Ecology: Save the Seals
For this project we were told to focus on ecosystems, species and human impacts. Our instructions were to make a presentation using prezi, powerpoint, google slides, paper, or video that presents an action plan that will allow our species to thrive in its current environment. Our action plan must be justified by explaining how humans are impacting our species/population. We had to also follow through on our action plan to make a difference.
Our driving questions were:
-how do humans have a lasting impact on species or populations and their environment?
-what can we minimize humans impact on the environment?
-how do we humans prioritize the solutions to minimize human impact on the environment given social, environmental, and economic factors?
Topics for this project are environmental issues connected to a specific species or ecosystem, an ecosystem must have multiple trophic levels, human contribution to the problem must be demonstrated, and information from multiple credible sources including scientific data.
Evidence
Our driving questions were:
-how do humans have a lasting impact on species or populations and their environment?
-what can we minimize humans impact on the environment?
-how do we humans prioritize the solutions to minimize human impact on the environment given social, environmental, and economic factors?
Topics for this project are environmental issues connected to a specific species or ecosystem, an ecosystem must have multiple trophic levels, human contribution to the problem must be demonstrated, and information from multiple credible sources including scientific data.
Evidence
Content
Biodiversity- the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Flora- the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
Fauna- the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
Biome- a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.
Abiotic- physical rather than biological; not derived from living organisms.
Biotic- relating to or resulting from living things, especially in their ecological relations.
Trophic Levels- each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.
Carbon Cycle- the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.
Habitat- the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Density- the degree of compactness of a substance.
Independent- free from outside control; not depending on another's authority.
Dependent- contingent on or determined by or requiring someone or something for financial, emotional, or other support.
Energy Cycle- In plants, these energy factories are called chloroplasts. They collect energy from the sun and use carbon dioxide and water in the process called photosynthesis to produce sugars.
Flow- go from one place to another in a steady stream, typically in large numbers.
Biosphere- the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.
Ecology- the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Symbiotic Relations- are a special type of interaction between species. Sometimes beneficial, sometimes harmful, these relationships are essential to many organisms and ecosystems, and they provide a balance that can only be achieved by working together.
Cellular Respiration- a set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products. Respiration is one of the key ways a cell releases chemical energy to fuel cellular activity.
Niche- a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.
Photosynthesis- the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.
Climate- the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
Ecosystem- a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.