Structure of Ecosystems
Level 9 Guiding Question: What does sustainablity mean in the context of agriculture?
A challenge for all of us!
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Watch the video on the right and answer the questions directly below it. We will be playing the simulation game, Journey 2050 (http://www.journey2050.com) that is asscoiated with this video.
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The Defintion of Sustainability in Agriculture
Level 9 Investigation: Identifying abiotic factors
Abiotic factors come in all types and can vary among different ecosystems. For example, abiotic factors found in aquatic l ecosystems may be things like water depth and moisture, pH, sunlight, turbidity (amount of water cloudiness), salinity (salt concentration), available nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, etc.) and dissolved oxygen (amount of oxygen dissolved in the water). Abiotic variables found in terrestrial ecosystems can include things like rain, wind, temperature, altitude, soil pH, soil moisture, pollution, nutrients, pH, types of soil, barometric pressure and sunlight. Today you will taking your dataloggers and sensors out to the biome garden surrounding the greenhouse and recording all the abiotic factors on paper. When you have completed all the factors you will record your results on the iPads or computers and submit your own work. Everyone will upload their workd individually please no group enteries.
Instructions for Exploring Microclimates (abiotic factors)
Level 9 Investigation: Identifying Biotic Factors
Instructions for Exploring Microclimates (biotic factors)
Using your camera phone or class room iPad camera find at least 10 examples of biotic factors in our ag biome garden please label them and 2 traits that make them successful in the ag biome. Once you have properly identified and labeled them please text them to your instructor and he or she will post them on the "Student Work Samples" page.
Level 9 Videos: Media to help you understand the concepts in this unit
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Level 9 Elaborate: Explaining what are biotic and abiotic factors in an Agricultural ecosystems
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You are to make a movie trailer using "iMovie Trailer" app that is on your iPad. Using your pictures and videos that you and your partner author you are to create an instructional video about what biotic and abiotic factors are found in Agriculture Ecosystems (Agrosystem). Please include, weeds, insects, crops, soil types, temperature and other abiotic factors to make a trailer that teaches others what biotic and abiotic factors are found in a Agrosystem, the video on the left is there instruct you how to use iMovie Trailer. The trailer should be less that two minutes. When you have completed it please see your instructor so they can show you how to submit.
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Level 9 Review: Making your Own Agroecology Website
To review this unit I am requiring each one of you to create a website using the information you have learned about the structure of ecosystems. Use your pictures, trailer web pictures graphs we have created and even your own recordings to help you prepare forthe Unit Test.
Check out the tutorial VDO on how to make your own website using Weebly. Get your account information from your instructor, the site is free. |
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Level 9 Summary: Unit Test
The image on the right is a column graph that represents the data that was collected last week during the "Microclimate Lab".It compares the abiotic factors that we recorded. This type of graph allows the reader to compare and constrast data, in this case it shows dew point in degrees Celsius, humidity in % water in the atmosphere and Soil Temperature in degrees Celsius. Wind speed is not included because the buildings and the positon of the biomes made it difficult to get accurate readings. Complete the Unit Test below. Please click it to enlarge.
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Assignments for this Unit all assignments are due July 9th!
Blog Alert:What is your definition for Agroecology?
Investigation:Identifying abiotic factors
Investigation:Identifying biotic factors
Elaborate:Explaining what are biotic and abiotic factors in an Agricultural ecosystems, video trailer
Review: Making Your Own Agroecology Website
Summary: Unit Test
Recent News
Agroecology is the science of sustainable agriculture; the methods of agroecology have as their goal achieving sustainability of agricultural systems balanced in all spheres.
This includes the socio-economic and the ecological or environmental. While farming methods vary, traditional manipulated "agroecosystems" generally differ from natural ecosystems in six ways: maintenance at an early successional state, monoculture, crops generally planted in rows, simplification of biodiversity, plough which exposes soil to erosion, use of genetically modified organisms and artificially selected crops meanwhile agroecology tends to minimize the human impact. The agroecologist views any farming system primarily with an ecologist's eye; that is, it is not firstly economic (created for a commodity and profit), nor industrial (modeled after a factory). |