Human Impact on the Environment

a picture from http://vancouverisawesome.com/2013/03/10/inthevillage-on-false-creek-part-61-why-does-habitat-island-even-exist/

Chapter 3.2 and 3.3  Please read text and do the Provincial Exam Study Guide pages 59 to 69 within the pdf.

Key words: 
Sustainability
Habitat destruction
Habitat fragmentation
Deforestation
Soil degradation
Soil compatcion
Soil remediation
Resource exploitation
traditional ecological knowledge
Native species
Foreign species
Invasive species
Proliferation
Competition
Predation
Disease and Parasitism
Habitat Alteration

Our lessons looked at the effect of urbanization on natural habitat and was a reflection on the effect of Human impact on global ecosystems.  We were introduced to wilderness dude and city chick and examined the sweetspot between the wilderness and the city.  Next we watched the Story of Stuff, a sobering look at the resource based economy.  Finally we reflected that it is actually possible to design a city for sustainability and even in our own city of Vancouver, we see recent examples of sustainable city planning such as Habitat Island.  This landscape and the wetland next to it attracted shorebirds, river otters, herring.  And one day, in 2010, a gray whale wandered into False Creek.  Perhaps it was following the scent of herring which laid its eggs on the shores of habitat island.  Many thanks to Margot Long, the landscape architect of Habitat Island and also JB MacKinnon who gave a lecture about rewilding. He shared the video about the gray whale.

Try the provincial exam study guide questions, the sample exams from the ministry website, and then attempt this quiz of chapter 3

Scavenger Hunt Assignment at UBC

when you are finished taking your pics, emailt them to msngscience.fieldtrip@blogger.com

and it will appear here:  http://gladstonefieldtrip.blogspot.ca



A reminder to meet at 8:30 in the classroom for attendance and to have your own bus fare ready

Get into a group of 2 or 3
Within your group, one person has a device which can photograph and send an email (such as a cell phone).

1.  Photograph ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP WITH at least ONE exhibit related to the words below .Make a sign and write what word you found.  You must take a photo of each topic.

2.  summarize the exhibits you see at the museum in a sentence or two (per exhibit) . This will be included in your group report.

3.  prepare to print your report and hand this in next day with all your names.

4.  When you finish with all your pictures, choose the funniest, most ridiculous ones and email at least 4 of them to our online gallery.  Check with the people in the photo that it is permitted for them to have the photo on line because this pic will show up on this website.  Your entire file must be under 10MB so set your camera for low resolution.


PICTURES YOU MUST TAKE:
At the Beaty Museum:

one of you smelling schmaeg...
baleen
something related to the Blue Whale
something from the taxidermy area
Food Web example

Evolution

 evolutionary timeline
 an example of Natural Selection 
 an example of Adaptive Radiation
 find the hagfish (jawless fish)
anomalocaris from the cambrian explosion
an ancient gigantic shark

at the Earth and Ocean museum: 
 the dinosaur
the jellyroll
the oldest rock in the museum
the most expensive rock in the museum
a crystal
earthquake things
tectonic plates

Field Study to Beaty Museum and Pacific Museum of the Earth December 9, 2014

We will visit the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and the Pacific Museum of the Earth at UBC on December 9.  Consent forms are due next monday. Map is here.  We will meet in the classroom 8:30am to take attendance.  Walk to Nanaimo Station and all take the UBC#25 bus, walk to Beaty museum. Take attendance again and enter the museum at 10am.  At 11am we cross the street to the Pacific Museum of the Earth.

Then we take a group picture and walk back to bus stop.  We arrive back at school during third block.

Ecological Succession

Section 3.1 Changes in Ecosystems: Ecological Succession

 Succession - the process by which organisms occupy an uninhabited space

Primary Succession: has no soil.  When there is rock, sand, volcanic ash or any other place with no nutrients, then organisms will occupy the space in a predictable way:

Steps
1.  rock, sand, volcanic ash
2.  pioneer species arrive:  moss, lichen.  These die and become humus, which becomes soil.
3. more nutrients allow the seeds of  grasses, weeds, and flowers to become established.  Now earthworms, beetles, microbes work on the soil
4.  more nutrients allow the seeds of bushes to come and grow
5.  Next fast growing trees like deciduous trees 
6.  a mature community of shade tolerant deciduous and  coniferous (evergreen trees) come.



