are the decomposers?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Students identify groups of organisms that have similar roles in an ecosystem.
Use the picture of a meadow in Slides 9-12 to identify producers, herbivores, carnivores and decomposers in an ecosystem. Introduce the role of each of those types of organisms.
Decomposers are fungi and bacteria that live in the soil.
Decomposers eat dead stuff and digest dead materials for food and for the organic materials that make up their parts

13. Looking ahead: the Ecosystems Unit
Each ecosystem has particular groups of producers, herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers.
We will be tracing matter and energy through different types of ecosystems to identify patterns common to all ecosystems.
We will pay particular attention to the form of carbon (organic or inorganic) and the processes that move carbon among the parts of the ecosystem.
Use slide 13 to summarize the activity and anticipate future lessons.