Investigating Science 9 - Unit A

Northern Leopard Frog - this video explains Northern Leopard Frog conservation efforts at the Calgary Zoo; this video shows how the Northern Leopard Frog captures prey.Page 2

Unit Introductory Activities - use these activities to introduce the ecosystems unit to students.

• Exploring Ecosystems in the Great Outdoors - get outdoors! This activity page has support files for both teachers and students for interesting ecosystem activities.
• Biosphere 2 - a fascinating project, where scientists create a totally enclosed ecosystem (including humans); build smaller models yourself, such as in an aquarium.

• Saving Endangered Species: Safe Harbor Agreements and the Houston Toad - a video from the US Fish and Wildlife Service discussing the Safe Harbour program, where private land owners help to preserve endangered species.Page 2

The Northern Leopard Frog - an important part of many ecosystems, frogs and toads are especially sensitive to changes in their environment.

• Northern Leopard Frog - very good information on Rana pipiens.
• The Northern Leopard Frog - learn more about this frog, and the threats it faces throughout its habitat.

Designing a Totally Sustainable Community - in this Unit Task you will attempt to demonstrate how human activities affect the sustainability of ecosystems, and how can this knowledge help us design more sustainable communities.

• How Sustainable Communities Work - a good introduction to the concept of sustainable communities.
• The Sustainability Report - this website has excellent sustainability information.
• The David Suzuki Foundation - this collection of resources from one of Canada's great environmentalists has many resources about sustainability and healthy ecosystems.
• Great Lakes - an amazing collection of information and resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Back 2 Nature - visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Cootes Paradise to explore sustainability in Ontario.

Cootes Paradise - this beautiful natural area, located at the west end of Lake Ontario, contains a wide variety of species, including many that are threatened or are very rare.

• Cootes Paradise - an overview of Cootes Paradise.
• Cootes Paradise: Waterfront Trail - learn about the trails that allow you to explore Cootes Paradise.

Pesticide Use Across the Country - pesticides are chemicals used to kill unwanted plants and animals; unfortunately other organisms are often affected as well.

• Reducing Neonicotinoid Pesticide Use - Ontario aims to protect pollinators.
• Pesticides - information about pesticides and their dangers from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Stewardship - Earth is a big place, so many people need to take personal responsibility in order for all of Earth's systems to be healthy and efficient.

• Stewardship Canada - news and resources about stewardship in Canada.
• National Parks of Canada - find information on the state of Canada's park system and the ecosystems these parks are trying to protect.

Blue Marble - part of the EarthObservatory site, NASA has the resources to look outward into space, but also inward from space to study Earth.

A Holistic Approach - to understand a system such as an ecosystem we can examine it part by part, but we should also look at the system as whole.

• Banff National Park - this park is managed using a holistic approach to the environment.
• Ecosystem Based Management - incorporating a holistic approach to ecosystem management.

Elements of Ecosystems - ecosystems consist of biotic and abiotic factors, where these factors can be organized into species, populations, habitats, communities and niches.

• The Concept of the Ecosystem - it is tough to capture the essence of what an ecosystem is, but this page introduces the concept well here, and includes discussions of species, populations, habitats and communities.
• Ecosystems - general information about ecosystems throughout the world.
• From Niche to Biosphere - read more about the organization of elements in the environment.

Elements of Ecosystems - these activities allow you to get interactive with some virtual ecosystems

• Ecology Lab - experiment with this ecosystem simulator.
• What are Ecosystems? - a PBS website with information on ecosystems, video clips, and an interactive quiz.

Ecosystem Basics - this is an excellent video that covers the basics of ecosystems, including biotic and abiotic components.

Biomes - ecosystems that share similar characteristics can be grouped into biomes.

• Introduction to Biomes - read about how biomes are defined, then research specific biomes.
• Biomes - review the eight terrestrial North American biomes mentioned here, along with information about what biomes represent.

Mission: Biomes - use these NASA activities to sharpen your knowledge of the world's biomes.

The Biosphere - the biosphere is where life exists on Earth, an intersection of the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.

• The Biosphere - although brief, this page has summaries of most of the concepts we are studying in this ecosystem chapter.
• Earth's Spheres - read about Earth's spheres and their interactions.

Biomes of the World - Canada has five of the world's biomes; learn more about the rest with these links.

• The World's Biomes - information on all of the world's terrestrial and aquatic biomes.
• What is it Like Where You Live? - this may look like a website for younger students, but there is a wealth of detail here if you are patient.

Section 1.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Wildebeest Migration - food, and therefore survival, is important enough that millions of wildebeests and other grazers will travel in a 3000 km migration around Africa every year.

• Wildebeest Migration - information about the most recent wildebeest migration.
• Why Do Wildebeests Spend Their Whole Lives Migrating in a Circle? - the answer is; to obtain energy.

Nutrient Cycles - elements are continually cycling through nature in systems such as the water, nitrogen, and carbon cycles.

• The Water Cycle - a very thorough resource that explains the water cycle.
• The Nitrogen Cycle - another important example of the nutrient cycles.
• The Carbon Cycle - review the carbon cycle.

