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Class Activities |
Chapter 28: The Dynamics Of Ecosystems |
1. Relevance of Topic
Issues such as deforestation and its effects on the biosphere, water quality, air quality, and other environmental concerns are relevant here.
Succession is both an urban and a rural issue, and it could be related to local concerns, especially those surrounding development.
Community stability and diversity are other relevant topics that could be addressed while covering this chapter.
2. Continuity
This is the culmination of the ecology topics (species, populations, communities) in this text.
The next sections cover biodiversity by surveying the major known taxa. The variety and specificity of these organisms depends on the ecosystem and the interactions within it.
3. Demonstration Activities
Text section 28.1
1. For this section, the emphasis should be on plants, as the basic trophic level for most food webs.
2. Show slides of a forest canopy, an open field, a cultivated crop, a field of kelp in the ocean, and other examples of plants in various ecosystems.
3. Figure 28.1 illustrates a food web.
4. Discuss productivity and show Table 28.1.
Text section 28.2
1. Figure 28.2 shows that as the trophic level increases, the conversion efficiency decreases; show this and also discuss how the pyramid is inverted in the oceans.
2. Discuss the difference between homeotherms and poikilotherms with regard to conversion efficiency, and show pictures of and discuss representative common organisms, such as fish, insects, and humans.
3. Graphically illustrate the differences in conversion efficiency between omnivores and herbivores, and include a discussion of vegetarianism in humans.
Text section 28.3
1. Show Figure 28.4 and discuss turnover topics, using commonly known systems (e.g. a farm community where food for humans is being produced), if possible.
2. Show pictures of summer and winter for the same community and discuss how the turnover rates vary.
Text section 28.4
1. Show Figure 28.5 and Figure 28.6 and emphasize how large amounts of water cycle through ecosystems and plants.
2. Show pictures or videos of water precipitating, percolating, evaporating, and flowing in streams.
3. Show a water processing plant and discuss the cycle of tap water in your community.
Text section 28.5
1. Review the importance of nitrogen as a major component of all biomolecules (e.g. proteins and nucleic acids).
2. Show Figure 28.7, the nitrogen cycle and discuss the specifics, emphasizing the importance of the cycle to every organism, and showing slides of various organisms that are involved in recycling nitrogen.
Text section 28.6
1. Again, emphasize the importance of recycling elements, and show pictures or videos of decaying organisms.
2. Figures 28.10, 28.11, 28.12, 28.13, and 28.14 all illustrate various organisms that live on detritus.
3. Discuss how forensic entomologists can determine time of death based on the presence of insect larvae species in decomposing flesh.
Text section 28.8
1. Cite and show slides surrounding cases of DDT and PCB pollution.
2. Discuss and recommend Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.
3. Discuss local examples of pollution.
Text sections 28.9, 28.10, and 28.11
1. Distinguish ecological succession from species turnover, using specific examples that are local or regional, if possible.
2. Show slides illustrating succession, and discuss the terms sere, seral stage, and climax community.
Text section 28.13
1. Show photographs of areas that have suffered due to recent volcanic eruption (Figure 28.18), and discuss primary succession.
2. An easy way to show secondary succession is with a case of a tilled or burned field.
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