1. Lesson 1 Introduction to Ecology Sections 34-1-4

2. Do Now: Study the scientists at work
Do Now: Study the scientists at work. What observations may they be making? Be sepecific!
Picture 2
Picture 1
Picture 3
Difference between an observation and an inference is…

3. Ecologists….
Scientifically study of the interactions of organisms with their environments
Identify environmental variables: abiotic (nonliving) or biotic (living)
Looks at the organism’s habitat
Study environmental interactions at several levels
Ecology is the study of…..

4. Levels of Environmental Organization Small Group Activity: Answers to be written in notebooks
Each group will be given a set of pictures and a set of terms. Study the terms and discuss their meaning. Now look at the pictures. Discuss what you see with each other.
Assign a term to each of the pictures. Once you have assigned a term, state why the term goes with the picture in your notebook. Be able to tell your teacher.
Now write the terms from MOST inclusive to LEAST inclusive. State your reason.
How are the pictures of the community and ecosystem different? Explain.
Clean up.

6. ORGANISM
COMMUNITY
BIOSPHERE
POPULATION
ECOSYSTEM

7. Organism
Issue
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Population

8. Ecological issues are studied and focus usually at…
Organism level
Population level
Community level
Ecosystem level
Combination of two levels
Project: Locate a newspaper, magazine, or journal article that describes a current ecological issue. Read
the article. Which level of are ecologists studying?

9. Reflect
Are there references to the our learning about levels of ecological organization in the poem below?

10. Due: Fri, 9/15 Objectives of Global Ecological Issue Project
1. Raise one’s awareness of ecological issues in today’s world.
2. Understand a current ecological issue of one’s choice.
3. Use credible sources to research a current ecological issue.
4. Describe the issue and relate it to one of the ecological levels of organization.
5. Present the finding in a typewritten two paragraph summary, double spaced, font size 12, Calibri or Arial or Times New Roman font. No More than 2 type-written pages
Name
Period
Date
Global Issue Project
Title of Article
Publication
Paragraph 1: Summary of the Article – What, Who, Where, When, How
Paragraph 2: Identify which to which ecological level of organization the article’s issue relates and state why.
Work Cited
Use proper MLA or APA format for your article.
Due: Fri, 9/15

11. Homework Assignment
Chapter 34 “The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth’s Diverse Environments: Read and outline (R/O) Sections

12. What is the difference between the terms “species” and “population’?
Species is a group of similar organisms that breed and produce fertile offspring
Population is a group of similar organisms that breed and produce fertile offspring in a given area.