Lesson Plans

Biology 5th Edition ©1999

by Finney

Week 29: Trophic Relationships, Cycling of Chemicals, Human Impact on Ecosystems and Conservation

Chapter 54: Ecosystems
Chapter 55: Conservation Biology

College Board Performance Objectives:

• Explain how the energy flow through a system is related to trophic levels.
• Explain how carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, and oxygen are cycled through the ecosystem.
• Explain how organisms affect the cycling of elements and water through the biosphere.
• Explain how biotic and abiotic factors affect community structure and ecosystem function.
• Explain ways that humans affect community structure and ecosystem function.

College Board Lab Objectives:

• Design and conduct inquiry labs.
• Understand each citizen's responsibility to the environment and the proper use of science.

Suggested Laboratory Experiments:

Resources:

• Chapter 54: Ecosystems, pp. 1131–1153
• Chapter 55: Conservation Biology, pp. 1154–1173
• Instructor's Guide, pp. 819–845
• Student Study Guide, pp. 435–449
• Test Bank, pp. 666–691
• Lab Manual: none
• CD-ROM: Chapters 54 and 55 include narrated presentations, activities, and links to the Internet.
• Aquatic Field Data

Pacing Guide:

• Chapter 54: Ecosystems—1.5 days
  Make a model terrarium and identify all the organisms' trophic levels. Be sure to include some insects.
• Chapter 55: Conservation Biology—1.5 days
  Collect articles from the newspaper that identify local environmental issues and use these in the discussion of this chapter.
• Aquatic Field Data—1 day
  Laboratory: Aquatic Field Data by Jewel Reuter. Only sections of this lab could be done depending on time. This laboratory can be done with sensors or it could be done with traditional equipment. Flow rate can be determined by timing an object passing across a certain distance. The acidity of the water can be determined with pH paper, and the salt or solids can be determined by evaporating water and taking the mass of the solids. Require students to make hypotheses about the water quality if certain changes are made. Require them to design the procedure of the experiment and then allow them to conduct the experiment to gather data. The students begin to see cause and effect, and how they need to be responsible citizens.
  
  Students can also collect free fall rainwater and roof drainage water to conduct various tests. Students can see the changes in the water as a result of its contact with building surfaces. They will also be able to see if they live in an acid rain area.

Key Words:

Suggested Exercises:
Critical thinking questions and end-of-chapter activities are included in these exercises.

1. Challenge Questions, p. 1153 #1–3 and p. 1174 #1
2. Science, Technology, and Society, p. 1153 #1 and p. 1174 #1
3. Ask: "Should McDonald's sell vegetable burgers instead of beef burgers, so that they can help increase the amount of food available in the food chain to reduce world hunger and to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide build up in the atmosphere?"
4. Write an essay on what changes need to be made in your local community.
5. Assign groups of students to answer questions in Section 3A from the Annotated Course Outline. Review AP* Labs 9 and 10 and have students explain the objectives of the labs from the Annotated Course Outline.

Troubleshooting Tips/Error Traps: