Carbon Cycle, Ecological Matter & Energy


1. Life Begins on Planet Earth

2. Products of Plants & Animals

3. Leaf Chad Activity

4. Photosynthesis Details

5. Respiration

6. Ecosystem Research Posters

7. Watershed Game & Review

Warm-Up Slides

Quizlet vocabulary lists

AST 7.6 - Biogeography: Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth. (HS-ESS2-7)

1. Life on Planet Earth

Opening

Activity

    • Watch: Miller Urey Experiment

    • Watch: Single-cell to multicellular video

    • Watch: Paramecium eat! video

    • Read: Becoming multicellular to avoid predators article (read the abstract and introduction).

    • Answer:

      • Q1 - What single cellular organism did they experiment with?

      • Q2 - What selective pressure did they subject the algae to?

      • Q3 - What happened to the algae over time? What new feature/characteristic arose?

      • Q4 - Why did the presence of a predator drive the formation of multicellular living?

    • Debrief: class discussion

Closing


2. Products of Plants and Animals

Opening


Activity

    • Using Vernier probes: Measure CO2 breathe, and measure O2 plants in tank, and rotten fruit.

    • Take and record a measurements under each condition.


Lab Writeup (4 pts)

    • Do research (2-4 sources) and write 2-5 paragraphs explaining the sources O2 and CO2. Cite your sources.

    • Your write up should include:

        • Where does carbon come from?

        • Where does carbon get stored? Name at least 3 places?

        • Does carbon stay in these storage places forever?

        • Where does oxygen come from?

        • Who/what uses oxygen?

        • What are implications of these gases on the earth? (Think global warming).

        • How are your above answers supported by the data you collected in class?

AST 6.1 - Investigating Carbon Cycle: Develop a quantitative model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. (HS-LS2-5 and HS-ESS2-6)


AST 6.4 - Photosynthesis: Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. (HS-LS1-5)

3. Photosynthesis...it is a thing....

Opening

  • Watch: photosynthesis video

  • Emphasis on chloroplasts, chlorophyll, stomata, CO2, water, O2

Activity

https://photosynthesis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Floating-Leaf-Disks-for-Investigating-Photosynthesis.pdf

Leaf Chad Activity

Form to fill out

Closing

    • Discussion: What do plants use/consume? What do they create/release?


AST 6.4 - Photosynthesis: Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. (HS-LS1-5)

4. Photosynthesis details

Opening

Activity

Preview

    • Demo: Bromophenyl blue with snails and aquatic plants setup

Cool Stuff


AST 6.5 - Respiration: Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy. (HS-LS1-7)

5. Respiration

Introduction

    • Bromothymol blue with snails and aquatic plants followup

Activity

    • Watch: Crash Course respiration video

    • Using the video and the internet make a T-chart comparing anaerobic versus aerobic respiration.

    • Compare what substrates enter each process.

    • What products are released. And how many of each.

    • Which is most efficient?

    • Which happens in what conditions?

    • Take a picture and submit it!

Closing



AST 7.4 - Eutrophication : Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. (HS-LS2-3)AST 7.5 - Trophic Levels : Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. (HS-LS2-4)AST 7.3 - Informational Text : I can read and use informational texts about human impact on the environment.

Ecosystem Poster

Opening

    • Root beer setup

Choose an Ecosystem

    • Forest Ecosystem, can be tropical, temperate or boreal.

    • Grassland Ecosystems, such as a prairie, savanna, or steppes.

    • Desert Ecosystems

    • Tundra Ecosystems

    • Freshwater Ecosystems

    • Marine Ecosystems

Research and complete

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgYGnHHJjJxgcUteVFmfv3tmyi27n0YgE-gTdanr69Y/edit

Create a Poster

Your table group will create a Poster detailing the trophic levels of an ecosystem.

    • Abiotic Components

      • air

      • water

      • mineral

      • soil

    • Biotic Components

      • 3 plants

        • Identify what trophic levels each belong to

      • 3 invertebrates

        • Identify what trophic levels each belong to

      • 3 vertebrates

        • Identify what trophic levels each belong to

        • include at least one keystone species if relevant

Interesting Things

Trees can make their own rain?!? article


AST 6.6 - Climate Change : Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. (HS-ESS2-2)
AST 7.2 - Human Impact: Evaluate, and refine a technological solution of reducing impacts of human activities on natural systems. (HS-ESS3-4) OR Sustainability: Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity (HS-ESS3-3AST 7.3 - Informational Text : I can read and use informational texts about human impact on the environment.

Watershed Game/Carbon Sinks