1. Ecosystems

2. BELLWORK Imagine that you live in a closed ecosystem (nothing can come in or out). List some of the things your ecosystem would need for your survival.

3. Acorns Kill Gypsy Moths In 1995, a community had a big problem with gypsy moths killing trees and damaging other things. Mice eat gypsy moths, but something had recently happened that killed many of the mice in the area...

4. Acorns Kill Gypsy Moths Local scientists decided to plant acorns in an effort to control the gypsy moth population. Why would they do this? How does this work?

5. ANSWER The abundance of acorns allowed the mouse population to increase. As the mice increased, they ate the moths, causing them moth population to decrease. However, tick-carrying deer were also attracted to the acorns, so more people began to be bitten by ticks, resulting in an increase in Lyme Disease!

6. Moral of the Story In an ecosystem, everything is related. ecosystem - All of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.

7. Factors The acorns, mice, moths, deer, and ticks are all examples of biotic factors. biotic factor - living or previously living parts of an ecosystem.

8. Other factors However, biotic factors are not the only thing that affects an ecosystem. Sunlight, temperature, air, and water are all examples of abiotic factors. abiotic factor - nonliving parts of an ecosystem

9. Major Health Problems In the early 1950’s, malaria was a huge problem in Borneo. Mosquitoes would carry the disease from person to person, and it was spreading wildly. To combat this disease, health officials decided to spray large amount of a chemical called DDT throughout the air.

11. Group Activity The spraying of this chemical had many unintended consequences. You are going to work with your group to piece together the events of this story. Whichever group correctly orders the event will win a prize.

12. Group Activity Assignment: ●Arrange the events of Borneo in chronological order. ●You have 20 minutes to finish. ●You will submit your answers as a group in the form of a timeline. ●Put everyone’s name on the final copy.

13. Which is which? With your group, trying to match the vocabulary words with the pictures. Beside each, write a description of the word.

14. ANSWERS

15. Vocabulary Words organism - an individual living thing species - a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce fertile offspring population - all the members of the same species that live in the same place community - a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other

16. Homework Assignment: 1) Choose an animal you are pretty familiar with. 2) Write a “biography” of your animal, including: a) A one paragraph description of its habitat, including both biotic and abiotic factors b) A connections web that includes at least 15 different factors.