Investigating Science 9 - Unit A

The Northern Leopard Frog - an important part of many ecosystems, frogs and toads appear to be especially sensitive to changes in the environment.

• Northern Leopard Frog - very good information on Rana pipiens.
• The Northern Leopard Frog - learn more about this frog, and the threats it faces throughout its habitat.

Northern Leopard Frog - this 1-minute video shows the Northern Leopard Frog in its natural habitat; the National Geographic page for the Northern Leopard Frog also has a sample of the frog's song.Page 2

Unit Introductory Activities - use these activities to introduce the ecosystems unit to students.

• Neighbourhoods - this long list of resources includes some great practical ideas for long-term study, such as ant farms and aquariums.
• Wetland Ecosystems: Ducks Unlimited - this free student journal, and the teacher's guide that goes with it (requires free registration to download PDF files), discusses the evolution, diversity and sustainability of ecosystems.
• Ecosystem Matters - twelve downloadable activities on a variety of sustainability and ecosystem-related topics.
• Biosphere 2 - a fascinating project, where scientists create a totally enclosed ecosystem (including humans); build smaller models yourself, using earthworms, an aquarium or a box.
• Discovery Games and Activities - try Project Earth, Climate Change Puzzles, Go For The Green quiz, or Virtual Earth.

Unit Introductory Videos - use these videos to introduce the relationship between ecosystems, sustainability and human activities.

• Safe Harbours - a video from the US Fish and Wildlife Service discussing the Safe Harbour program, where private land owners help to preserve endangered species.Page 2

Designing a Totally Sustainable Community - in this Unit Task you will attempt to demonstrate how human activities affect the sustainability of ecosystems, and how can this knowledge help us design more sustainable communities.

• How Sustainable Communities Work - a good introduction to the concept of sustainable communities.
• The Sustainability Report - this website includes a section on sustainable communities.
• The David Suzuki Foundation - this collection of resources from one of Canada's great environmentalists has many resources about sustainability and healthy ecosystems.
• Sustainability - an interesting perspective on sustainability from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; there are some interesting resources on sustainable homes and communities here.
• Sustainability at the University of Toronto - see how a university, which is essentially a community within a city, is becoming more sustainable.
• Great Lakes - an amazing collection of information and resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Back 2 Nature - visit the Royal Botanical Gardens in Cootes Paradise to explore sustainability in Ontario.

Cootes Paradise - this beautiful natural area, located at the west end of Lake Ontario, contains a wide variety of species, including many that are threatened or are very rare.

• Cootes Paradise - an overview of Cootes Paradise from a hiking perspective.
• Cootes Paradise: Waterfront Trail - learn about the trails that allow you to explore Cootes Paradise.

Pesticide Use Across the Country - pesticides are chemicals used to kill unwanted plants and animals; unfortunately other organisms are often affected as well.

• Pesticide Reduction in Canada - news and information about pesticide use in Canada.
• Pesticides: Health and Safety - information about pesticides and their dangers from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The Disappearing Bumblebee - - Quirks and Quarks addresses the possibility that pesticides might be at least partially responsible for declining bee populations in North America.

Blue Marble - part of the EarthObservatory site, NASA has the resources to look outward into space, but also inward from space to study Earth.

Stewardship - Earth is a big place, so many people need to take personal responsibility in order for all of Earth's systems to be healthy and efficient.

• Ontario Stewardship - find out what you community is doing for stewardship.
• Stewardship Canada - news and resources about stewardship in Canada.
• Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Stewardship Planning - read how this central BC First Nations council has written up their stewardship action.
• National Parks of Canada - find information on the state of Canada's park system and the ecosystems these parks are trying to protect.

The Canadian Biodiversity Web Site - a terrific resource for Canadian biodiversity, from McGill University and Heritage Canada.

A Holistic Approach - to understand a system such as an ecosystem we can examine it part by part, but we should also look at the system as whole.

• Banff National Park - this park is managed using a holistic approach to the environment.
• Ecosystem Based Management - incorporating a holistic approach to ecosystem management in Canada.

Ecology in Canada - a great website to examine Canada's ecozones, as well as learning more about the ecology of Canada.

Homeless Fish - - Tropical coral reefs are in a lot of trouble. Over the past few decades, climate change has wreaked havoc on them, warming waters and leading to massive bleaching events. Learn about these consequences of climate change in this 8 minute Quirks and Quarks program.

