Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
In this lesson you will be looking at how human activities can impact on ecosystems by:
investigating the impact of human activities on various ecosystems, considering both useful and detrimental effects
considering the impact of plastic pollution on oceans
following a scientific investigation into the effect of temperature on the growth of algae.
Inquiry questions and intentions
Inquiry questions and intentions
Inquiry questions:
How can human activities affect food chains, food webs and ecosystems?
How does plastic pollution affect aquatic ecosystems?
Learning intentions:
To understand how ecosystems can be impacted by human activities.
To be able to use food chains and food webs to show possible impacts.
To be able to suggest possible solutions to the problem of plastic pollution.
About:
Sometimes activities of humans affect the numbers of one species in a food chain. Humans activities can destroy natural habitats of plants, animals and other organisms or directly impact on animal and plant numbers. These activities include land clearing, pollution, urbanisation, industrialisation, tourism and introduced pest species. Climate change is also having a direct impact on ecosystems in Australia.
Activity 1: What do you already know about this topic?
Activity 1: What do you already know about this topic?
Consider the question "How do humans affect ecosystems?"
We might have positive or negative effects on plants and animals in the ecosystems.
Click on the image of the Brainstorm bubble to open the Brainstorming page on the Digital Learning Selector.
Choose one of the templates available and make a copy for yourself.
Edit the document to add in all your ideas about how humans impact ecosystems.
Activity 2: Changing ecosystems
Activity 2: Changing ecosystems
Task 1 - Investigating changing ecosystems
Task 1 - Investigating changing ecosystems
Using the links and information below, investigate the following three ecosystems that have been significantly changed over the last 20 years.
Record the issues you can see, your observations of what has happened and the impacts they have had in the Issues, observation and impacts table.
Click on the button to open a new tab and view the Google Doc activity sheet.
Click on the Use Template button to create a copy for you to edit.
Biodiversity hotspot in Madagascar
Watch the video on the Biodiversity hotspot case study: Madagascar.
Read this article on loss of biodiversity in Madagascar on the World Wildlife website.
Use the embedded Google Earth Engine and select Deforestation Toliara and Saint Augustin, Madagascar to observe the time lapse. What do you notice?
Bushfires in South Australia
Use the embedded Google Earth Engine and select Yellabinna, South Australia to observe the time lapse. What do you notice?
Urbanisation around Sydney
Use the embedded Google Earth Engine and search for Sydney, NSW. Observe the time lapse. What differences do you observe? Why do you think this has occurred?
Task 2 - Choose your own location
Task 2 - Choose your own location
Use the embedded Google Earth Engine above and search for a place you would like to investigate. Record the name in the same document you used for Task 1.
What do you notice?
Why do you think this has occurred?
Activity 3: Plastic pollution
Activity 3: Plastic pollution
In this activity you will investigate the problem of plastic pollution. Humans’ plastic waste can affect food chains and food webs in the ocean. Think about possible solutions to this growing problem.
Task 1 - Plastic in ocean around Bali
Task 1 - Plastic in ocean around Bali
Watch the video 'So much plastic!': British diver films deluge of waste off Bali.
In your exercise book or folder, record what you see, think and wonder.
'So much plastic!': British diver films deluge of waste off Bali
Duration: 1:15
Task 2 - The journey of plastic waste
Task 2 - The journey of plastic waste
View the Ted-Ed talk on 'What really happens to the plastic you throw away' .
Draw a simple flowchart in your exercise book or folder to show the journey of a plastic bottle.
Task 3 - Where does it end up?
Task 3 - Where does it end up?
Go to the Plastics Adrift interactive on the Plastics Adrift website.
Place the rubber duck in the water in Sydney, Perth, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo and observe where the pollution moves to over the following 10 years.
Record your findings for each city in your exercise book or folder.
Task 4 - Plastic Tracker
Task 4 - Plastic Tracker
For a closer look, at where plastic waste ends up, click on the image to visit the Plastic Tracker website.
Use the website to complete the activity sheet.
Click on the button to open a new tab and view the Google Doc activity sheet.
Click on the Use Template button to create a copy for you to edit.
