Design A Zoo Project



Ecology Unit Homework Project: Design A Zoo

Objective:

You have just been hired by a wealthy environmentalist to design a natural zoological park within Tanglewood Park in Winston-Salem. 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- oceans, coral reefs, estuaries; freshwater- ponds/lakes, streams/rivers, wetlands. The earth’s terrestrial biomes are: desert, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, grassland, tundra, taiga.

Assignment Directions:

This project is divided into five assignments that will be completed for homework over the next week.

|Description |Due Date |

| | |

|Assignment 1 - Choose the biome that your zoo will located in. Include a map to show where in the world the biome is |Wednesday, 9-7-11 |

|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 15 biotic factors. Provide a |Wednesday, 9-7-11 |

|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 ONE example of each of the following biological interactions: predator/prey, mutualism, |Thursday, 9-8-11 |

|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 |Thursday, 9-8-11 |

|Heterotroph or Autotroph. For all heterotrophs, you should also state whether the organism is a Herbivore, Carnivore, | |

|Omnivore, Detrivore, or Decomposer. | |

| | |

|Assignment 5 – Create 3 energy pyramids for your zoo. To do this, start with a food chain from your food web from |Friday, 9-9-11 |

|Assignment #4. 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. | |

Assignment Grading Rubrics & Checklist:

Assignment 1 Checklist

□ Choose a biome

□ World map of location of biome

□ Description of Abiotic factors

□ Average Temperature and Rainfall Graphs

Assignment 1Grading Rubric

|Map is neat and accurate |Temperature graph is neat |Rainfall graph is neat and |Written description of |Citations are present |Total |

| |and labeled correctly |labeled correctly |abiotic factors (at least | | |

| | | |4) is complete and accurate| | |

|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 2 Checklist

□ List and describe 15 biotic factors

□ Description of habitat

□ Description if niche for each organism (at least 15)

□ Common and scientific name of each organism; should be underlined or in italics (at least 15)

Assignment 2 Grading

|15 examples of biotic |Scientific names for each |The description of the |A description of the niche |Citations are present |Total |

|factors are provided |organism are provided |habitat for each organism |for each organism is | | |

| | |is correct |complete and correct | | |

|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 3 Checklist

□ 1 Description of each biological interaction

□ Definition of each biological interaction

□ Explanation for each biological interaction

Assignment 3 Grading

|Predator/Prey description |Mutualism description and |Commensalism description and|Parasitism description and |Citations are present |Total |

|and explanation are |explanation are |explanation are |explanation are | | |

|correct…examples are |correct…examples are |correct…examples are |correct…examples are | | |

|provided |provided |provided |provided | | |

|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 4 Checklist

□ Food web (pictures from computer or hand drawn)

□ Characteristics of each organism on your food web

o autotrophic or heterotrophic

o herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, detrivore, or decomposer

Assignment 4 Grading

|All organisms from |Picture of each |Organisms are labeled |Organisms are labeled |Citations are present|total |

|assignment 2 are |organism is included |correctly as |correctly as herbivore,| | |

|included in web | |autotrophic or |carnivore, omnivore or | | |

| | |heterotrophic |decomposer | | |

|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

□ 3 energy pyramids, each describing one food chain

□ Pictures for each trophic level of the pyramid

□ Labels for all pictures in pyramid

□ Energy levels at each trophic level

Assignment 5 Grading

|All three pyramids are |Pictures of all organisms |All organisms are labeled |The percentage of energy |Citations are present |Total |

|provided |are provided |as a producer, primary, |found at each level is | | |

| | |secondary or tertiary |correct. | | |

| | |consumer. | | | |

|0 1 2 3 |0 1 2 3 4 |0 1 2 3 4 |0 1 2 3 4 |0 1 2 3 4 | |

-----------------------

Assignment 2 For example :

|Common name |Scientific Name |Habitat |Niche |

|Oak tree |Quercus alba |Deciduous Forrest |Converts sun energy into chemical energy by photosynthesis; absorb |

| | | |water and mineral salts from the soil; provide shelter for many |

| | | |animals and other plants; act as a support for creeping plants; |

| | | |serve as a source of food for animals; cover the ground with their |

| | | |dead leaves in the autumn. |

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