topics are soil ecology natural selection

1. Code #3
www.performanceseries.com
And
Mrs. Gall
www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com
*

2. *
*Soil is a very important part of every
ecosystem. Students should understand the
function and importance of soil.

3. *
*

4. *
*

5. *
*Soil consists of living and nonliving materials. These
materials have three main components: broken down
rocks and minerals, small organisms like insects,
bacteria, and fungus, and dead plant and animal
material. It contains the nutrients and water that
plants need to live. The roots of plants absorb the
nutrients and water in the soil that are trapped
between the soil particles. Plants use the nutrients
and water, along with energy from the sun, to make
food and to grow. Soil also gives plant roots a place to
anchor themselves so that the plant can stand upright
and grow. This support holds the plant in place even
during wind and rain storms.

6. *
*Soil consists of living and nonliving materials.
These materials have three main components:
broken down rocks and minerals, small
organisms like insects, bacteria, and
fungus, and dead plant and animal material. It
contains the nutrients and water that plants
need to live.

7. *
*Abiotic factors:
broken down rocks and minerals
*Biotic factors (alive):
small organisms like insects, bacteria, and fungus
*Biotic factors (not alive):
dead plant and animal material

8. *
*The roots of plants absorb the nutrients and
water in the soil that are trapped between the
soil particles.

9. *
*Plants use the nutrients and water, along with
energy from the sun, to make food and to
grow.

10. *
*Soil also gives plant roots a place to anchor
themselves so that the plant can stand upright
and grow. This support holds the plant in place
even during wind and rain storms.

11. *

12. Code #3
www.performanceseries.com
And
Mrs. Gall
www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

13. *
*To help students understand soil and its
functions, have them collect samples of soil from
outside their house. By using a hand lens or
magnifier, students can examine the soil and
observe the small particles. Also, students can
experiment by growing plants with or without soil.
Have them plant a bean in a cup of soil and another
bean in a wet paper towel. Water the soil and
paper towel when they become dry and observe the
growth of the bean plants over several months.
Both beans should sprout and become small plants..

14. BEANS SPROUT
IN SOIL
OR ON
WET PAPER TOWEL
IN THE SUNLIGHT

15. *After a period of time, students should observe
that the bean plant in soil is thriving while the
one in the paper towel is not. They may
conclude that the bean planted in the soil is
growing because the soil offers the nutrients
and support that the bean needs.
*

16. *
*Code #3
*www.performanceseries.com
*And
*Mrs. Gall
*www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

17. *
A food chain is a diagram that shows how energy
is passed from one living thing to another. Food
gives living things energy. Animals need to eat
food to get energy, while plants get energy from
the food they make.

18. Grass  deer  mountain lion

19. *
*Most food chains start with a plant. The following
"link" in the chain would be an animal that eats that
plant, and the next "link" would be an animal that eats
the previous animal. The arrows in a food chain show
how energy is passed between the "links" - not which
animal hunts another animal. For example, a forest
food chain might look like this:
Or, in the ocean, like this:
algae  fish  seal
Grass  deer  mountain lion

20. Code #3
www.performanceseries.com
And
Mrs. Gall
www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

21. *
Students should know that the theory of natural
selection was developed by Charles Darwin and
be able to explain his ideas on how organisms
change over time to survive in a changing
environment.

22. *
*The British scientist, Charles Darwin, argued that an
organism has a special trait, or characteristic, that
helps it survive, like blending into the surroundings
or the ability to run quickly to get away from
predators.
*Because it survives, an organism is able to
reproduce and pass on the traits that enabled it to
survive to its offspring.
*Darwin called this process natural selection.

23. If there is a species of varying brownish-white mice that live in the
forest, the individuals that are mostly white will not survive as well as
the ones that are primarily brown. The mostly white ones will stand
out more in the dark forest and owls will hunt them more easily. This
means that the mostly brown mice will live to reproduce and the
white ones will not. The offspring of these mostly brown mice will be
mostly brown as well. Eventually, mostly brown mice will exist in this
forest and primarily white mice will become rare. The change in a
species' characteristics develop over very long periods of time because
there are only slight changes in the organisms which must be passed
down through many generations.

25. *
*Fossils are hardened plant or animal remains
and prints from long ago. Scientists believe
that fossils show that many species of living
things have gradually changed over time, or
have become extinct, due to natural selection.

26. *
*When an organism becomes extinct, every
member of that particular type dies and there
are no more left on earth. If a species is
unable to survive and produce more
offspring, its numbers decrease, while a
species better suited to the environment
survives to reproduce.

27. *NATURAL SELECTION
To understand how Darwin applied the theory of
natural selection, students can look at pictures
of animals and different environments and
discuss which would survive the best in each
environment. They can also discuss what would
happen to animals that are not well suited to
their environment.

28. Code #3
www.performanceseries.com
And
Mrs. Gall
www.mrsgallscience.wikispaces.com

29. *
An adaptation is a unique trait, or
characteristic, that an organism has inherited
that improves its chances for survival in its
environment or its reproductive success.
* Students will recognize the various adaptations of plants and
animals and understand how they use their adaptations for
survival.

30. *
*A monkey's strong tail is an
adaptation that helps it hold
onto tree branches. This
adaptation aids in monkeys'
survival by allowing them to
travel easily through trees when
they are looking for food and
escaping from predators.

31. *
*The manzanita tree has an
adaptation that allows it to control
the supply of nutrients and water
to certain branches so others can
use them to grow. This helps the
tree survive in its environment
because it can continue to grow
even when water and nutrients are
scarce.

32. *
*Seals are able to hold
their breath underwater
for long periods of time
while they hunt for food.
This is an adaptation
that improves the seal's
chance for survival in its
environment.

33. *
*Anything that is not a behavioral or physical
characteristic of an organism that increases its
chances of survival or reproductive success is
not an adaptation.
*The pond where a fish lives, the type of food a
bear eats, or the conditions around a plant are
not adaptations.

34. *ADAPTATIONS
*To improve their understanding of adaptations,
students can visit a zoo, aquarium, or pet store
and write down examples of the different
adaptations animals display. Next to each
adaptation, have the students write down how
the adaptation helps the animal. Students can
also create an imaginary plant or animal that
doesn't live on the earth, draw a picture of the
organism, and explain some of the adaptations
the organism would have to have to help it
survive in its habitat on the planet it lives.

35. *
*MAKE SURE YOUR NAME, DATE, AND PERIOD ARE
ON THE TOP OF YOUR PAPER
*TURN IN YOUR WORK (IN YOUR TEACHER’S
HANDS, TO AN ASSIGNED STUDENT, OR IN THE
TRAY ON YO UR TEACHER’SDESK)
*HAVE A GREAT AFTERNOON!

36. *
*A printed worksheet can accompany this
slideshow, to help students focus on the main
ideas.
*The content of the worksheet that I produced
to accompany this slideshow is found on the
final slide (next).
*Feel free to cut this content and paste into a
word document to use for yourself.

37. Number of
WHITE mice
Nu
BR
Original
Population
12
First
Generation
Second
Generation
Third
Generation
Abiotic factors:
________________________________________________
Biotic factors (alive):
________________________________________________
Biotic factors (not alive):
________________________________________________
Food Chains
For example, a forest food chain might look like this:
________________  ________________  ________________
Or, in the ocean, like this:
________________  ________________  ________________
Natural Selection
If there is a species of varying brownish-white mice that live in the forest, the individuals that are mostly white will not survive as
Why? _____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
This means that the mostly brown mice will live to reproduce and the white ones will not. The offspring of these mostly brown m
The change in a species' characteristics develop over very long periods of time because there are only slight changes in the organ