Ecology WebQuest

Ecology Webquest

Welcome to the World Wide Eco-Web! Today you are going to embark on an

exploration of the essential themes in Ecology. This webquest consists of

different sections for each theme. Be sure to type in the websites correctly

and answer the questions for each task.

Part I: Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling

Your first assignment is to put together a simple food chain and answer the

questions below.

  I. FOOD CHAINS

(1)                Go to http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/

frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm and click on “play the game” to begin.

(2)              What animals were in your food chain? Place them in the correct order.

(3)              What 5 things happen if you take the frog out of the food chain?

  II. FOOD WEBS

(1)                Go to http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/food/food_menu.html

and choose one of the three food webs. Put the food web together!

(2)              In one sentence describe the food web you put together:

  III. POPULATION ESTIMATION

(1)                Go to http://livingclassrooms.org/lbo/popest/algae.html

and click on “here” to estimate the population size of the dots.

(2)              What was your estimation? ________

What was the actual population size? ______

  IV. NUTRIENT CYCLING

(1)                Go to http://library.thinkquest.org/11226/why.htm and read

the information on the Carbon cycle.

(2)              Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the website:

In the carbon cycle, plants absorb ______________ from the atmosphere and use it,

combined with _____ they get from the soil, to make the substances they need for ______.

The process of ______________ incorporates the ______ atoms from ______________

into ______. Animals, such as the rabbit pictured here, eat the plants and use the ______

to build their own _______. Other animals, such as the ___, eat the ______ and then use

the ______ for their own needs. These animals return ______________ into the air when

they _______, and when they ___, since the carbon is returned to the soil during _____________.

The carbon atoms in soil may then be used in a ___ plant or small ______________.

Ultimately, the ________________ can move through many organisms and even end in

the same place where it began. Herein lies the fascination of the ___________; the same

atoms can be _______for millennia!

(3)              Go to the following two websites http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0008077.html and

http://www.cst.cmich.edu/centers/mwrc/nitrogen.htm   and

view the images of the Nitrogen Cycle as well as skim through the descriptions.

(4)              Compare/contrast the two images of the Nitrogen Cycle.

What do they have in common? Is there anything unique about each image?

(5)              What absorbs the atmospheric nitrogen? ____________________

(6)              How do herbivores obtain the nitrogen they need? _____________

(7)              How is nitrogen returned to the atmosphere? ________________

(8)              What role do nitrogen-fixing bacteria play in the Nitrogen Cycle? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part II: Impact of Human Activity on Ecosystems

I. CALCULATE YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

(1)                Go to http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp and

click on the U.S. and choose English.

(2)              Answer the questions to the Ecological Footprint Quiz.

If you have any questions about the answers ask your teacher.

(3)              Print out your Quiz Results when they appear on your screen

and attach it to this packet to turn in.

(4)              If everyone lived like you how many planet Earths would we need? ____

(5)              Do you agree or disagree with the results? Why or why not?

Part III: Biomes Around the World

(1)                Go to http://mbgnet.mobot.org/ and answer the following questions.

(2)              What are the 6 Biomes of the World? ___________,

_______, ___________, ______________, ___________, ___________.

(3)              What are the 3 Freshwater Ecosystems and the 3 Marine Ecosystems?

a.       Freshwater =

b.      Marine =

(4)              Click on one of the six biomes. Choose one topic from the left column.

Write 3 sentences describing the information in this topic. Do not copy word for word!