Ecosystems
Life Science
Introduction
• The Earth's Natural
resources are substances
we obtain from the land,
water, and air around us.
• All of the products we use Click picture for video review-
have a natural resource
base.
• Minerals, forest products,
water, and soil are a few
of the natural resources
humans use to produce
energy and make things
people use.
Vocabulary
• Carbon Dioxide
– Animals, including humans, breathe in air, and, as a result of a chemical reaction in their
bodies, the oxygen molecules (O2) bond with carbon to produce carbon dioxide. Plants
"breathe" in this carbon dioxide (which is as important to their survival as air is to animals), and
a reverse reaction leads to the release of oxygen from the plants back into the atmosphere.
• Oxygen
– Oxygen is a colorless gas found in air. It is one of the life-sustaining elements on Earth and is
needed by all animals.
• Photosynthesis
– Use by green plants of the energy in sunlight to carry out chemical reactions, such as the
conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen. Photosynthesis also produces the sugars that feed
the plant.
• Pollination
– Transfer of pollen grains in seed plants from the stamens, where they form, to the pistil.
Pollination is required for fertilization and the production of seeds.
• Transpiration
– the evaporation of water from parts of plants, especially leaves but also stems, flowers and
fruits. Transpiration is a side effect of the plant needing to open its stomata's in order to obtain
carbon dioxide gas from the air for photosynthesis. Transpiration also cools plants and enables
mass flow of mineral nutrients from roots to shoots.
Ecosystem Video
• Click picture to launch video-
Conceptual Activity
• How does each part of the food
chain interact?
Practice:
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/environ_ed/i
nteractive/enved_interactive.html
• Design a chart: on one side list 10
things in your home environment
(inside and out). On the other
write how to they interact in the
chain of life.
• Challenge: Organize the food
chain and how they effect each
other?
http://www.ecokidsonline.com/
pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain
_reaction/index.cfm#
Interactive
• Ecosystem Jeopardy Game (Review)
• Life Science Overview Jeopardy Game
• Click picture to launch video >>
Critical Thinking
• As a whole group, discuss how the weather effects
the cycles of ecosystems.
• Would the location of a particular ecosystem effect
the availability of resources in the United States?
(Example: global warming is melting our polar ice caps,
would this reduce the availability of fresh water?)
– What could we do to prepare for this need?
– How could we avoid this situation?
Investigation
• Xtra Credit
– Go to: http://www.fi.edu/city/investigate.html
– Observe and report findings on your
ecosystem
Citations
• Taking Care of Our Earth. 100% Educational Videos
(1999). Retrieved December 22, 2006, from
unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
• Real World Science: Ecosystems and Biomes. AIMS Multimedia. 2001.
unitedstreaming. 19 February 2007
• Food Chain Mystery, The. 100% Educational Videos. 2000.
unitedstreaming. 19 February 2007
• Exploring the Diversity of Life: A World of Difference. Environmental Media.
1998. unitedstreaming. 19 February 2007
• http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/planetocean/ocean.html
• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/
• All other images are from Microsoft Clip Art.