Elements of Ecosystems - ecosystems consist of biotic and abiotic factors, where these factors can be organized into species, populations, habitats, communities and niches.

• The Concept of the Ecosystem - it is tough to capture the essence of what an ecosystem is, but this page introduces the concept well here, and includes discussions of species, populations, habitats and communities.
• Ecosystems - general information about ecosystems throughout the world.
• Niche - a great explanation for a term that can be difficult to understand.
• From Niche to Biosphere - read more about the organization of elements in the environment.

Elements of Ecosystems - these videos present overviews of ecosystems and their elements.

• Biotic and Abiotic Factors - this 1-minute video briefly describes the differences between biotic and abiotic factors.

Elements of Ecosystems - these activities allow you to get interactive with some virtual ecosystems

• Analyzing an Ecosystem - examine an ecosystem for the biotic and abiotic factors (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).
• What are Ecosystems? - a PBS website with information on ecosystems, video clips, and an interactive quiz.

Biomes - ecosystems that share similar characteristics can be grouped into biomes.

• Introduction to Biomes - read about how biomes are defined, then research specific biomes.
• Biomes - review the eight terrestrial North American biomes mentioned here, along with information about what biomes represent.
• Terrestrial Biomes - browse through the various land-based biomes of the world.
• Aquatic Biomes - discover more about aquatic biomes, including specific locations such as lakes, rivers and coral reefs.

Mission: Biomes - use these NASA activities to sharpen your knowledge of the world's biomes.

Biomes - this series of videos defines biomes, and provides information on many of the world's biomes.

Climate Change and the Tree Line - - The Canadian boreal forest, like this country in general, seems to just go on forever. But if you travel far enough North, the trees will eventually start to thin out. The climate gets colder, the environment harsher, and eventually, you're so far north that trees simply can't grow anymore and the landscape turns to tundra. This area of transition is the tree line. In this 8 minute minute Quirks and Quarks program, you will learn how changing tree lines could have a serious impact on tundra species that are forced higher up the mountains.

The Biosphere - the biosphere is where life exists on Earth, an intersection of the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.

• The Biosphere - although brief, this page has summaries of most of the concepts we are studying in this ecosystem chapter.
• Earth's Spheres - read about Earth's spheres and their interactions.

Biomes of the World - Canada has five of the world's biomes; learn more about the rest with these links.

• The World's Biomes - information on all of the world's terrestrial and aquatic biomes.
• What is it Like Where You Live? - this may look like a website for younger students, but there is a wealth of detail here if you are patient.
• WorldBiomes.com - another website that provides brief glimpses into the terrestrial and aquatic biomes.
• Biomes: A Research Guide - an amazing list of biome references.

Section 1.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Wildebeest Migration - food, and therefore survival, is important enough that millions of wildebeests and other grazers will travel in a 3000 km migration around Africa every year.

• Wildebeest Migration - information about the most recent wildebeest migration.
• Why Do Wildebeests Spend Their Whole Lives Migrating in a Circle? - the answer is; to obtain energy.

Wildebeest Migration - seeing the migration adds a new level of appreciation for what the wildebeests go through in their struggles for survival.

• Wildebeest Migration - a 2-minute video review of this amazing annual event.
• Fooled by Nature: Wildebeest Migration - this 3-minute narrated video follows the wildebeest and their search for food.

Nutrient Cycles - elements are continually cycling through nature in systems such as the water, nitrogen, and carbon cycles.

• Nutrient Cycles - information about the three cycles we study, plus more.
• Nutrient Cycles - some nice alternate views of the different nutrient cycles.
• The Water Cycle - a very thorough resource that explains the water cycle.
• The Nitrogen Cycle - another important example of the nutrient cycles.
• The Carbon Cycle - review the carbon cycle, and test your knowledge with their game when you are done.

Nutrient Cycles - use these activities to help better understand and appreciate the importance of the cycling of matter through our ecosystems.

• The Water Cycle - another one of those websites that look like they were made for younger students, but which have a good summary of an important scientific concept.
• The Nitrogen Cycle - work your way through a sometimes confusing cycle with this fun tutorial.
• The Carbon Cycle - a quick look at the carbon cycle.