Secondary succession
Steps
1.  soil already exists, such as after a major disaster like fire, flooding, clear cutting
2. grasses, weeds, flowers, beetles, earthworms, microbes
3. bushes
4. fast growing trees , deciduous.
5. mature community of large trees, deciduous and conifers (evergreens)

Nutrient Cycles, Our 2.2 quiz and using the Data Pages

You are permitted to use the  data pages during all of the exams this year.  You may access them by clicking on this link.

We are now at the end of 2.2 and take the time this coming period to ask questions and work through any concepts you do not yet understand.  Also, make a drawing of the root nodules of the clover plant and have a look at a leaf underneath the microscope.  Add these drawings to your carbon dioxide lab.

When you think you're ready for that Nutrient Cycle Quiz, then try it, but not before doing the 
Study guide  questions from pages 33 to 42 
Read and make notes on section 2.2 of your textbook.  

and try the biology questions on the sample exams on the ministry website

Effects of Bioaccumulation on Ecosystems

The Story of Stuff highlights how we are all organisms intimately connected with the ecosystem and toxins in our consumer products have an effect on us.

Homework: Read and do homework questions on section 2.2 of the Study Guide, pages 47 to 53 of the pdf document

Class Notes: 

How do toxins move through the trophic

Levels?                                                           Toxins concentrate up the trophic levels.  (notice that this is the opposite of what energy does).  Toxins may effect all the organisms in ecosystems.  If they harm KEYSTONE SPECIES, then the entire ecosystem may unravel.

Keystone species                                          a keystone species is the most important member of the ecosystem, without which, the entire ecosystem would collapse.  The keystone of a bog is sphagnum moss. the keystone of a pacific west coast rainforest is salmon.

Bioaccumulation                                              bioaccumulation is when toxin levels increase in organisms on the same trophic level

Biomagnification                                           toxins magnify going up the food pyramid.   An example is the pesticide DDT.  DDT is sprayed on crops.  These crops (corn) are eaten by rodents.  Each individual rodent has a higher dose of DDT compared to the individual corn plant.  The rodents are eaten by snakes, Each snake receives a higher dose than the individual rodent.  The snakes and rodents are consumed by a predator like a hawk or eagle.  This type of top predator receives the highest dose of all.  Similarly, in an aquatic ecosystem, the phytoplankton (producers) consume toxins that move to the zooplankton, small fish, bigger fish, sharks and whales.  The higher the trophic level, the greater concentration of toxins. 

Examples of toxins                                        

PCB – industrial residue, interferes with reproduction

HEAVY METALS

Lead – naturally occurring in soil, in manufacturing of paints, batteries, electronics, soldering.  Neurotoxin, reproductive toxin, kidney failure

Mercury – released through mining, burning fossil fuel, coal burning, a neurotoxin

Cadmium, manufacture of plastics and batteries.  Reproductive toxin

                                                                        Flame retardant:  found in new clothing

PPCPs : drugs, cosmetics, vitamins, antibiotics, sources: pharmaceutical companies (controlled), hospitals, residences (uncontrolled), agribusiness.

Examples of endocrine disrupters      estrogen mimics or estrogen, these reduce sperm count, cause fertility problems, and, in some amphibians:  change sex. 

                                                                        Phthalates: lining in canned food, plastic drink containers, some plastic food containers, plastic wrap, deodorant, cosmetic additive

Avoiding toxins                                                eat low on the food pyramid.  Plants and primary consumers have the lowest toxic load. 

                                                                        Eat organic

                                                                        Protect water sources:  ground water in Ontario was found to be contaminated with personal care products and pharmaceuticals      Use safe, natural personal care products:  olive oil as conditioner, vitamin e for lip balm.

A notice to those students going to the Advanced Molecular Biology Lab

November 12: two options:
meet at 7:35 AM in front of office
OR
board the #25 UBC  bus by 8am  to get to the UBC bus loop. Exit the bus and take the google map directions here: click on the picture below:

Carbon Dioxide Lab

Purpose: Observe the properties of carbon dioxide.  Discover what happens when carbon dioxide mixes with water. Record a neutralization reaction

Materials: Dry ice, universal indicator, sodium hydroxide, water.  Caution:  ice is -73 celsius and may cause skin damage if it is touched.  Sodium hydroxide is corrosive.  Universal indicator is poisonous.  Use appropriate eyewear. Wash hands with soap after the lab is over.

