Ecology Project - Stingray Science with Mr. Nero



Ecology Project

You are co-directors for the New York Zoo in Lowville, NY. Recently, the National Zoo in Washington D.C. has contacted the owners of your zoo, the New York Zoo. The New York Zoo has received a grant to build a new exhibit. The grant money will allow your zoo to build a spacious habitat with several species of the chosen population. This exhibit will be the main attraction for your zoo. The owners have asked you to build a display that will educate visitors on the Ecosystem of this population, with detailed information on the habitat, community, niche, living and nonliving limiting factors, and adaptation features. The owners are also requiring you to give an example of a predator-prey relationship and to chart the producers and the consumers in the population’s community. If you chose a plant you will need to show the Water cycle. If you have chosen an animal you will need to show the Nitrogen Cycle

How to Begin:

▪ Select an ecosystem

▪ Pick a population-either a plant or an animal

▪ Then research the habitat, community, niche, limiting factors, and adaptation features.

Here are some suggestions of ecosystems and populations that you may select:

Rainforest

Animals: Parrot, jaguar, monkey

Plants: Orchid (epiphytes), lianas (climbing vines)

Prairies:

Animals: pronghorns, coyote, grasshopper, buffalo

Plants: eastern tall grass, wild rye, and cord grass

Deserts:

Animals: tortoise, bobcat, Harris’ antelope, various lizards, Oryx

Plants: various cacti, and sage

Temperate Forest:

Animals: owls, elk, white-tailed deer

Plants: mushrooms and dandelions

Artic Tundra:

Animals: lynx, lemmings, musk ox, wolves, artic fox, polar bear

Plants: lichens, mosses

Mountains:

Animals: mountain lions, picas, mountain goat, hoary marmot

Plants: lichens

Seashore or Wetland:

Animals: loggerhead turtle, dolphins, herons, pelicans, crabs

Plants: seaweed,

Resources

This website has links to information on animals and ecosystems- The Virtual Library of Ecology and Biodiversity



has information on the food chain, Nitrogen and Oxygen-Carbon Cycles, and limiting factors

Exploring Ecosystems- Desert, Coastal Arctic, and Everglades

Eek! Nature Notes Environmental Education for Kids

This cite has a list of kids ecology web cite resources



Windows to the Universe has pages for each of the world’s ecosystems(biomes)

Eek! Nature Notes Environmental Education for Kids

This cite has a list of kids ecology web cite resources



Windows to the Universe has pages for each of the world’s ecosystems(biomes)

Checklist for Ecology Project Requirements

____ Ecosystem

You can use your ecosystem as the title for your exhibit’s display

_____ Population

Show your population as a drawing or a picture

_____ Habitat

Find a picture to show what your habitat looks like

Describe in a paragraph the place where your population lives.

_____ Community

Name the organisms that make up the community (animals, and plants, fungi, ect.)

You can use a picture to that shows the community of organisms in your ecosystem

_____ Niche

Explain the role of your population in the community. Example: The pine tree provides food and shelter to other organisms

_____ Food Chain

Using pictures show four organisms beginning with a producer Example: Pine tree, porcupines,

_____ Show in a drawing or picture, two living limiting factors. Example: porcupine and beavers

_____ Show with a picture or drawing or writing, two nonliving limiting factors: Example: rainfall and draught

_____ In a paragraph talk about how the living limiting factors affects your population Example: My population is the Pine tree. One winter day the weather was warm enough for it to rain. After it rained the temperature dropped and the rain froze on the trees causing the trees to break off and affecting the growth and survival of the maple trees. This is where you can talk about the predator-prey relationship

______ In a second paragraph talk about how a nonliving limiting factor affects your population: A porcupine likes to eat the bark off Pine trees because of the salty taste. By eating the bark off the pine trees, the porcupine destroys the protective skin of the tree, therefore opening it up to other elements that may affect its survival.