Nitrogen Dead Zones - - Fish, like all living creatures, take in nitrogen from the environment and use it for their metabolic needs. The more fish, the more nitrogen gets taken up. In effect, fish act as natural nitrogen sponges. Declining fish stocks due to overfishing has taken away the oceans' natural ability to deal with high levels of nitrogen and is contributing to the development of lifeless dead zones. Find out what these dead zones are in this 8 minute minute Quirks and Quarks program.

Energy Flows Through Ecosystems - elements are continually cycling through ecosystems, but energy flows through and does not get re-used or recycled.

• Energy Flow in Ecosystems - information about photosynthesis and respiration.

Energy Flows Through Ecosystems - these simple activities can help to understand energy flow.

• Photosynthesis Lab - - this Gizmo allows us to explore the relationship between light, carbon dioxide and water as photosynthesis occurs.
• Energy Flow - an interactive exploration of energy flow from the Teacher's Domain website (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).
• Illuminating Photosynthesis - an interactive photosynthesis activity that goes much deeper into the science of this energy conversion process than you might expect (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).

Energy Flows Through Ecosystems - let these videos show you more about energy flow.

• Energy Flow - review the concepts of energy flow in an ecosystem in this 2-minute video.
• Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem - examine the flow of energy in an aquatic ecosystem (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).

Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers - how each role in an ecosystem fits together in the flow of energy.

Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers - use these activities to understand these important roles in healthy ecosystems.

• Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers - a practical exploration of producers, consumers and decomposers from virtualmuseum.ca.
• Producers, Consumers, Decomposers - use this series of activities to review the flow of energy through an ecosystem (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).

Food Chains and Food Webs - when energy relationships are organized between organisms, patterns we call chains and webs emerge.

• Food Chains & Food Webs - food chains show the direct flow of energy through one set of organisms, while a food web represents the reality of the complex relationships of who eats what.

Food Chains and Food Webs - build the energy relationships between organisms as all obtain energy to survive.

• Food Chain - - this food chain Gizmo also provides a nice view resembling energy pyramids.
• Chain Reaction - assemble a food chain, then learn what happens when the chain is broken.
• Ukaliq, the Arctic Hare - build a food web around the arctic hare; part of the excellent website that celebrates the Arctic.
• Create Your Own Food Web - scroll down to find the "creating a possible food web" link, then drag and drop until you have a custom food web of your own design.
• Ecosystems - this lesson can be used for review or to learn more about food webs and the flow of energy.

Killer Whales, Otters, Eagles and Urchins - - a Quirks and Quarks podcast that examines the connections between whales, otters, eagles and many other organisms in a west coast food web.

Shrimp in Hot Water - - The shrimp fishery in the North Atlantic has boomed in recent years, as predatory groundfish like cod have disappeared and environmental conditions have been favourable. But all may not be well. In this 8 minute Quirks and Quarks program, the carefully coordinated timing of the hatching of shrimp eggs with the spring phytoplankton bloom, their food, may be threatened by climate change. Global warming may disrupt the timing of both the egg hatch and the bloom, potentially breaking this careful coordination.

Energy Pyramids - a pyramid shape is used to represent the 10% of energy that is passed from one organism on to the one that eats it.

• Energy Pyramids - use this page for a quick summary of an energy pyramid.
• Energy Pyramids and Food Chains - this unique page uses an aquatic theme to examine energy pyramids.

Building an Energy Pyramid - use this PDF activity to help visually represent the amount of energy passed from level to level in an energy pyramid.

Energy Flow - this 2-minute video reviews energy flow and the energy pyramid.

Other Ecological Pyramids - pyramids of numbers and pyramids of biomass also reveal interesting connections between organisms interconnected by their need to obtain energy.

• Pyramids of Numbers - depending on size, some pyramids of numbers can look like anything but a pyramid.
• Pyramid of Biomass - the total mass of each level of an energy pyramid is referred to as a pyramid of biomass.

Section 1.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Birth of an Ecosystem: Surtsey Island - rarely do scientists get a chance to observe the beginning of a terrestrial ecosystem where once there was nothing but open ocean.

• Surtsey: Iceland's Island of Fire - a nice collection of Surtsey information, including links to articles about the arrival of life to the island.
• Surtsey: UNESCO World Heritage Site - who knows how long it will last (the island, not the designation).
• Surtsey, Iceland - read all about Surtsey, including the life forms that appeared on the new island.

Videos from Surtsey Island, Iceland - a collection of videos showing the formation of Surtsey Island.

