Life Science Middle School Ecology
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Pyramid rubricExtensions Each student should select a specific species and conduct library research about how change in their local climate might affect their selected animal. Parts to a Whole
4 - no mistakes 3 - few mistakes 2 - many mistakes 1 - incomplete (however is present) 0 - not evident or not included Percentages: Visual _____ Written _____ Presentation _____ Teamwork _____ Responsibility _____ Overall_____ 
Move Over Please! What happens when a plant population is too dense? Summary: This project explores the effects of plant population density. Duration: 2 weeks Setting: Classroom/lab Vocabulary: population, overcrowding Standards/Benchmarks Addressed: SC1-E1, SC1-E2, SC2-E1, SC2-E2, SC2-E3, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E3, SC4-E4, SC4-E5, SC5-E1, SC5-E2, SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC6-E6, SC6-E7, SC11-E2, SC11-E3, SC11-E4, SC11-E5, SC11-E7, SC12-E2, SC14-E1 Objectives Students will: work with the scientific method in order to see what happens when a plant population gets too dense. make a chart to record the growth of plants. Background Nature is an amazing thing. It has the ability to regulate itself in order to promote a healthy habitat for all living things. In order to maintain a healthy environment nature has a natural cycle of population increases and decreases. If a population becomes too crowded the plants or animals must compete for the resources (food, water, shelter, and space) available. This creates an unhealthy environment, which causes the plants and/or animals to suffer. Plants are modular and do not move around. As a consequence, plants can get larger so both biomass and the numbers of plants are indicators of plant population size. As the population increases (in numbers or biomass) either survival or reproduction will be reduced by the limits imposed by resources, competition, predation, or by space limits. Competition is high because of the fixed nature of their location and the fixed nature of resource availability. Competition is mitigated by other factors such as predation, disease, and mutualistic interactions. The degree of intra- and inter-specific competition is described by the self-thinning rule (also called Yoda’s rule or the 3/2 power rule). This rule states that as plant population density increases plant size decreases due to resource limitations.
2 small milk cartons Potting soil Water
Radish seeds Metric ruler Marker Pie pan
Measuring cups Procedure Warm up Ask the following questions: What do you think will happen if the plants are too close together? Will there be enough food, water, and sunlight? What else might be in short supply? Have students write their answers in a science journal. Directory: cave cave -> Caveland Lending Library: Items specifically for visual impairment or blindness: Updated: December 2010 Technology Solutions for the Blind or Visually Impaired Aladdin Closed Circuit Television Reading System cave -> Spotlight: Training to Act Working actors on how they use their training Download 2.57 Mb. Share with your friends:
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