Lessons on Micro and Terrestrial Ecosystems
The activities presented here can be conducted in classrooms or on school grounds.
This article explains how lactic acid bacteria grow in a pickle crock to digest sugars in the cucumbers
and produce lactic acid. Not only does this acid give the pickles their characteristic sour tang, it controls the spread
of spoilage microbes. The pickle crock is an ecosystem. Your students can identify and describe the interactions
between the abiotic factors, such as salt concentrations, pH and temperature, and the biotic factors: the various
microorganisms. In doing so, students should discover that the activities of living things can alter the environment,
thus impacting the potential biodiversity of a given ecosystem and illustrating the dynamic versus static nature of
ecosystems. MSP full record
Two fundamental concepts in ecology — population dynamics and the interdependence
of animal life and the environment — are illustrated in this lesson. Written for grades 4-6, the
lesson can be adapted for older students by requiring them to graph the data collected, interpret the graph, infer
causes for the observed effects, and research additional populations to ascertain whether what they observed in this
activity is also true for other kinds of populations. The objectives of the lesson are: students will be able to
identify and describe food, water and shelter as three essential components of habitat; describe the importance of
good habitat for animals; define limiting factors and give examples; and recognize that some fluctuations in
wildlife populations are natural as ecological systems undergo a constant
change. MSP full record
This lesson plan focuses on biodiversity within ecosystems and within species. Students collect leaves
to demonstrate how diverse life can exist within a small area. Included are objectives, materials, procedures,
discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, an audio-enhanced vocabulary list, and links to teaching
tools for making quizzes, worksheets, and puzzles. A video, available to order, complements this lesson.
MSP full record
This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com library for grades 6-8. It focuses on the seasonal changes
that affect life in a temperate forest ecosystem and how organisms are dependent on one another for proper nutrition.
Students describe the three major types of organisms that live in an ecosystem: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
They then create a food web diagram for display in the classroom. Included are objectives, materials, procedures,
discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, vocabulary, and links to teaching tools for making
quizzes, worksheets, and puzzles. Videos, available to order, complement this lesson.
MSP full record
This is an interactive animation where students review and reinforce their knowledge of
ecological concepts, such as abiotic and biotic interactions and biotic relationships, and vocabulary.
MSP full record
The crops that feed the cities are raised in the valleys and flat river plains, but the fate of the valleys is
decided in the hills and mountains where the streams rise. This article explains that where the hill slopes and ridges in
the upper reaches are covered with trees, the streams flow clearly. It shows that when the trees are gone, the soil
washes down the slopes to clog the streams, foul the river bottoms, and allow flooding. MSP full record
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Copyright
September 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
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This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
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