Procedure: Follow the procedure and write your observations:
Properties of carbon dioxide:
1. Place a nugget of ice on the table and bat it around with your hands.  It'll start to slide around
2.  Place a nugget of ice on the table and put a coin on it.  Breathe on the coin.
3.  Place a nugget of ice in a puddle of water
4.  Rate of Reaction: Put ice in a flask of cold water.  Now use hot water.
5. Neutralization:  Put on your goggles: place a dropperful of sodium hydroxide in a flask of water and another dropperful of universal indicator. Drop a nugget of ice in the water.  Observe the reaction.

Conclusions:  write down your conclusions on the properties of Carbon Dioxide.

Update for October lessons, Potions Lab

If you have not already done the ecosystem quiz on 2.1 , make sure that you do the 2.1 quiz. If you've already done it, please don't do it again.    It is still up due to my absence (bronchitis is persisting). If you have any questions with regards to nutrient cycles, please email me.  I'm expecting to go back to school soon.

Next week's lessons: 
Oct 28:  Review session on nutrient cycles and nutrient cycle quiz will be up.  And a general Q and A on our lessons so far.
Oct 30:  there will be a lab on Dry Ice to explore the physical properties of Carbon Dioxide.  It'll be our Halloween lab.  You will write this lab up and hand it in.  It'll be a classic potions lab, for all you Harry Potter fans out there.

Solid Carbon Dioxide: -73 degrees celsius!

observe the properties of carbon dioxide and discover how to make carbonic acid in the ocean

Lesson Notes: Nitrogen, Carbon and Phosphorus get recycled through living things.

Read the Study guide and do questions from pages 33 to 42 
Read and make notes on section 2.2 of your textbook.  

Assignment:  draw a cartoon of the Nitrogen cycle OR the carbon cycle in a simplified form.

NUTRIENT CYCLE NOTES            section 2.2                                                                   

Why do living things need

Nitrogen in their bodies?                  Nitrogen is part of the amine group in an amino acid.  Amino acids are

building blocks of protein and protein are building blocks for many structures in living things.  Within your body, proteins form enzymes, pigment, muscle, cellular components.   Animals have protein as a major structural component. 

How much Nitrogen is in the atmosphere?     about 80% of air is nitrogen and the other 20% is oxygen. This nitrogen is necessary for survival for all life on earth, yet most life forms are unable to access the nitrogen without help from microbes.

How do PLANTS AND ANIMALS

access atmospheric nitrogen? They cannot do it alone.                               
PLANTS AND ANIMALS MUST ACCESS NITROGEN  IN A COMPLEX,     ROUNDABOUT WAY THAT DEPEND UPON BACTERIA.        

here are the four steps: 
                          STEP 1:  NITROGEN FIXATION:  NITROGEN GAS MUST TURN INTO  AMMONIUM

N_{2 gets turned into} NH₄⁺ 

At the NH4 stage, plants are able to absorb this and use it for life functions but animals (including humans cannot – unless you believe those people who like to drink pee for nutrition)

a.     in soil:  nitrogen fixing bacteria in roots These bacteria live as symbionts in the roots of plants such as legumes (beans), clover..  Examples of nitrogen fixing bacteria  living in roots is Rhizobium..

b.     An aquatic example is Cyanobacterium

                                                             STEP 2: AMMONIUM IS TURNED INTO NITRITES AND NITRATES by NITRIFYING BACTERIA in the soil:   

NH₄⁺ gets turned into NO₃^-:  
ammonium turns into nitrates

STEP 3: Both Ammonium and NITRATES CAN NOW BE ABSORBED by  PLANTS through their roots:

Plants take the nitrate and turn it into plant proteins

STEP 4:  PLANTS ARE EATEN BY ANIMALS

When animals eat plants, the plant protein are converted into animal protein.  

Are there other sources of nitrogen without following those steps?    There are three other sources:
1.  When animals and plants die, their bodies decompose into AMMONIUM Microbes and fungi and other DECOMPOSERS are responsible for this 
2.  When animals urinate in the environment, urine breaks down into AMMONIUM

3.  Lightening strikes can make nitrates  in the soil .     

What would happen if Rhizobium, Cyanobacteria and all

Those nitrogen fixers became extinct?   

                                                            First plants would die from lack of nitrogen and then all the animals would die.  We depend on the nitrogen fixers to make our protein.  (you are protein, when you stop to think about it…)

How is nitrogen returned back to the atmosphere? DENITRIFICATION:  again a task performed by bacteria:  the denitrifying bacteria. 