Nordic Sagas: Island Life - activities and information about Surtsey and new ecology formation on this PBS website.

Biotic Interactions in a Community - relationship between organisms in communities can be classified as competition, predation or symbiosis.

• Community Interactions - an overview of all forms of symbiosis.
• Symbiosis - an in-depth discussion of symbiosis in the ocean.

Relationships in Ecosystems - try your hand at these review questions on biotic interactions.

Characteristics of Populations - based on factors such as the availability of resources and predator-prey relationships, a population changes from year to year but also often reaches an equilibrium.

• Population Growth - a good overview of introductory population dynamics.
• What's the System? - scroll through this page of ecosystem information, including the characteristics of populations.
• The Vole Truth about Lemming Deaths - lemmings do not dive over cliffs; instead, they and the stoat are tied together by the dynamics of the predator-prey relationship.

Characteristics of Populations - use these activities to explore the characteristics of populations.

• Estimating Population Size - - a Gizmo that may give you an appreciation of the challenges ecologists have when it comes to determining populations.
• Pike and Perch - the "Pike and Perch" game (PDF), and worksheet (PDF), studies the relationship in Canadian lakes between pike and perch; scroll through this page to learn all this and much more.
• Too Many Deer? - a case study that discusses many of the characteristics of populations, and introduces some ethical and moral dilemmas to humans attempting to control populations.

Squirrels Versus Trees - - Every fall, a battle rages between the trees in Canada's northern forests and the red squirrel. The trees want to produce enough seeds to be able to ensure new seedlings grow, while the squirrels want to steal as many seeds as possible. In this 9 minute Quirks and Quarks program, we learn how both species have developed some very sneaky strategies to beat each other.

Plants are Happy Families - - We don't usually think of plants as living in families but they have ways of recognizing kin. In this 8 minute Quirks and Quarks program, we learn how plants dial back competition for resources when surrounded by siblings, and that cooperation and non-competition helps family groups do better than strangers. What's not known is how the plants manage the task of recognizing that nearby neighbors are relatives or strangers.

Indigo Birds - - The indigobird, like the cuckoo, is a nest parasite - it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, who then are obliged to raise and nourish their secretly adopted offspring. The infant indigobirds are happily raised by their adoptive parents, sharing their food and even learning their language. This 8 minute Quirks and Quarks program explores how many species of this bird found in Africa can share the same forests.

Hunting Spiders - - A Canadian researcher is interested in the relationships between grass, grasshoppers and spiders. In the natural order of things, the grasshoppers eat the grass and herbs, and in turn are eaten by the spiders. In this 9 minute Quirks and Quarks program, we discover that different spider behaviours cause changes in grasshopper behaviour, which, in turn changes what plants are being eaten. This complex interaction has implications for larger ecosystems, because it shows it's not just a numbers game. Change the way predator and prey interact, and the whole system can be shifted to different plant populations.

Snowshoe Hare and Lynx Populations - the relationship between these two animals, and their surrounding food webs, are a classic example of Canadian wildlife populations.

• Predator-Prey Models - review the basics of the relationship between the snowshoe hare and lynx populations in the Canadian wilderness.
• Snowshoe Hare - a Hinterland Who's Who website about the snowshoe hare.
• Canada Lynx - information about the lynx and its primary prey.

Snowshoe Hare and Lynx Populations - this well-researched relationship is used as an example of how predators and prey interact.

• Rabbit Population by Season - - this Gizmo is a simulation of rabbit populations with adjustable climate conditions.
• Predator/Prey Relationship - decide if the lynx population should be decreased by humans; includes background information and rubric.

Section 1.3 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

How Symbiosis Works - read more about the fascinating world of symbiosis.

Designing a Totally Sustainable Community - in this Unit Task you will attempt to demonstrate how human activities affect the sustainability of ecosystems, and how can this knowledge help us design more sustainable communities.

• How Sustainable Communities Work - a good introduction to the concept of sustainable communities.
• The Sustainability Report - this website includes a section on sustainable communities.
• The David Suzuki Foundation - this collection of resources from one of Canada's great environmentalists has many resources about sustainability and healthy ecosystems.
• Sustainability - an interesting perspective on sustainability from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; there are some interesting resources on sustainable homes and communities here.
• Sustainability at the University of Toronto - see how a university, which is essentially a community within a city, is becoming more sustainable.
• Great Lakes - an amazing collection of information and resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Government of Canada.