Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______
Ecology Unit Homework Project: Design A Zoo
Objective:
You have just been hired by a wealthy environmentalist to design a natural zoological park. Your design should focus on educating humanity about the true realities of nature and the ecological problems that threaten our earth.
The park is going to be unlike any other zoo in the world; the organisms will be housed in exhibits by the biome that they inhabit. Representative species of animals and plants from each biome will live together just as they do in nature. This means that population interactions will occur exactly as they occur in the wild (for example predators will be able to hunt prey). You will pick out the organisms and outline the potential interactions between these organisms. Each zoo will represent one biome (terrestrial or aquatic).
You will have the opportunity to choose one of the following biomes in class. The earth’s aquatic biomes are: marine- open oceans, artic ocean, coral reefs, estuaries; freshwater- ponds/lakes, streams/rivers, wetlands. The earth’s terrestrial biomes are: desert, rainforest, savanna, temperate forest, grassland, tundra.
Assignment Directions:
This project is divided into five assignments that will be completed for homework over the next week.
DescriptionAssignment 1 - Choose the biome that your zoo will located in. Include a map to show where in the world the biome is located. This section should include a graph of the annual rainfall and temperature as well as a written description of the abiotic factors that are present in this region. All maps and graph should be original.
Assignment 2 - Describe the biotic factors in your zoo’s biome. You should include 10 biotic factors. Provide a description of the habitat and niche of each organism (both plants and animals). Provide both the common and scientific name for each organism. See example below.
Assignment 3 – Describe 1 example of each of the following biological interactions: predator/prey, mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. The organisms that are used in this assignment do not have to be from the list in assignment 2, but they should be from the biome that your zoo will be located in. Make sure that you provide a definition of each relationship and an explanation of why the organisms that you chose fit into that category.
Assignment 4 – Create a food web for your zoo. Include pictures of each organism and characterize each organism as a Producer, Consumer, Heterotroph, Autotroph. You should also state whether the organism is a Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore, and/or Decomposer.
Assignment 5 – Create 1 energy pyramids for your zoo. To do this, start with a food chain from your food web from last week. You will need to arrange each trophic level into pyramid form to show the amount of energy that is lost from one group to the next. Your pyramids should include pictures of all organisms represented, labels showing producers, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, and the percentage of energy found at each trophic level.
** Each section should include references in correct MLA format. Please use the following website to help you cite your references (citation maker) http://secondary.oslis.org/resources/cm/mlacitationss
Assignment Grading Rubrics & Checklist:
Assignment 1 Checklist
o Choose a biome
o World map of location of biome
o Description of Abiotic factors
o Average Temperature and Rainfall Graphs
Assignment 1Grading Rubric
Map is neat and accurate / Temperature graph is neat and labeled correctly / Rainfall graph is neat and labeled correctly / Written description of abiotic factors is complete and accurate / Citations are present / Total0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4
Assignment 2 Checklist
o List and describe 10 biotic factors
o Description of habitat
o Description if niche for each organism
o Common and scientific name of each organism; should be underlined or in italics
Assignment 2 Grading
10 examples of biotic factors are provided / Scientific names for each organism are provided / The description of the habitat for each organism is correct / A description of the niche for each organism is complete and correct / Citations are present / Total0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4
Assignment 3 Checklist
o 1 Description of each biological interaction
o Definition of each of the biological interaction
o Explanation for each biological interaction from biome
Assignment 3 Grading
Predator/Prey description and explanation are correct. One example is provided / Mutualism description and explanation are correct. One example is provided / Commensalism description and explanation are correct. One example is provided / Parasitism description and explanation are correct. One example is provided / Citations are present / Total0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4
Assignment 4 Checklist
o Hand drawn Food web (pictures from computer or hand drawn)
o Characters of each organism on your food web
o Producer or consumer
o autotrophic or heterotrophic
o herbivore, carnivore, omnivore or decomposer
Assignment 4 Grading
All organisms from assignment 2 are included in web / Picture of each organism is included / Organisms are labeled correctly as producer or consumer / Organisms are labeled correctly as autotrophic or heterotrophic / Organisms are labeled correctly as herbivore, carnivore, omnivore or decomposer / Citations are present / total0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4
Assignment 5 Checklist
o 1 energy pyramid, each describing one food chain
o Pictures for each trophic level of the pyramid
o Labels for all pictures in pyramid
o Energy levels at each trophic level
Assignment 5 Grading
Pyramid is present / Pictures of all organisms are provided / All organisms are labeled as a producer, primary, secondary or tertiary consumer. / The percentage of energy found at each level is correct. / Citations are present / Total0 1 2 3 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4 / 0 1 2 3 4