Nutrient Cycles - use these activities to help better understand and appreciate the importance of the cycling of matter through our ecosystems.

• A Tour of the Water Cycle - a nice video review of the water cycle.
• The Nitrogen Cycle - watch the video, then take the test.

Energy Flows Through Ecosystems - these simple activities can help to understand energy flow.

• Photosynthesis Lab - - this Gizmo allows us to explore the relationship between light, carbon dioxide and water as photosynthesis occurs.

Energy Flow Through Ecosystems - let these videos show you more about energy flow.

• Food Chains, Trophic Levels and Energy Flow in an Ecosystem - review the concepts of energy flow in an ecosystem in this video.
• Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem - examine the flow of energy in an aquatic ecosystem (free PBS registration may be required).

Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers - how each role in an ecosystem fits together in the flow of energy.

Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers - use these activities to understand these important roles in healthy ecosystems.

• Food Chain Game - a good old fashioned but fun game about producers, consumers and decomposers.
• Producers, Consumers, Decomposers - use this series of activities to review the flow of energy through an ecosystem (free PBS registration may be required).

Food Chains and Food Webs - build the energy relationships between organisms as all obtain energy to survive.

• Food Chain - - this food chain Gizmo also provides a nice view resembling energy pyramids.
• Create Your Own Food Web - scroll down to find the "creating a possible food web" link, then drag and drop until you have a custom food web of your own design.

Food Chains and Food Webs - when energy relationships are organized between organisms, patterns we call chains and webs emerge.

• Food Chains & Food Webs - food chains show the direct flow of energy through one set of organisms, while a food web represents the reality of the complex relationships of who eats what.

Other Ecological Pyramids - pyramids of numbers and pyramids of biomass also reveal interesting connections between organisms interconnected by their need to obtain energy.

• Ecological Pyramids - excellent ecological pyramid information.
• What Is a Biomass Pyramid? - the total mass of each level of an energy pyramid is referred to as a pyramid of biomass.

Energy Pyramids - a pyramid shape is used to represent the 10% of energy that is passed from one organism on to the one that eats it.

• Ecological pyramid - use this page for a good overview of an energy pyramid.
• Energy Pyramids and Food Chains - this unique page uses an aquatic theme to examine energy pyramids.

Section 1.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Birth of an Ecosystem: Surtsey Island - rarely do scientists get a chance to observe the beginning of a terrestrial ecosystem where once there was nothing but open ocean.

• Surtsey: Iceland's Island of Fire - a nice collection of Surtsey information, including links to articles about the arrival of life to the island.
• Surtsey: UNESCO World Heritage Site - who knows how long it will last (the island, not the designation).
• Surtsey, Iceland - read all about Surtsey, including the life forms that appeared on the new island.

Ecosystem Competition - Interesting Canadian ecosystem examples are used in this video to discuss intraspecies and interspecies competition.

Characteristics of Populations - use these activities to explore the characteristics of populations.

• Estimating Population Size - - a Gizmo that may give you an appreciation of the challenges ecologists have when it comes to determining populations.
• Pike and Perch - (PDF), studies the relationship in a Canadian lake between pike and perch.

Characteristics of Populations - based on factors such as the availability of resources and predator-prey relationships, a population changes from year to year but also often reaches an equilibrium.

• Population Ecology - a good video overview of introductory population dynamics.
• The Vole Truth about Lemming Deaths - lemmings do not dive over cliffs; instead, they and the stoat are tied together by the dynamics of the predator-prey relationship.

Biotic Interactions in a Community - relationship between organisms in communities can be classified as competition, predation or symbiosis.

• Community Interactions - an overview of all forms of symbiosis.
• Symbiosis - an in-depth discussion of symbiosis in the ocean.

Species Interactions - this is an excellent video that provides great examples of commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism.

Snowshoe Hare and Lynx Populations - this well-researched relationship is used as an example of how predators and prey interact.

• Rabbit Population by Season - - this Gizmo is a simulation of rabbit populations with adjustable climate conditions.
• Predator/Prey Relationship - decide if the lynx population should be decreased by humans; includes background information and rubric.

Snowshoe Hare and Lynx Populations - the relationship between these two animals, and their surrounding food webs, are a classic example of Canadian wildlife populations.

• Predator-Prey Models - review the basics of the relationship between the snowshoe hare and lynx populations in the Canadian wilderness.
• Snowshoe Hare - a Hinterland Who's Who website about the snowshoe hare.
• Canada Lynx - information about the lynx and its primary prey.

Section 1.3 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

How Symbiosis Works - read more about the fascinating world of symbiosis.

Designing a Totally Sustainable Community - in this Unit Task you will attempt to demonstrate how human activities affect the sustainability of ecosystems, and how can this knowledge help us design more sustainable communities.

• How Sustainable Communities Work - a good introduction to the concept of sustainable communities.
• The Sustainability Report - this website has excellent sustainability information.
• The David Suzuki Foundation - this collection of resources from one of Canada's great environmentalists has many resources about sustainability and healthy ecosystems.
• Great Lakes - an amazing collection of information and resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency.