Michigan Ecosystems

Question of the Day: How is the ecosystem balance maintained?

Vocabulary words:

  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Impact
  • Balance in Ecosystems
  • Resource Depletion
  • Pollution
  • Ecological Role or Niche

Review:

What is an Ecosystem?

Discuss types of populations

Discuss communities of organisms

Discuss the attributes and value of an ecosystem

(Such as the interdependence of biotic and abiotic factors)

What is the effect of people on an ecosystem?

Michigan Ecosystems & Handout

Great Lakes

Define ecosystems in Michigan: forests, wetlands, ponds, lakes, dunes and rivers

Assign equal number of students to each ecosystem.

Have students spend some quiet time hypothesizing the following for their assigned ecosystem:

1)Types of populations

2)Communities of organisms

3)Sources of Energy

4)Abiotic Factors

Homework:Research their assigned ecosystem and validate or invalidate their hypothesis.

Name ______

Michigan Ecosystems Homework

Choose a Michigan Ecosystem:

Hypothesize (in class):

Types of Populations / Source of Energy / Abiotic Factors

Homework:

1)Research your chosen Ecosystem.

2)Confirm or invalidate your list above.

3)Divide up the research amongst your team

4)Bring pictures from internet or magazines to class of species (producers, consumers, and decomposers), herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Enough to construct a complete Food Web in class

5)Sketch a Food Web on the back of this paper for discussion in class

6)Bring representations of Abiotic Factors in the chosen Ecosystem

7)Bring pictures of human interaction in this Ecosystem.

Our State, Our Ecosystem

Question of the Day: Where do we live? Where do we work? Where do we play?

Vocabulary words:

  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Impact
  • Balance in Ecosystems
  • Resource Depletion
  • Pollution
  • Ecological Role or Niche

Homework Follow-up: Michigan Ecosystems

Create wall mural for each ecosystem.

Discuss the student’s ecosystem research. Engage all students with each of the ecosystems.

  • What were your hypothesis?
  • What did you learn from your research?
  • What was the value of the abiotic factors to the ecosystem?
  • What are the common organisms we are familiar with in this ecosystem?
  • What organisms did you discover, that you had never heard of?
  • What would happen if one of the abiotic factors was significantly reduced or eliminated?
  • What would happen if one of the organisms, all got sick and died?

Label the flow of energy

Create a food web

Discuss:

The effect of climate change (what is changing? Who does it affect? Does that cause other changes?)

What is the Environmental Impact of People? Farming? Industry? Hunting? Recreation?

Balance of Ecosystems

What is an example of Resource Depletion?

How does Pollution affect each ecosystem? What kind of Pollution is affecting this ecosystem?

Ecological Role or Niche

How do we fit into this picture?

You’re an Omnivore Song

Decomposers

Name______

Michigan Ecosystems Video

List Michigan EcosystemsList three (3) organismsList three (3) abiotic

in each Ecosystem:factors in each Ecosystem

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Name YOUR impact on one of these Ecosystems:______

______