Welcome to Ecological Biology“Equipped with his/her five senses, man/woman explores the universe around him/her and calls the adventure Science.”

~Edwin Powell Hubble, The Nature of Science, 1954“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who

mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” James Madison

Please read and do the following:

Please pick up the 2 handouts from the front table and find a seat for now. You will be given an assigned seat shortly.

Please read over the class expectations sheet and note the materials needed for class and get out a pencil or pen.

An Introduction:

So… What is Biology?

Your ideas.As a science? A way of going about solving problems or

answering questions about living organisms or things that impact living organisms.

As a discipline of science? A set of facts and scientific theories that

directly relates to the properties of life.Let’s do a demonstration that is the essence

of both biology as a verb and a noun.

Is It Alive?How could you determine if something were

alive or not?What are the characteristics of life? Are there

any characteristics that are common to all living organisms?

See if your table partner and you can come up with a list of characteristics common to all living organisms.

Make your observations by placing a check mark by all of the characteristics

you observe the object doing in the petri-dish.

Now that you have made some observations…Make an argument supported by the

observations that the object was alive.Make an argument supported by the

observations that the object was not alive.What would you like to change about the

methodology of the demonstration that you believe would improve your ability to argue whether it is alive or not?

So…Is it Alive?Does it matter?What did we learn from this exercise?

How is this demonstration the “essence” of biology?

What can you expect from biology this year?

Here’s what to expect in Ecological Biology

AKA: Rivers BiologyAn interactive (you, me, us!) educational

experience. A curriculum that focuses on the big pictures of life

and the characteristics that unify all living things.A class that provides background knowledge on the

basics facts and concepts of the discipline of biology while also providing a vehicle for scientific/biologic discovery through a variety of experiments and experiences.

Can you see the forest through the trees?

Be observant!!!!!!! Things are constantly happening around you.

Consider the implications of your observations.Look for the big picture, not just the details.Don’t ignore the details.See the forest, appreciate the trees

ECOLOGICAL, AKA: RIVERS BIOLOGY?

1) What does the word BIOLOGY mean?

Bio- “Life”ology- “study of”

WATER

2) What is the most important substance to all living things?

3) Ecological/Rivers biology focuses on the study of life and the role of water for both the internal and external environments in which living things exist.

Where does the river come in?We will center our study of biology on the

common characteristics of living organisms. The river will provide the cords that will bind these characteristics together.

The river is … a place of study, a metaphor for life, a unifying theme for the concepts we consider in our class.

CELLS REPRODUCTIONMETABOLISM- USE OF ENERGY

HEREDITY & Genetics

INTERDEPENDENCEEVOLUTION

INTERNAL BALANCE

EcologyEcology is a relatively new branch of science that includes many of the other disciplines of science

including: biology, earth science and chemistry. How is it defined?

Ecology is defined as the study of the interactions of organisms with each other and with their environment.

ECO- OLOGY-Study of

Look at these environments and consider your definition…

ENVIRONMENT DEFINED:

With table partners-What might some of these “conditions” or “factors” be?LIVING FACTORS NON-LIVING

FACTORS

WE CALL THESE…“LIVING FACTORS”

BIOTIC FACTORS- Remember bio means “LIFE”

“NON-LIVING FACTORS”

ABIOTIC FACTORS- Remember bio means “LIFE” and “a” is a prefix that

means without or not

LET’S PLAY THE ABIOTIC OR BIOTIC GAME!

Response cards: show me the letter you believe the picture represents

Use A for abiotic and

B for = biotic

Fungi

RAIN

Nutrients

Bacteria and Protista

WIND

Animals

SUNLIGHT

THE ECOSYSTEM

Interactions between the abiotic and biotic factors in a given area.

Can an ecosystem be big or small? Wet or dry? Heavily populated or not? Can an ecosystem include just a few living

things or does it have to include lots of living things?

YES! YES! YES! YES! They can be big or small. Densely populated or not. Wet or dry. Indoors or outdoors.

Examples of ecosystems include the following:

Aquatic

Terrestrial

Large

Small

Natural

Artificial

How do the abiotic and biotic factors shape the appearance and function of an ecosystem?

The abiotic and biotic factors within an ecosystem play a major role in determining many aspects of the ecosystem. One example of this is that the abiotic and

biotic factors determine the biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Consider the two words that make up the term biodiversity, (bio=? and diversity=?) what do you think this term means?

Biodiversity

The number of different types of living organisms in an ecosystem.

If the abiotic conditions are favorable in an ecosystem

Then there will be more biotic factors

The greater the BIODIVERSITY

the healthier the ecosystem may be.

TRY THESE:

1. Name 3 abiotic factor that could have a major effect on biodiversity of an ecosystem.

2. Name 3 biotic factors that could have a major effect on biodiversity of an ecosystem.

3. Determine whether or not the following slides have HIGH biodiversity or LOW biodiversity. Use thumbs up for relatively high biodiversity and thumbs down for low biodiversity.

Tropical Rainforest

Tundra

                                            

Coral Reef

Some deserts

AN ANT HILL

How might we/scientists be able to determine the biodiversity of this area?

Our own N.E. Illinois area is (or at least once was) known for what dominent type of ecosystem?

Illinois is nicknamed the:

Prairie State.

For our problem/question we will consider the following: How does the biodiversity of plants (producers) in a native grassland (Prairie) compare to that of a introduced grassland such as that planted by European settlers that now covers many of our landscapes and lawns in the Northbrook area?

Large ecosystems with a fairly consistent set of abiotic and biotic

factors are known as biomes. Each biome is defined primarily

by its abiotic factors of climate and location on the planet. Some biotic factors also play a role in its definition.

Biomes can be either aquatic or terrestrial.

Can you and your table partner think of some common types of biomes?GRASSLANDS

TEMPERATE FORESTS

DESERTS

SAVANAS

You can read about the many different types of biomes in

your text.Consider what abiotic factors might

influence what type of biome occurs in different parts of the earth.

Consider how those abiotic factors might influence the types of organisms that live there with regards to their ability to survive, reproduce and be successful.