Task 5 - ABC Science video
Task 5 - ABC Science video
Watch this video on the impact that plastics is having on impacts on marine wildlife and systems.
Plastic Oceans | What is the impact of pollution in the sea?
Duration: 12:18
Task 6 - What can I do?
Task 6 - What can I do?
There are lots of ways that we can all help solve the problem of plastic pollution.
For example, we can pick up plastic litter from the beach, stop using single use plastic bags, recycle plastics when we can or avoid buying bottled water.
What are some other solutions to the problem of plastic pollution?
Use the fishbone diagram template below to break down the problem and demonstrate your ideas.
Click on the button to open a new tab and view the Google Sheets template.
Click on the Use Template button to create a copy for you to edit.
Use your completed fishbone diagram to answer the following questions in your exercise book or folder.
What can you do to help?
How would this improve the health of the ocean food web?
Further exploration
Further exploration
Complete these questions in your exercise book or folder:
Where in the ocean would be the most effective spots to put plastic-removing devices? Justify your choices.
If you were to design a device for removing plastic (including very tiny pieces of microplastic) from the ocean, what would it look like? How would it work? Feel free to draw it!
Discover the Great Pacific Garbage Patch!
The largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world is in Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Watch the video Great Pacific Garbage Patch explained to find out more about the Ocean Clean-up project, which was started in 2018.
Reading circle: read one of these articles in Cosmos and share your thoughts with your friends.
Activity 4: Science at work
Activity 4: Science at work
A high school student, who had been learning about food webs and ocean ecosystems, was interested in finding out more about algae.
On a coral reef, algae capture energy from the Sun to produce oxygen and sugars which they provide to the coral polyps. Many different fish eat algae.
The student thought about the effect of climate change and wondered what might happen to the algae if the water became warmer. The student decided to do an experiment.
This video explains what the student did in the experiment.
Experiment results
Duration: 8:46
Task 1
Task 1
Watch the video explaining the investigation that the student performed.
Use your scientific investigation skills to complete the quiz below.
Task 2
Task 2
To practice your science report writing skills, your final task is to complete a report for this investigation.
First, open the Investigation report document and use information from the video and your answers to the quiz to record the variables, add to the equipment list and complete the results table.
Next you need to turn your results into a simple line graph. You have TWO choices for how you complete this activity. Only complete the activity ONE of these ways.
Complete this task online using Excel or Google Sheets.
Complete this task in your exercise book or folder by hand.
Click on the button to open a new tab and view the Google Doc activity sheet.
Click on the Use Template button to create a copy for you to edit.
Choice 1: Graphing online using Excel or Google sheets
Create a new Excel or Google Sheets file. Don't forget to label the file something useful so you can find it again. You could use Algae investigation line graph as the name for example.
Copy the information you need from your results table into the spreadsheet.
Create a line graph using the data.
Need help? Watch How to Make a Line Graph in Excel on YouTube to get a brief introduction to how to create a graph in Excel or read and watch how to create your graph in Google Sheets on the Google website.
Select your completed graph and the copy and paste it into your Investigation report document.
Choice 2: Graphing by hand
The first step is draw out your blank graph on some grid paper.
Hint: The independent Variable goes on the x-axis (this is the variable that you changed).
Look at your values for the y-axis and work out what scale you will use. Remember that the distance between each mark has to be the same.
Plot each of your data pairs as a point on your graph.
Hand draw a line of best fit.
Take a photo of your graph and then paste the image into your Investigation report document. ready to submit to your teacher.
Finally you need to use your results and your graph to complete the Conclusion.
Handing in your work
Handing in your work
Don't forget to hand in the work you completed today!
Your teacher will have told you to do one of the following:
Upload any digital documents you created and any photos you took of your written work to your Learning Management system (MS Teams, Google Classroom for example).
Email any digital documents you created and any photos you took of your written work to your teacher.
Make sure you keep any hand written work you did in your exercise book or folder as your teacher may need to see these when you are back in class.
Student reflection
Student reflection
Show how do you feel about today’s learning? (smiley faces)
Page updated
Report abuse