Scribd
Upload
35 views3 pages

Lesson 1

This 3-week science unit focuses on ecosystems for 9th grade students. Students will study the interrelationships between organisms and their environment. They will learn about energy and matter flow through food webs and how organisms adapt to their habitats. As an assessment, students will conduct a field study at a rocky shore to identify organisms, observe distributions and adaptations, and construct a food web. They will analyze how human activities like lead shooting and changes in plankton biomass can impact the local ecosystem.

Uploaded by

api-286700357
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
35 views3 pages

Lesson 1

This 3-week science unit focuses on ecosystems for 9th grade students. Students will study the interrelationships between organisms and their environment. They will learn about energy and matter flow through food webs and how organisms adapt to their habitats. As an assessment, students will conduct a field study at a rocky shore to identify organisms, observe distributions and adaptations, and construct a food web. They will analyze how human activities like lead shooting and changes in plankton biomass can impact the local ecosystem.

Uploaded by

api-286700357
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Unit title: The chain of life

Year level: 9
Duration: 3 weeks, 2 lessons a week Course: Science
Rationale
We seek to deliver a modern, high quality and comprehensive learning
experience for all students. This program has a local focus along with crosscurricular priorities to allow students to make connections to day to day
living. Students will develop through a variety of experiences:
-

Knowledge of the environment they live in.


Team work and problem solving skills.

Ability to critique and reflect on situations.

Data collection and analysis skills

Enquiry and research skills.

Learning outcomes/

Knowledge of the interrelatedness between humans and nature.


At the completion of this unit students will be able to:

success criteria

Define an ecosystem and its components.

Explain the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems

Construct and discuss food webs.

Describe the relationships between organisms

Use investigation methods to collect reliable data. Analyse the data


and discuss any patterns or trends.

Curriculum
descriptors

Identify the impacts of humans on ecosystems

Discuss how animals/plants change to cope with their environment


Science understanding - Biological sciences
Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic
components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these
systems (ACSSU176)
Science enquiry skills - Planning and conducting
Plan, select and use appropriate investigation methods, including field work
and laboratory experimentation, to collect reliable data; assess risk and
address ethical issues associated with these methods (ACSIS165)
Science enquiry skills - Processing and analysing data and information
Page 1 of 3

Analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships

APPENDIX 1
Year 9 Science
Rocky Shore Study River heads
The aim of this exercise is to study the distribution and abundance of organisms living on a rocky shore
between the low and high tide marks. This will be achieved by using a transect line and quadrat counts
at 1m intervals.
1. Collect a transect tape and quadrat
2. Select a section of rocky shore and run a transect tape in a straight line from the high tide mark
to the waters edge.
3. Starting at the high tide mark, place the quadrat on the 1m mark. Scan and record the numbers
of each species present in the table below
1m

2m

3m

4m

5m

6m

7m

8m

9m

Anemone
Barnacle
Periwinkle
Phytoplankto
n
Chiton
Ribbed top
shell
Limpet
Warrener
Algae
FIELD TRIP REPORT DUE 3rd JUNE
The following website will assist you with research www.rockyshores.auz.info/home.htm
1.
2.
3.
4.

What physical stresses occur in the intertidal zone?


What factors do you think influence the distribution of organisms along your transect?
What forms of adaptation exist that enable organisms to inhibit the intertidal zone?
How are the physiological and morphological adaptions reflected in your transect data?

5. Construct a food web for the River mouth ecosystem. The following information will assist
you:
Organism
Anemone
Barnacle
Periwinkle
Phytoplankton
Zooplankton

Feeds on:
Zooplankton
Zooplankton, Phytoplankton
Algae
Phytoplankton
Page 2 of 3

Mussel
Chiton
Ribbed top shell
Limpet
Warrener
Algae (attached to rocks)
Human
Wrasse
Sharks
Couta
Pacific gull

Zooplankton, Phytoplankton
Algae
Algae
Algae
Algae
Mussles, Wrasse, Sharks, Couta, Warrener
Algae
Wrasse, Couta, Humans
Wrasse
Mussels, Ribbed top shell, Warrener

6. A gun club was located on the eastern shore of the River mouth for many years. Members of the
club would shoot at clay targets launched over the adjacent water. The lead would sink to the
bottom and form part of the sediment on which marine plants grow. Carefully explain the
process by which the lead shot could present a serious health risk for higher order consumers in
your food web.
7. A scientist undertook a study of the biomass of pelagic phytoplankton and zooplankton in the
area. He constructed a pyramid of biomass to represent his finding :
a. Describe the shape of the pyramid
b. Explain what factors lead to the observed shape.
Zooplankton

Phytoplankton

Page 3 of 3

You might also like