Nov. 28 – Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems

Learning Goals: 

• Understand the major terrestrial biomes in Canada.
• Understand the different types of aquatic ecosystems.

Success Criteria:

• You can identify the different biomes in Canada and describe their biotic and abiotic features.
• You can identify and describe the major types of aquatic ecosystems.

Handouts:

• Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Aquatic Ecosystems

We started by briefly covering the major biomes in Canada:

Boreal Forests

Grasslands

Mountain Forests

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Tundra

You should know roughly where these biomes are located on a map.  We then split up into groups and I gave you the task of trying to figure out how you can survive if you were alone in one of these biomes far away from a city.  What could you hunt or forage to eat?  What dangers might you have to be aware of?  What type of abiotic factors would affect your survival?

Next we discussed different types of aquatic ecosystems.  They can be divided in two major categories: freshwater and marine.

Freshwater ecosystems includes rivers and lakes

They can be oligotrophic (low in nutrients) or eutrophic (rich in nutrients).  This can have major impacts in the types of life that can be found there.

An oligotrophic lake.

A eutrophic river.

Marine ecosystems cover most of the planet.  Much of the ocean is nutrient poor and supports little life.

But shallow waters near shores can support a huge diversity of living things.

Coral reefs appear in shallow waters that are at just the right temperature.

Estuaries are where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the oceans.

Mangroves are found in tropical regions with trees that grow out over the water.

The intertidal zone alternates being above and below water as the tides change.

Finally, in the deep ocean, there is natural light, but some creatures still manage to survive there.  Here is a video of some strange and fascinating creatures.

Homework:

• Read Chapters 2.8 and 2.9
• Do the homework that we skipped due to the unit test.
• P. 31 #2, 5
• P. 35 # 1-5