ENERGY FLOW THROUGH AN ECOSYSTEM

CHALLENGE:• HOW CAN WE USE FOOD WEBS TO PREDICT THE

SHORT AND LONG TERM EFFECTS OF PARTICULAR EVENTS ON AN ECOSYSTEM?

VOCABULARY• NUMBER 1-9 FOR VOCABULARY WORDS TO

COME…

1. Define “arrow”

CARD SORTING…..• WITH YOUR PARTNER, LOOK OVER ALL THE CARDS.• BE SURE TO CAREFULLY READ THE INFORMATION

AVAILABLE FOR EACH KELP FOREST ORGANISM.• SORT THE CARDS INTO TWO GROUPS. MAKE SURE

YOU CAN DEFEND YOUR GROUPINGS!• CAN YOU FURTHER SORT YOUR CARDS??? BE

PREPARED TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.

AFTER A CLASS DISCUSSION, RECORD THE CORRECT GROUPINGS; NAME THE GROUPS APPROPRIATELY.

VOCABULARY• NUMBER 1-9 FOR VOCABULARY WORDS TO COME…

1. Define “arrow”2. Producer3. Consumer4. Decomposer5. Scavenger6. Predator7. Primary Consumer8. Secondary Consumer9. Plankton

MAKING A FOOD WEB!• Lay out your kelp organism cards in such a way as to

show the relationships between the organisms.

• You can use post-it notes for your arrows.

• Neatly record your Kelp Forest Food Web in your lab notebook. Make sure you use arrows properly!!

• Next, indicate the trophic levels in your food web. Which organisms fill the producer role? Which organisms are primary consumers? Secondary consumers? Tertiary consumers? Use COLOR and include a KEY!

ECOSYSTEM EVENTS• Choose 2 Ecosystem Event Cards. • Replicate the chart below in your lab notebook.• For your food web, fill out the following

information….. 

Event SummaryShort-Term

ImpactsLong-Term Impacts

1.   

    

2.    

    

ENERGY PYRAMID• Now obtain an Energy Pyramid. Fill out the

pyramid for your Kelp Forest Food Web. Cut out and tape your pyramid into your lab notebook.

• Write a paragraph, discussing what the Energy Pyramid illustrates about energy flow through your ecosystem. Be sure to include specific detail.