The ecological role of organisms is interwoven with a clear understanding that all living things require energy.
Plants and some microorganisms are producers. They are the foundation of the food web.
Producers transform energy from the sun and make food through a process called photosynthesis.
Animals get their energy by eating plants and other animals that eat plants.
Animals are consumers and many form predator-prey relationships.
Decomposers (primarily bacteria and fungi) are consumers that use waste materials and dead organisms for food.
Decomposers also return nutrients to the ecosystem.
One way that ecosystem populations interact is centered on relationships for obtaining energy.
Food webs are defined in many ways, including as a scheme of feeding relationships, which resembles a web. This web serves as a model for feeding relationships of member species within a biological community.
Members of a species may occupy different positions during their lives.
Food chains and webs are schematic representations of real-world interactions.
Organisms have symbiotic relationships in which individuals of one species are dependent upon individuals of another species for survival.
Symbiotic relationships can be categorized as mutualism (where both species benefit), commensalism (where one species benefits and the other is unaffected), and parasitism (where one species benefits and the other is harmed).
Investigations of locally threatened or endangered species will be conducted and include considerations of the effects of remediation programs, species loss and the introduction of new species on the local ecosystem.
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun to photosynthetic organisms to consumers (herbivores, omnivores, carnivores) and decomposers.
The exchange of energy that occurs in an ecosystem can be represented as a food web.
The exchange of energy in an ecosystem is essential because all processes of life for all organisms require a continual supply of energy.
Direct and remote sensing (e.g., satellite imaging and other digital-research formats) will be used to help visualize what happens in an ecosystem when new producers, including invasive species, enter an ecosystem.
The information gained should be used to determine the relationship between the producers and consumers within an ecosystem.
Life Science Ecosystems can change rapidly (e.g., volcanic activity, earthquakes, fire) or very slowly (e.g., climate change).
Ohio has experienced various climate patterns.
Glaciers covered parts of Ohio and other parts of Ohio were submerged with water as indicated by Ohio’s fossil record.
Major changes, both natural and human caused, over a short period of time can have significant impacts on ecosystems and populations of plants and animals.
The changes that occur in the plant and animal populations can impact access to resources for the remaining organisms, which may result in migration or death.
Specific ecosystems in Ohio (e.g., rivers, streams, meadows, bogs, lakes, moraines, other natural areas) will be researched and investigated via field studies and virtual field trips.
The relationships between current and past ecosystems, the changes that have occurred over time in those ecosystems, and the species that lived there are explored.