1. Changes can be observed and monitored in ecosystems

2. What we will cover….
3.1 – Investigating the Distribution of Living Things in an Environments
3.2 – Interactions and Changes Occur in Ecosystems
3.3 – Succession: How Ecosystems Changes over Time

3. Section Three Learning Outcomes
Monitor a local environment, and assess the impacts of environmental factors on the growth, health and reproduction of organisms in that environment
investigate a variety of habitats, and describe and interpret distribution patterns of living things found in those habitats
investigate and interpret evidence of interaction and change
identify signs of ecological succession in local ecosystems

4. 3.1 Investigating the Distribution of Living Things in an Environment
Introduction
Ecosystems are always changing
Can be due to natural changes: drought, floods can cause massive long term changes
Can also be due to human activity: building dams, clearing forests

5. Food for Thought?
What kind of changes do you think drought, floods, dams and forest-clearing cause?
How do these changes affect living things?
How do you think these changes can be measured and monitored?
Droughts and floods can have a lasting impact on an ecosystem. This is especially relevant when concerning climate change. As stronger and more frequent flooding and droughts occur in areas, the impact becomes even more severe. An ecosystem can be put under tremendous strain from extreme weather conditions in addition to urbanization, farming and industry.
Notes:
*The extremes test the adaptability of organisms and their ability to survive. Drought is one such extreme.
*Basically, a drought is an imbalance in the environment between the available water resources and the demand for water by plants and organisms.
*Severe droughts affect regions in a number of ways. Vegetation that requires frequent water cannot survive long under these conditions. Shrinking water sources increase competition between animals and threatens populations of aquatic life. Droughts occurring in areas with dense vegetation also increase the risk of wildfires.
*Though in some areas like river flood-plains where frequent flooding is a natural and important occurrence, excessive flooding can cause lasting damage. Like droughts, extreme flooding can impact an ecosystem by eroding the surrounding soil and uprooting the plants and trees that hold the soil in place. Floods can also leave behind toxins and pollutants picked up along the way. *Ecosystems contain a multitude of living organisms that have adapted to fill a particular physical environment. Anything that causes a change in the physical characteristics of the environment has the potential to change the ecosystem. Any activity which removes or adds organisms can change the ecosystem. Things causing change to an ecosystem are called drivers. Volcanos and invasive species are drivers that cause change in an ecosystem. Events causing an animal population to become extinct are drivers.
*Drivers cause changes in either or both of the components, and the interactions between them reduce the ecosystem's ability to provide services. The drivers can be man-made or natural. A tornado knocking down a forest would be a natural driver, while a lumber company clearing the same forest would be a man-made driver. In both cases the death of the trees changes the ecosystem. However, in the case of the lumber company, the trees are removed, creating a loss in materials from the ecosystem.
*Direct drivers are physical or biological events that change an ecosystem. They are things like climate, land conversion, disease and invasive plants. Tsunamis, typhoons, hurricanes, fires and earthquakes are physical drivers that change an ecosystem. Floods wash plants and animals away. They also cause erosion, which reshapes the face of the landscape and removes top soil. Some examples of biological drivers are diseases and invasive organisms
*Indirect drivers affect the direct drivers by altering the rate of change in an ecosystem. Indirect drivers are demographics, economics, sociopolitical, cultural, religious, scientific and technological. Demographic changes indirectly cause change to an ecosystem. For instance, the movement of people from an area of low resources to high resources changes the rate of use of ecosystem goods. In the Amazon rainforest, as farm soil loses its nutrients, the farmer moves to a new forest region, burns it and starts a new farm. Wars cause people to move, increasing the population in the new area and creating a stress on limited resources.

6. Human Impact in the Schoolyard
Students Group Activity
Reflect:
Describe two different things humans could do to have an impact of living things in your schoolyard
What different biotic factors did you noticed on our schoolyard?
Think about the places that are most frequently used in the schoolyard. Does your data prove that human use affected the number and distribution of living things in your schoolyard? Why or Why not?

7. 3.2 Interactions and Changes Occur in Ecosystems
In any ecosystem, living things need to interact with non-living things. If there is an imbalance then problems will arise
Everything changes, change will always happening, everywhere, all ecosystems.
Changes occur through:
Bioinvasion
Competition
Predation
Weather

8. Bioinvasion
Many of the plants and animals that we have in Canada were brought over by European settlers, Naturalist also introduced new species from research and some are just happy accidents. This is call Bioinvasion because these new species were and are stronger than the native species and they have no natural species as of yet which allow time to multiply. This can make a dramatic impact because it can push or eliminate the native species already here.
Refer to pages 56 and 57

9. Competition
Changes occur in an ecosystem due to interactions with other biotic and abiotic factors. One main one is competition. As most of you know who have competed in the past is when at least one and another are trying to achieve the same goal. In a ecosystem this is when biotic factors are wanting and needing the same resources for survival.

10. Predation
On top of competition you also have Predation; this is when you have one animal that preys on other animals for survival. This will work itself out when the prey runs long then the predators start to die off which will allow the prey to multiply and so forth

11. Weather
think of natural disasters, floods, temperature changes, one temperature for too long

12. Check and Reflect
Read with a partner and complete the “Check and Reflect” on page 60
Due at the end on class, One sheet pre-partner set with both names on it.

13. 3.3 Succession: How Ecosystems Change over Time
Guided Questions
Watch Video:
Go over guided questions

14. 3.3 Continued Pioneer Species:
These are known as the first species that arrive in a new place.
Regardless how harsh the survival conditions may be they will find a way to survive.
They pave the way for new species to join the community and survive

15. 3.3 Continued Succession: Primary Succession: Secondary Succession:
This can take years, decades and even centuries
One pioneer species have established themselves new species will arrive and take over. (this process repeats itself over and over)
Primary Succession:
Occurs in areas where no life exists due to an absence of soil. (volcanic island – lava flows and rock is left behind)
Secondary Succession:
This occurs when there has been a natural occurrence or human activities. The difference between this and primary is with secondary the habit has already supported life
Ex.) Farmer’s Field, a Vacant lot, a Strip Mine

16. Group Project
Cypress Hills Succession
Groups 3 – 4