About+the+Project

=About The Project= This project has two parts:

1. A group part where you will be working together to research information about your ecosystem and present it to the class. 2. An individual project in which you will be submitting a report.

=**Step One: Title and Description**= Working together as a group, look over the resources and figure out which ones will help you answer these questions.

(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 the 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?**

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

1. Include at least three producers and their consumers in your food web. 2. Color-code them so that **producers are green**, ** consumers are red, and decomposers are black.** 3. Include at least 10 organisms, but no more than 15. 4. Draw arrows to show which organisms eat which others.

**Step Three: Abiotic Factors**
Make a list of the most important abiotic factors that affect this ecosystem. This will help you develop your presentation and your individual report.

1. **__List and explain in depth__** the main abiotic factors in the ecosystem (You need at least two, no more than three). 2. Identify the population(s) affected by the factor. 3. Describe the factor's effect on the ecosystem. (Hint: look for information about changing water levels, temperature, light levels, salinity, pollution, etc.)

**Step Four: Human Impact**
Make a list of the most important human effects on this ecosystem.

1. **__Describe and explain__** the human impacts (You will need at least one, no more than two). 2. Identify the population(s) affected by humans. 3. Describe the effect on the ecosystem. 4. Include action that could be taken to reduce the impact. (Hint: look for information about building or construction, logging, diverting freshwater, hunting or anything else humans do that affects nature.)

Step Five: Populations
In your presentation, include information about **__at least three__** populations that live in your ecosystem and include...
 * The populations role in the ecosystem (what trophic level)
 * Any interesting facts/information about the populations
 * The effect of abiotic factors on the population
 * The effect of humans on the population

==BE SURE TO TAKE NOTES AND WRITE DOWN THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION AND WHERE YOU FOUND IT. THE EASY BIB LINK OR SON OF CITATION MACHINE LINK SHOULD HELP YOU DO THIS OR YOU CAN ASK MR. HEISEY OR MRS. WHY.== =**Presentation**= 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, technology presentation, website, movie, etc.). Your presentation will help you tell the story of your ecosystem to the rest of the class. Work together to figure out how to 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!**__

Presentations should be at least **5 minutes long** and include the following:

1. Title and Description
 * Describe the ecosystem in detail
 * Specifically show where the ecosystem is located
 * Mention similar ecosystems in other places on the Earth and state why they are similar
 * Identify some of the important organisms (producers, consumers, and decomposers) in your ecosystem

2. Food Web
 * Diagram organisms in trophic levels: producers (green), consumers (red), and decomposer (black)
 * Include 10-15 organisms in the food web
 * Draw arrows to show energy flow in the ecosystem

3. Abiotic Factors
 * **__List and explain in depth__** the main abiotic factors in the ecosystem (You need at least 2, no more than 3)
 * Identify the population(s) affected by the factor
 * Describe how these abiotic factors effect the ecosystem

4. Human Impact
 * **__Describe and explain__** the human impacts (You will need at least 1, no more than 3)
 * Identify the population(s) affected by humans
 * Describe the effect on the ecosystem
 * Include possible actions that could be taken to reduce the impact.

5. Populations - In your presentation, include information about **__at least three__** important population in this ecosystem and include...
 * Its role in the ecosystem
 * Any interesting facts/information about the population
 * The effect of abiotic factors on the population
 * The effect of humans on the population

=__**INDIVIDUAL PART**__=

After you have completed your food webs (including trophic levels) with your group, decide as a group which population each person will study for individual reports. **Each group must have individual reports for a producer, a primary consumer, and a secondary consumer.**

Individual reports should include:

1. A description of one key population's role in the ecosystem, including where it lives, what it eats, what eats it, and any other interactions or important behaviors.

2. A discussion of the population's abiotic needs and interactions.

3. An example of human impact on the population.

You may include diagrams, pictures, drawings, graphs, or other ways to make the information easy to understand. **Each individual report should be at least 2 pages (or based on the project, to Mr. Heisey's specifications),** but it may be longer depending on what you need to say. __**You must include a page that indicates where you found all of your information!!!!**__