EUTRIFICATION:                                     too much of a good thing  nitrogen is essential so more nitrogen is better right?  Wrong.  Human industry and agriculture can release ammonia into the environment (a lake) and cause algae to bloom. Algae grows quickly and then dies all at once, robbing the lake of oxygen. Fish die as a result. 

Images to remember                                Copy fig 2.35 and 2.37 in words p. 80 and 81 in your textbook

CARBON CYCLE

Carbon cycled throughout the earth’s history                                                                                                                                             The Carbon dioxide you are breathing out now could have contained carbon  from Isaac Newton’s teacup  and the same one that entered a prehistoric plant through  photosynthesis. The carbon emitted from a car was photosynthesized by an aquatic plant millions of years ago.  Carbon on earth never really disappears.  It just gets used over and over again. 

Carbon cycles through these places                      
1.  atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide:  CO2

                                                                                         
2. Plant material:  cellulose, starch

                                                                                          
3. Animal material:  carbon is in our fat and protein. 

                                                                                        
4. Shells of phytoplankton:  calcium carbonate shells

                                                                                          
5. Dissolved in the ocean:  as carbonic acid

Atmospheric carbon has sources and sinks :           

a sink removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  
A source returns carbon back to the atmosphere.

Examples of Carbon sinks

1.     PLANTS, especially forests and

 bogs    THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS     

                                                            CO₂ + H₂O    ^sunlightà   C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂

                                                Also fossilized plants: 

3.  atmosphere to the ocean         carbon dioxide gets absorbed into the ocean and turns into carbonic acid.  This acid is a buffer.  The buffer has a tendency to maintain ocean acidity at a constant level

4. ocean to phytoplankton shells   the bicarbonate ion  HCO₃^- can combine with calcium to make calcium carbonate CaCO₃ shells for a variety of sea life, including phytoplankton.  This carbon can be locked up for millions of years as the sea life dies and turns into limestone cliffs.

Examples of Carbon sources:

1. animals breathing: cell respiration
2. plants and animals dying and releasing carbon dioxide 
3.  fossil fuel combustion:           

                                                C₆H₁₂O₆ + O_{2  -->}   CO₂ + H₂O

PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

PHOSPHORUS is used for             1. energy:  part of adenosine triphosphate, an energy molecule

                                                             2.  Makes genetic material:  DNA and RNA

                                                            3.  In vertebrate animals:  makes bone

                                                            4.  In plants: promotes growth

PHOSPHORUS CYCLE                             FROM LIVING THINGS TO THE SOIL AND BACK AGAIN. 

                                                            Phosphate is trapped in rocks, sediments, ocean floor

                                                            Weathering releases phosphates

EUTRIPHICATION                           humans add phosphorus to the environment resulting in algal blooms and fish death

  
Water and Carbon Cycle Crash Course

Ecological Webs and Ecological Pyramids. How the Sun's Energy gets into Everything

Vocabulary words. Read the study guide section 2.1  that's pages 34 - 42.

In your textbook, read Chapter 2, section 2.1 to review these concepts. At the end of this post there is a quiz.

In an ecosystem, you are food!
In this section, we explore the many ways of visualizing the ecosystem. These include
Food Chain
Food Web
Pyramids showing trophic levels

Members of the ecosystem can be divided into these categories: 

   Producer: a plants and any photosynthesizing microbe.

   Primary Consumer: a herbivore

   Secondary Consumer: can be a carnivore who eats herbivores. Also can be an omnivore who 

    eats herbivores

   Tertiary Consumer: a carnivore: one who eats carnivores and herbivores

    

    detrivore: one who eats dead and decaying things

    decomposer: Fungi and Microbes: consume decaying things and breaks them down into 

          elements and  compounds.  Decomposers cause the biodegradation of other organisms

Ecological Pyramid: Four kinds
    Food Pyramid showing trophic levels
    Biomass Pyramid
    Pyramid of Energy
    Pyramid of numbers

When you finish doing the questions in the study guide, check out the provincial exam samples on the ministry website and then try this quiz.  You have until next tuesday to submit your responses. Careful. some questions are really tricky!

Alien Mouse vs. Predator...Adaptations

Adaptations are characteristics that anable an organism to survive and fit in its environment.  There are three kinds of adaptations:
    behavioural
    structural
    physiological


Animals, Plants, Fungi all have adaptations.  

