Ecosystems



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[|Key Vocabulary]

Tundra Rivers Grasslands Deserts Oceans Rain-forests Project Expectations
 * Expert Group Wiki Pages **


 * Core Principles of Ecological Systems **

__** Networks **__ To learn about networks, we looked at an imaginary island. Eagle Island is a simple place. On it, there is grass, trees, squirrels, bears, insects and eagles. First, we thought about the connections between all the different parts and made a connection web.



Next, we did some thought experiments based on this.

What would happen if the population of bears increased? - less fruits and nuts from the tree - more bear poop for the grass, which equals more bugs - less food for the squirrels, which means the population of eagles would drop

We then looked at different types of networks; Trophic Networks and Symbiotic Networks.

1) We made a poster for each (UNDERSTAND):

2) We wrote a definition for each (EXPLAIN): - Trophic Network is a relationship between living things that explains how energy moves - Symbiotic network is a relationship between living things that interact and benefit from each other

3) Then, we created a short play and performed it for the class (PERFORM): media type="youtube" key="BaehJgAV7X8?hl=en_US" width="420" height="315"

Next, we took a look at this hypothetical ecosystem:



What would happen if a fox were introduced into this network? What would happen to the rest of the species? Which ones would benefit, and which ones would suffer? We recorded our responses on video and then uploaded them to youtube: [|Jiwon], [|Nico], [|Nini], [|Meu], [|Sho], [|Grace], [|Hiromu], [|Briana]

To finish off our week on Networks, we decided to define what it is. First up was a word dissection:



We used, coupled with what we learned this week to write a class definition. Here is what we came up with and made in a group write:


 * A network is a balanced relationship that keeps life together and connected to every other living thing. There are two types of networks; //Symbiotic// and //Trophic//. //Symbiotic Networks// are about living things that get mutual benefits from each other. For example, bears and trees. The bear gets the fruit, and then delivers the seeds to a new place in its poop. Or, the bird that goes into the crocodiles mouth to clean the meat out of its teeth. The bird gets food, and the crocodile gets clean teeth and no infection. A //Trophic Network// is like a food web. For example, in the Tundra, the sun makes the algae, the fish eats the algae, the seal eats the fish, and then the polar bear eats the seal. This is an example of how energy moves from the sun to all species. **

Lastly, we applied what we learned to our ecosystem page and wrote an entry on Networks and how they operate in our own ecosystem. Please see the Ecosystems pages to read the entries, and click on Networks in the table of contents.

Tundra Rivers Grasslands Deserts Oceans Rain-forests

__** Nested Systems **__ We put these orders in order and created a network.



We realized that these things are a little bit different though. They keep getting bigger. A network wasn't a good way to explain it, because these things were PART OF each other, not connected to. This diagram makes more sense.



Next, to understand this better, we created our own nested system, and then made a **Nested Systems podcast** Make a podcast using GarageBand to explain your nested system. Make Sure: - It is poetic and beautiful. We want to make an everyday thing seem amazing. - The script is written jointly by everybody. - It explains what a nested system is, without actually using the words 'Nested System'. - It contains music that fits the mood. - Every member of your group speaks in a confident and proud voice.

Briana, Moemi, Nico media type="file" key="Small Earth.m4a" width="300" height="50"

Jiwon, Grace, Sho media type="file" key="Global Pig.mp3" width="240" height="20"

Nini, Meu, Hiromu media type="file" key="A Leaf.m4a" width="300" height="50"

media type="youtube" key="J-SqWCE7tQQ?hl=en_US" width="560" height="315"

Finally, we wrote a definition for Nested Systems:

A Nested System is a system that shows how smaller systems are part and made of larger systems, but not connected. The systems that are closer have more impact to affect each other than systems that are farther away. For example, a student is in a classroom, a classroom is in a school, a school in a community, and a community is in a city. If one student left, it would affect the classroom a lot, and the school a little, but would not affect the city.



__** Cycles **__ We made a list of different cycles that we know. Some of them are man made, others are natural



Then, we took some of the major ones that are very important for life on earth. They are the Oxygen Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Water Cycle, and Carbon Cycle. We brainstormed, read a diagram, asked questions, made a list, and then recorded everything in a Voicethread.

media type="custom" key="23103544"

Finally, we wrote another definition for cycles:

A cycle is an invisible order of events that creates the things nature needs to stay alive. Because Earth is on a tilt, its orbit creates changes in the temperature because of the distance from the sun (more energy hits the Earth in summer, less in winter). For example, it the winter everything freezes and the animals go somewhere else to eat, but in the spring, when the plants grow, they come back.

To finish up our week on Cycles, we watched BBC Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole, which is so cool! We made mindmaps and took notes on all the different cycles networks we saw. Click on the image to make it larger.



This was a short week, but we got a lot done. First, we brainstormed what this picture means. It looks like things passing by, or going through. We thought that this was similar to migration. We read a[| really good article]about the reasons for migration, and how animals migrate. We wrote a summary of the article.
 * __ Flows __**
 * Click to read summaries**: [|Hiromu], Jiwon, [|Nico], Meu, Nini, Grace, [|Maria], [|Moemi], [|Briana], [|Sho]

Maria: The main point about this article is how and why animals need to migrate. All kinds of animal have it's own way of migrating, such as using the sun as a compass, largely by sight and landmarks also help them move from one place to another. The most common reason that animals migrate is because the weather changes and they need to migrate to a place that's warm and has food and to breed. For example, Monarch butterfly travels to Mexico because it's warm, but before they arrive at Mexico the butterflies breed two times.

After we wrote our summaries of the article, we used the information in it to make puppet movies about how and why animals migrate. Just a warning, these movies are not very good! We tried hard, and the scripts were great, but we really struggled making the actual movies. Puppet theatre movies are hard!


 * [|Humpback Whales]**
 * [|Monarch Butterflies]**
 * [|Zebras]**

Then, we looked at another type of flow. Energy flows through an ecosystem from the sun, to the producers, and then to the consumers and decomposers. This creates nutrients that life needs to grow.



We wrote a descriptive paragraph to explain this. Click here to read paragraphs: Nico, Meu, Grace, Nini, Maria, Sho, Hiromu, Jiwon, Moemi, Briana

Finally, we wrote a new definition for Flows.


 * Definition of Flows**: A Flow is when life energy goes through an ecosystem and may or may not come back. For example, Monarch Butterflies migrate to a single forest in Mexico and then leave. Also, the sun sends rays of energy that flow through all life (producers, consumers, decomposers).

__** Development **__ Evolution! We read a book about evolution called Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution. We each took a different page about how evolution works from the book and made a poster, but on the poster we could only use 10 words to explain it!

[|Variation and Mutation] [|Extinction] [|New Species] [|Good Designs] [|Survival of the Fittest]

The, we watched a video from TED-ED called How Did Feathers Evolve By Carl Zimmer. We took notes, wrote a 50 word summary (they are on our googlesites pages), and then made some art!

[|TIS NEWS]by Meu, Grace [|How Feather Evolved]by Briemi StopMotion Movie By Jiwon, Nico [|Untitled Story] by Hiromu, Maria [|Feather-Cube] by Nini, Sho

Ecosystems evolve in the same way. They change with the life inside them. They change each other. It is co-evolution.

Finally, again we wrote a definition of Development (or evolution).


 * Definition of Development:** Development (or evolution) is when life changes in an with an ecosystem over millions of years in order to continue to survive and spread. Life wants to create life. For example, Wholly Mammoths adapted to colder climates and became less like elephants.

__** Dynamic Balance **__ - play