1. 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

2. 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

3. Ecosystems: abiotic & biotic factors

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

5. 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,

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. Sand Demonstration

10. Energy Transfer Video Clip

11. Microscopic Food Chains are SWEET!

12. 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

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

14. 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?

15. Aquatic Life Zones at Coe Lake
Littoral
Limnetic
Profundal
Benthic

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

17. Poor Riparian Zone at Coe Lake
Notes Here:

18. Poor Riparian Zone Along Lake Erie Shoreline
Notes:

19. Soil Profile
Notes Here:

20. Leaf Litter Organisms Food Web

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

22. Trees Trees Trees

23. More Plants
Serviceberry
Tupelo Tree

24. Animals at Coe Lake

25. Environmental Issues Habitat Degradation & Invasives

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

27. 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

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

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

30. Parts of A Microscope