Ecoscenario+Project

**//About the Project //** This project is team-based and has two parts:
 * Ecoscenario Project **

1. In teams of three, work together to research information about your assigned ecoscenario. 2. Present your project to the class.

Working together as a group, look over the resources and figure out which ones will help you answer the following questions:
 * //Step 1: Overview of Ecoscenario //**

(Hint: look for information about rain or other precipitation, climate, sunlight, elevation, temperatures, latitude, freshwater or seawater, etc.)
 * 1. What kind of environment is this? Where is it? **


 * Be able to describe the ecosystem in detail.
 * Specifically show where the ecosystem is located.
 * Mention similar ecosystems in other places on Earth and state why they are similar.

(Hint: look for information about the trophic levels, like producers or plants, what organisms eat the producers, what eats them, etc.)
 * 2. What are the main organisms that are important in this ecosystem? **

With your group members, develop a food web of the most important organisms. This will help you develop your presentation. Start by identifying the producers in your ecosystem. Next, determine what organisms are the primary consumers. Next, identify what eats these and so on.
 * //Step 2: Food Web //**

1. Include at least three producers and their consumers in your food web. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Color-code them so that **<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">producers are green **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">, **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">consumers are red **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">, and **<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">decomposers are blue **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Include at least 10 organisms, but no more than 15. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">4. Draw arrows to show the energy flow from the organism being consumed to the organism consuming it.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Take a look at these pictures to figure out where decomposers fit into the food web: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Make a list of the most important abiotic factors that affect this ecosystem. This will help you develop your presentation.
 * //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 22px;">Step 3: Abiotic Factors //**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. __**List and explain in depth**__ the main abiotic factors in the ecosystem (You need at least two, no more than three). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Identify the population(s) affected by the factor. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Describe the factor's effect on the ecosystem. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">(Hint: look for information about changing water levels, temperature, light levels, salinity, pollution, etc.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Make a list of the most important human effects on this ecosystem.
 * //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 22px;">Step 4: Human Impact //**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. __**Describe and explain**__ the human impacts (You will need at least one, no more than two). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Identify the population(s) affected by humans. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Describe the effect on the ecosystem. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">4. Include action that could be taken to reduce the impact. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">(Hint: look for information about building or construction, logging, diverting freshwater, hunting or anything else humans do that affects nature.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">In your presentation, include information about __**three**__ populations that live in your ecosystem and include:
 * //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 22px;">Step 5: Populations //**


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">The populations' role in the ecosystem (what trophic level?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Any interesting facts/information about the populations.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">The effect of abiotic factors on the population.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">The effect of humans on the population.


 * <span style="color: #be10e5; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">MAKE SURE TO CITE YOUR SOURCES! I HAVE INCLUDED SOME RESOURCES FOR YOU TO USE, BUT YOU MUST GIVE PROPER CREDIT AND WRITE THEM IN MLA FORMAT. PLEASE SEE THE SAMPLE CITATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">After you have done your research, work with your group members to develop a way to present your information to the rest of the class (poster, PowerPoint presentation, website, movie, ShowMe, Prezi, etc.). Your presentation will help you tell the story of your ecosystem to the rest of the class. Make it fun and creative so that your presentation is memorable. Work together to figure out how to best share the story of your ecosystem with the rest of the class. Include diagrams, pictures, drawings, graphs, or other ways to make the information easy to understand. __**You will be asked to state where you found all of your information!**__
 * //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 22px;">Presentation //**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Presentations should be between __**3-5 minutes in length**__ and include the following:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. Title and Description
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Describe the ecosystem in detail.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Specifically show where the ecosystem is located.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Mention similar ecosystems in other places on the Earth and state why they are similar.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Identify some of the important organisms (producers, consumers, and decomposers) in your ecosystem.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Food Web
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Diagram organisms in trophic levels: producers (green), consumers (red), and decomposer (blue).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Include 10-15 organisms in the food web.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Draw arrows to show energy flow in the ecosystem.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Abiotic Factors
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**List and explain in depth**__ the main abiotic factors in the ecosystem (You need at least 2, no more than 3).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Identify the population(s) affected by the factor.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Describe how these abiotic factors effect the ecosystem.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">4. Human Impact
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**Describe and explain**__ the human impacts (You will need at least 1, no more than 2).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Identify the population(s) affected by humans.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Describe the effect on the ecosystem.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Include possible actions that could be taken to reduce the impact.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">5. Populations - In your presentation, include information about __**three**__ important populations in this ecosystem and include:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Its' role in the ecosystem.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">Any interesting facts/information about the population.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">The effect of abiotic factors on the population.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%;">The effect of humans on the population.


 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 160%;">Click here to see how the project will be graded **