Finishing up the Ecology Unit and Taking the Test

• Mon/Tues 9/23-9/24:  Review Whitaker Ponds Field Trip Assignment.  Notes on Climate Change.  Work time for 4.4 questions and mesocosm observation.
• Wed/Thurs 9/25-9/26:  Whitaker Ponds Field Trip due through turnitin.com Thursday 9/26 by 11:59 pm.  Go over lots of DBQ's.  Review for Ecology Test next week (see document on this website).  Go over Carbon Cycle (in 4.3 of book).  Mesocosm Observation.
• Fri/Mon 9/27-9/30:  Notes on the Carbon Cycle components.   Finish going over DBQ's from Option C.  Practice chi-squared test and Simpson's Diversity index.  Mesocosm Assignment due 10/10, but you can certainly turn it in earlier.
• Tues/Wed 10/1-10/2:  Examples of Invasive and Keystone species.  Kahoot review.  Ecology Test next class.
• Thurs/Fri 10/3-10/4:  Ecology Test!  Start Evolution.  Read 5.1 and do 2 of the DBQ's in that section.

Climate Change Questions! To be done in class 9/19 + 9/20 or for homework

Climate Change:  4.4 in the Oxford Text Book

1. List the 4 most significant greenhouse gases and their main sources.
2. Describe the 2 factors that determine the impact of a gas on its warming impact.
3. Describe how greenhouse gases warm the Earth (the process).  

Draw a diagram to help explain.

4. How did scientists go about linking temperature to carbon dioxide levels?
5. What other factors have an impact on global average temperatures 

(besides greenhouse gases)?

6. Describe the correlation between rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and 

industrialization.

7. Some people argue that climate change is not occurring (or is not due to human action).   

Give 4 reasons why individuals might be skeptical about climate change.  

8. Give your 4 best arguments for getting climate change doubters to change their minds.
9. Read about the Precautionary Principle on p. 235 and discuss why it should be 

used in the case of Climate Change.

And now the fun part!  Please do 3 of the 4 data-based questions on pp 233, 234, 236, and 237 

(because these charts and graphs are just so darn important to understand, really they are ☺).

Beginning of the Year!

Welcome back!  Usually I update the blog sooner than this, so apologies on the delay.  Listed below is what we have done already and what we will be doing for the next week:

• Wed 8/28:  First Day of School!  Quick intro to class and Bingo Mingle.
• Thurs/Fri 8/29-8/30:  IB Learner Profile Characteristics.  Pick your top 3, share with your group, come up with your group's top 3, and then share out.  Start work on Ecology by doing 4.1 bookwork.  Read 4.1.
• Tues/Wed 9/2-9/3:  Go over Ecology concepts, especially how to do Chi-squared test.  Go outside to take some quadrat data on the school lawn.  Read C1.  Start C1 questions in your notebook.  Hand out Whitaker Ponds field trip forms to get signed.
• Thurs/Fri 9/4-9/5:  Go over C1 concepts and work on C1 DBQ's.  Introduce quadrat data-processing assignment.  Read C2.
• Mon/Tues 9/8-9/9:  Finish checking off C1 work.  Introduce mesocosm assignment and build class mesocosm using Whitaker Ponds "muck".  Testing water through macroinvertebrate sorting using Whitaker Ponds "muck".  Fill in the Field Trip prep worksheet as you go.  Work on Quadrat Data-processing poster.  Mesocosm Observation.
• Wed/Thurs 9/10-9/11:  Water quality testing using chemical tests.  Go outside and measure the height of 3 trees using a clinometer and tape measurer.  Mesocosm observation.
• Fri/Mon 9/12-9/16:  Check off C2 work.  Field Trip permission forms should be turned in.  Hand out field trip assignment.  Simpson's Diversity Index.  Finish the last part of the field trip prep hand-out.  Finish quadrat data group posters.  Read C3 and C4 and do 4 of the DBQ's in those 2 sections.  At least one of them should be from C4.  These are due Thurs/Fri 9/19-9/20 because the field trip is before that.  Pack up supplies for Field Trip.  Mesocosm observation.  Jane Poynter video on Biosphere 2.
• Tues/Wed 9/17-9/18:  Whitaker Ponds Field Trip!  Make sure that you come to Room 214 (11:45 for PM field trips and 8:10 for AM field trip) so that we don't miss you.  When we return from the field trip. bring supplies back to the classroom and enter your data in the class database.
• Thurs/Fri 9/19-9/20:  Debrief Whitaker Ponds field trip and make sure that everyone understands the assignment.   Check off C3 and C4 DBQ's.  4.4 questions on Climate Change.    Mesocosm observation.  I expect that many students in Periods 6 and 7 might miss this class due to the Climate Strike.  I will make the Climate Change Assignment available on-line so that students can do it on their own.
• Whitaker Ponds Field Trip Assignment is due 9/25-9/26 through turnitin.com!

C2 Work

You'll notice that C2 has many concepts in common with 4.2, but it goes into more depth.  As you read through the section, answer/do the following in your notebook.

1. How can an owl pellet be used to determine information about the owl's community?
2. Use the information in the sidebar on p. 615 to construct a food web.
3. Do the DBQ on p. 616.
4. Explain how food conversion ratios can be used to eat more sustainably.  Use numbers to back yourself up.
5. Examine the Whittaker climograph on p. 617 and describe what it shows.
6. Examine the net primary productivity listings on p. 618 and propose why some are very high and some are very low.  Use specific examples.
7. Do Question #2 in the Activity listed on p. 618 (draw 2 energy pyramids, compare, and explain).
8. Examine the Gersmehl nutrient cycle diagrams on p. 619 and do the Activity questions related to it on p 620.
9. Do the George Vancouver DBQ on p 621!
10. Read about respiration rates and biomass accumulation and do the question on p. 622.
11. Do the secondary succession question on p. 623.
12. Describe how humans can interfere with nutrient cycling.

Mesocosm Assignment

One of the 7 required practicals for IB Biology is to study a mesocosm in the classroom.  

The write-up will be due in 2-3 weeks (will be finalized after I see how the mesocosms are doing) through turnitin.com and should include:

1. Detailed observations from at least 6 separate days.  Include water clarity, condition and growth of plants, types of animals, behavior of animals, condition of muck and other debris, etc. Make it clear which mesocosm goes with each observation and which day.  You can include details about the classroom conditions (temperature, light, etc) if you think they are relevant.
2. Use vocabulary from the ecology unit to try to explain what you think is happening in the mesocosms.  For example, information about cycles, energy, and types of nutrition would be appropriate.  You don't have to know exactly what is going on or know the names of the organisms, but do your best to give reasonable explanations.  If you use outside information in your explanations, state where or how you got the information.
3. Predict what you think will happen in the mesocosms, giving a reason for your predictions.

C1 Terms to Cover in your Notebook (in addition to the C1 dbq's)

1. What is a limiting factor?  Give examples of some limiting factors that can affect the distribution of species.
2. Describe how you would use a transect and a quadrat to correlate the distribution of a plant or animal species with an abiotic variable.
3. Explain what is meant by "zone of stress" and "limit of tolerance" and how they impact populations.
4. What is an ecological niche?
5. Outline the competitive exclusion principle.
6. Distinguish between a fundamental ecological niche and a realized ecological niche.
7. Define and give examples of the following types of interspecific interactions:  a)  herbivory   b)  predation  c)  mutualism    d)  commensalism    c)  parasitism
8. Define keystone species and explain its importance.  Give an example of a keystone species and what happens when it is removed.

C1 DBQ's can be found on p. 607, 608, 609, and 610.

All of these should be done in your notebook to get checked off next week.