1. Unit 8: Ecology Do Now: 1.What is ecology? 2.Draw a food chain that includes ravens, squirrels, and oak trees (acorns). 3.Now, turn your food chain into a food web by adding voles (a small mouse-like mammal) and red-tailed hawks.

2. Earth at Night Drill: This year (2007), a United Nations report completed by 2,000 scientists from over 100 countries made the following statement: “changes in climate are now affecting physical and biological systems on every continent.” How can this be proven scientifically?

3. New Era of Earth’s History? Ecology is the study of organisms and how they interact with the environment in which they exist. Humans are global organisms that are having a serious effect on ecosystems around the world.

4. Humanity’s Impact The human population has grown EXTREMELY large over past several hundred years. It only makes sense that as The number of people increases, so does the effect we have on Earth’s environments.

6. Arctic Marine Ecosystem

7. Question break 1. List at least 3 of the abiotic processes or factors that affect this ecosystem. 2. Would you consider the phytoplankton a population or a community? Why? 3. Predict what might happen to the polar bear population if the fish population left the ecosystem to find colder water. This would be a disturbance to the ecosystem.

8. Major Effects Humans Have Had 1: Changing the atmosphere:

9. Major Effects Humans Have Had 2: Changing weather patterns, and destroying ecosystems

10. WARNING: THE PLANET YOU ARE LIVING ON IS EXPERIENCING MASS EXTINCTIONS Species are becoming extinct at a rate faster now than any time In the last 65,000,000 years, when the dinosaurs died off. In 2006, 162 species of mammals are “CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.” Redlist 2006 Definition: “considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.” www.RedList.org

11. 4: Global Warming

13. Effects of Global Warming

14. Ecology Example Walrus Odobenus rosmarus

15. The Abiotic parts Global Warming is changing the environment of the walrus by reducing the amount of arctic sea ice it lives on.

16. Measurement Most of the Bering Sea is experiencing rapid warming, and walrus, polar bear, and seal populations are just a few of the many species in decline or forced further north to try to find food.

17. It’s Up to You. Will your children inherit a world without polar bears and many other species? Knowledge is power, and fixing these problems will be tough. What can you do?