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Task 3: Major Ecosystem Components
Task 3: Major Ecosystem Components
You just finished learning about the 4 spheres of Earth. Each of these spheres can be classified as either biotic or abiotic.
Based on what you know, what do you think biotic means? What do you think abiotic means?
Fill out this worksheet to help you figure out what the difference is. You can use Adobe PDF to edit the document, create a Google Doc and just write down your answers by number, write your answers on a piece of paper, or I can print it off for you and you can fill it out by hand.
Abiotic_vs_Biotic_Factors.pdfAfter you finish, check your work using the answer key.
All living organisms (biotic) are classified based on whether or not they make their own food.
An organism that makes its own food is called a producer, one that finds its food is called a consumer.
With the following list of organisms, determine whether they are producers or consumers:
Tree
Hawk
Salmon
Grass
Bear
Human
Mosquito
Flower
Deer
Elephant
There are also decomposers that get nutrients by breaking down nonliving biotic matter (leaves, dead animals, fallen trees, etc. . .).
All of these types of organisms live and interact together in food chains.
Look at the food chain to the right, and determine which organisms, if any, are producers, consumers, and decomposers.
After you have done that by yourself, watch the following Loom video to check your answers and learn about secondary consumers and beyond.
Remember:
a primary consumer eats a producer
a secondary consumer eats a primary consumer
and so on. . .
an herbivore eats only plants
an omnivore eats plants and animals
a carnivore eats only animals
Obviously, a real ecosystem is not that simple. There are multiple predators for each type of prey, and lots of things that eat the same producer.
As a result, we can create what is called a food web to model all the components of an ecosystem.
Watch this Loom Video about food webs to help you understand what they are and how we create them. Your checkpoint will involve creating your own food web.
These concepts are important for you to understand because your competency assessment will involve working with food chains and food webs.
Checkpoint 3:
Checkpoint 3:
This checkpoint will help me give you feedback on the competency skills in SCI.3. This checkpoint will also be direct practice for your competency assessment.
You will be creating a food web for this checkpoint and submitting it through Slate. You can chose to do this digitally or on paper. If you do it digitally, upload the file to Slate. If you do it by hand, you can either bring it to Mrs. Reseigh in room 147 or you can submit a clear picture of it (make sure it's legible).
Using the document below, create a food web. If you would like a printed copy, please come see Mrs. Reseigh and I can get one for you.
The document has multiple organisms at all three levels (producer, consumer, and decomposer). Using the information provided under each animal, create a food web using what you know about the three levels of organisms.
After you create your food web, pick one food chain (from producer to the end consumer/decomposer), and write down the pathway. Label each organism with the proper level. Turn this in with your food web.
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