_____ Describe the adaptation feature of your population

Example: Silversword plant that grows in Hawaii has tiny hair like projections that protects the plant from the extreme temperatures

_____ Nitrogen Cycle or Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Cycle

Draw and label the Nitrogen Cycle for your animal or draw and label the Oxygen-Carbon Dioxide Cycle for your plant

Grading Ecology Project

_________ Group Poster rubric score (50 points)

▪ Neat

▪ Typed

▪ All required elements

____________ Individual Participation rubric score (30 points)

▪ Work done on time

▪ Showed initiative

▪ Shared ideas

▪ Cooperative

▪ Gave feedback that was dignified

______________ Group Presentation rubric score (10 points)

▪ Ideas expressed were organized

▪ Accurate information

_____________ Work Cited page (10 points)

▪ Correctly cited (6 points)

▪ 1 internet source cited (2 points)

▪ 1 book source cited (2 points)

|Criteria |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Comes to class | | | | |

|prepared with | | | | |

|all materials | | | | |

|Works well | | | | |

|individually | | | | |

|or with a partner | | | | |

|Stays focused | | | | |

|Throughout the | | | | |

|task (discussions | | | | |

|are on topic/subject only) | | | | |

|Shows progress | | | | |

|on assignment | | | | |

|(can show that work | | | | |

|has been accomplished | | | | |

|during the time given) | | | | |

|Ecology Poster: Poster rubric |

|Student Name ___________________ |

|CATEGORY |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|Labels |All items of importance on the |Almost all items of importance on|Many items of importance on the |Labels are too small to view OR no|

| |poster are clearly labeled with |the poster are clearly labeled |poster are clearly labeled with |important items were labeled. |

| |labels that can be read from at |with labels that can be read from|labels that can be read from at | |

| |least 3 ft. away. |at least 3 ft. away. |least 3 ft. away. | |

|Graphics - Relevance |All graphics are related to the |All graphics are related to the |All graphics relate to the topic.|Graphics do not relate to the |

| |topic and make it easier to |topic and most make it easier to |One or two borrowed graphics have|topic OR several borrowed graphics|

| |understand. All borrowed graphics|understand. Some borrowed |a source citation. |do not have a source citation. |

| |have a source citation. |graphics have a source citation. | | |

|Attractiveness |The poster is exceptionally |The poster is attractive in terms|The poster is acceptably |The poster is distractingly messy |

| |attractive in terms of design, |of design, layout and neatness. |attractive though it may be a bit|or very poorly designed. It is not|

| |layout, and neatness. | |messy. |attractive. |

|Grammar |There are no |There are 1-2 |There are 3-4 |There are more than 4 |

| |grammatical/mechanical mistakes |grammatical/mechanical mistakes |grammatical/mechanical mistakes |grammatical/mechanical mistakes on|

| |on the poster. |on the poster. |on the poster. |the poster. |

Presentation Rubric

| |Evaluating Student Presentations | | |

| |1 |2 |3 |4 |Total |

|Organization |Audience cannot understand |Audience has difficulty following|Student presents information in |Student presents information in | |

| |presentation because there is |presentation because student |logical sequence which audience |logical, interesting sequence | |

| |no sequence of information. |jumps around. |can follow. |which audience can follow. | |

|Subject Knowledge |Student does not have grasp of|Student is uncomfortable with |Student is at ease with expected|Student demonstrates full | |

| |information; student cannot |information and is able to answer|answers to all questions, but |knowledge (more than required) by | |

| |answer questions about |only rudimentary questions. |fails to elaborate. |answering all class questions with| |

| |subject. | | |explanations and elaboration. | |

|Graphics |Student uses superfluous |Student occasionally uses |Student's graphics relate to |Student's graphics explain and | |

| |graphics or no graphics |graphics that rarely support text|text and presentation. |reinforce screen text and | |

| | |and presentation. | |presentation. | |

|Mechanics |Student's presentation has |Presentation has three |Presentation has no more than |Presentation has no misspellings | |

| |four or more spelling errors |misspellings and/or grammatical |two misspellings and/or |or grammatical errors. | |

| |and/or grammatical errors. |errors. |grammatical errors. | | |

|Eye Contact |Student reads all of report |Student occasionally uses eye |Student maintains eye contact |Student maintains eye contact with| |

| |with no eye contact. |contact, but still reads most of |most of the time but frequently |audience, seldom returning to | |

| | |report. |returns to notes. |notes. | |

|Elocution |Student mumbles, incorrectly |Student's voice is low. Student |Student's voice is clear. |Student uses a clear voice and | |

| |pronounces terms, and speaks |incorrectly pronounces terms. |Student pronounces most words |correct, precise pronunciation of | |

| |too quietly for students in |Audience members have difficulty |correctly. Most audience members|terms so that all audience members| |

| |the back of class to hear. |hearing presentation. |can hear presentation. |can hear presentation. | |

| | | | | | |

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

Name: ____________________ Period:__________

Activity: ________________ Rubric: Class Participation

Total: ______/5

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