We will do two demonstrations in this class  Observe vertebrate predator and prey adaptations.  There are differences between predator and prey skulls in with respect to their eyes and teeth and observed the adaptations of a hunting owl

In-Class Assignment: In your science journals, write today's date.
I.  Write a half page summary of our two demonstrations.  Conclude whether a human is predator or prey

II. Observe the specimens provided in class.  Write your observations in complete sentences and in pen. I will also accept a typed report.
1.  Draw the specimen carefully
2.  Write down the identification
3.  Examine the skull and describe the placement of the eyes.  Identify whether this is characteristic of predator or prey
4.  Examine the teeth or teeth holes of the specimen. Look for teeth that are characteristic of predator or prey
5.  Life History of specimen.  What is its a. habitat   b. normal diet   c. other special adaptations
6.  What parts of the anatomy observed here are similar to all the other animal specimens?  Name at least five similarities.  These similarities are "homologous traits", meaning they indicate that the animals share a common ancestry.

III.  Listen to this excerpt about an amur tiger   a predator adapted to a strange connection between the boreal forest and the tropics.  A documentary showing this huge tiger.  And meet ninja cat, evidence that even domestic felines have similar instincts.

Ecological Hierarchy and Ecosystems

Reading and practice questions: Section 1.2 of the Study Guide

Key Vocabulary words: Know these definitions:

Ecological  hierarchy
Ecosystem
Habitat
Community
Population
Species

Niche
Ecological interactions:
      competition
      predation
      symbiosis
Ecological health:
      Biodiversity

ECOLOGICAL HIERARCHY:
The living organisms on the earth can be organized in different groups, or divisions.  The biggest division is the biosphere itself, that thin layer of soil, water and air and all the life within it. The other divisions fit within that biosphere.   Like russian dolls, each division fits within another: For example
If we look at the biosphere as a group of living things, then the russian dolls are labeled like this:



Ecological Hierarchy of interaction

BIOSPHERE

biomes

ecosystems

communities

populations (made up of the same species).

organisms (of the same species)

If we look at the biosphere as a place, the russian dolls are labeled like this:

Hierarchy of a place called BIOSPHERE 

biomes

ecosystems

habitats

ECOSYSTEMS: 
We will focus on the Ecosystem,  a network of interacting organisms linking biotic factors and abiotic factors. It is a system in equilibrium.  It is dynamic, yet unchanging over a long period of time.

Ecosystems can be considered a group of living things who happen to be in the same place at the same time, like a group of friends hanging out together.  Yet, we can also consider ecosystems  a place.  For example, a forest ecosystem is both a group of organisms and a place.   Can you picture a forest as a group of trees, ferns, bushes, microbes, fungi...all interacting? Yet a forest is also geography:   We have a forest called Pacific Spirit Park, an ecosystem named Camosun bog, another one called Trout Lake.

And ecosystems are dynamic, ever changing. Over time, organisms move in, move out. They mate, and have offspring and die.  Yet ecosystems seem to stay the same:  a forest may have the same species inventory for over 300 years.


Examples of ecosystems (they are like minibiomes within the big biome!):
west coast rainforest, desert, bog, micro ecosystem within the human gut!

Biodiversity:is the number of different organisms within any ecosystem...the more the better!

What happens inside ecosystems  Here are a few of the interactions within that ecosystem:
1.  Competition: organisms may compete for the same resources such as food, mates, territory
2.  Predation: some organisms eat others: A game of tag with very high stakes.This affects their population dynamics. And their adaptations are exquisitely tuned to the task of hunting, killing, or running and escaping.
3.  Symbiosis: some organisms live closely with others as a host/symbiont pair:
      a. parasitism
      b. mutualism
      c. commensalism

Homework: Do the study guide questions for section 1.2 including the sample multiple choice questions. Note that some of these are tricky!

Your homework quiz for this section is here:
HOMEWORK QUIZ
 Note that I must wait for all responses to come in before marking them.

Welcome to Science 10

Introduction to our BIOSPHERE We explore the definitions and conditions of life itself.
Our key words to know are as follows. Know their definition, examples and be prepared to answer study guide questions on these words.

Biosphere
biomes
abiotic conditions
biotic conditions
five factors affecting the location of biomes
adaptations of organisms living in their habitat. there are three adaptations: behavioural, structural, physiological

examining a climatograph for data on abiotic conditions.
We use a thermometer to measure temperature and
This device to measure precipitation.

Try this homework quiz

Next topic: Ecological Heirarchy: We can study biology in ever increasing and decreasing units.  Life units can be very big...such as the whole planet, or really small, like a tiny microecosystem in soil, or the teeming microbiome of bacteria living inside us.