Lesson 1: What is an Ecosystem?

BIG IDEA 1:
An ecosystem is a system of organisms that interact with each other and with the non-living parts of their environment.

Vocabulary:

• Ecosystem
• Organism
• Interactions

Every day that we do "Ecosystems," we will need to sign in to Science Companion Prime to see if we have any new assignments. Today, you should find three new links. The last one is a Glossary of all the vocabulary terms for the unit. Take screen shots of the ones we talk about today, and put them into your blog post for today's lesson.

Watch this short video from BrainPop on Ecosystems.

Look at the photographs above. Let's try to list as many of the interactions that are happening in this ecosystem as we can. Think about the different organisms that are living in this ecosystem and try to think about everything that happens to that organism and everything that organism does. List them in the chart below. I'll help you get started:

1. What does the duck need to survive?
2. Where does the duck get all of its survival needs?

"Interactions" are encounters that an organism might have with any other living or non-living thing.  Let's focus on interactions that allow the organism to live and thrive.

1. How does the duck interact with other living things to meet its survival needs?
2. How does the duck interact with non-living things to meet its survival needs?

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Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

• Ducks eat plants and bugs.
  
• .
• .
• .

Between living & non-living things

• Ducks breathe air (oxygen).
  
• .
  
• .
  
• .
  

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When you think you have ALL of the interactions for the duck, go on to the fish and do the same within the chart.

1. What other kinds of living things (organisms) do you see in either picture?
2. What other living things might be here, even if you can't see them in the photos?
3. Why might living things in these photos interact with each other?
4. Read the BIG IDEA above. How do these pictures depict an ecosystem?

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Next, you will work in groups to discover, observe, and record evidence of interactions within the "school grounds" ecosystem.

Fill out the following Lab Sheet (neatly) while walking outside. Then, take a picture of it and post it on this blog entry.

1. Make sure to describe the kind of ecosystem you are observing.
   
2. List all of the "Living Components" that you observe, as well as all of the "Non-Living Components" that the organisms interact with in order to survive.
   

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While you are outside, "Draw one of the interactions between living things or between a living and a non-living thing" on your "Field Drawing" Lab Sheet.

Be sure to label everything clearly, so I understand what it is that you are drawing.

Take a picture of this and post it on your blog post, as well.

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Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

1. What do living things get from their ecosystems?
2. What evidence do you have to support your answer to Question 1?
3. What does the term ecosystem mean, based on your experience in this lesson? (Don't use the definition from the BIG IDEA here. Put it into your own words.)
4. Brainstorm at least one question you have about Ecosystems that you hope you learn from this unit.
   
5. Look at the image below that shows a portion of a forest ecosystem. Name at least five components (living or non-living things) of the ecosystem that you can either observe directly or infer.
   
6. What are three (or more) interactions that might occur in this portion of the forest ecosystem?
   

Answers:

1. .
2. .
3. .
4. .
   
5. .
   
6. .