O I W : T H E W O O D L A N D C A R I B O U Episode1:
DiscoveringtheSlateIslands
Synopsis
LinktotheOntarioGrade7Curriculum:
ScienceandTechnology
FundamentalConcept
2.investigateinteractionswithintheenvironment,andidentify
factorsthataffectthebalancebetweendifferentcomponents
ofanecosystem
3.demonstrateanunderstandingofinteractionsbetweenand
amongbioticandabioticelementsintheenvironment
SpecificExpectation
Thisepisodehaslessons
focusingonunderstanding
habitatsandfoodwebs.Students
willlearnaboutthecomponents
ofahabitat,includingfood,
water,shelter,andspace.They
willparticipateinanactivitythat
showstherelationshipbetween
theneedsofaspeciesandthe
availabilityofresourcesina
habitat.Studentswillalso
examinethefoodwebwithinthe
episode,aswellascreateafood
weboftheirown.Thegoalofthis
activityisforstudentstouse
previousknowledgeabout
animalsandfoodwebsandapply
ittothefoodweboftheboreal
forest.
Thiswillstartarecurring
activity,whereeachstudentwill
createafoodweboftheboreal
forestandperiodicallyaddnew
speciesandelementsthroughout
thesixepisodeseries.
2.4useappropriatescienceandtechnologyvocabulary,
includingsustainability,biotic,ecosystem,community,
population,andproducer,inoralandwritten
communication
3.1demonstrateanunderstandingofanecosystemasasystem
ofinteractionsbetweenlivingorganismsandtheir
environment
3.2identifybioticandabioticelementsinanecosystem,and
describetheinteractionsbetweenthem
3.3describetherolesandinteractionsofproducers,consumers,
anddecomposerswithinanecosystem
3.5describehowmatteriscycledwithintheenvironmentand
explainhowitpromotessustainability
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Lesson1:Needs
Inthislessonstudentswillbeintroducedtospecies-at-riskandfactorsthatmightcause
themtobeatrisk.Studentswillcompleteagameandgraphingactivitytoseetheeffectsthat
habitatlossorincreasedpredatorscanhaveonaspecies.
Timing
TeacherPreparation
•
•
•
•
PreviewEpisode1(13minutes)
Haveacomputer,projector,andspeakersavailable
CreateanAnchorChartwhereyouwillrecordkeyconcepts,words,and
definitionsasyouworkthroughthecariboulessons.Thisshouldbepostedin
theclassroomforstudentsreferralthroughouttheunit
Gymoroutdoorspace.Partofthisactivitycanbeusedasagymactivity
Materials
•
•
ChartPaperandmarkers
Paperandpenfortheteacherduringthegymactivity
Beforeviewing
Episode1
Duration
70minutes
Location
Classroomand
gym/outside
Grouping
Wholeclass
Introduction
Inthis,thefirstepisodeofTheWoodlandCaribou,FrankieandTanner,twoIncredibleWorld
Investigators,traveltotheSlateIslandsProvincialParkinnorthernOntariotomeetwithSteveKingston,
anecologist,tolearnabouttheWoodlandcariboulivingthere.
KeyCo
Beforetheepisodeask:
ncepts
• Spe
cies-at
• Whatdoyouthinkspecies-at-riskmeans?i.e.aspeciesthatis
-risk
• Ne
edsof
threatenedwithextinction
aSp
o
Food ecies
• Whatdoweneedtostayalive?i.e.house,food,clothes,water.
o Wa
• Whateventsorthingscanlowerhumansurvival?i.e.disease,
ter
o
Shelte
drought,naturaldisasters,accidents,etc.
o Spa r
ce
ScreeningtheEpisode
ScreenEpisode1
Afterscreening,askstudentstotalkaboutwhattheysaw:
• Whathappenedintheepisode?FrankieandTannerwenttoSlateIslandsProvincialParkandmetwith
SteveKingstontolearnaboutandseeWoodlandcaribou.TheylearnedwhyWoodlandcaribouareatrisk
andwhytheyareprotectedontheislands.Theyalsolearnaboutthecycleofsheddingtheirantlers.
• Whatdoesspecies-at-riskmean?(addtoanchorchart.SeeattachedFactSheetfordefinition)
• WhydoyouthinktheWoodlandcaribouareaspecies-at-risk?i.e.limitedhabitat,predators,people…
• WhatisthedifferenceinlivingconditionsbetweentheSlateIslandcaribouandthoselivingonthe
mainland?TheSlateIslandcaribouareprotectedfromanypredatorsandhumandisturbancesbecause
theyareonanislandinLakeSuperior,12kmoffthemainland.MainlandWoodlandcaribouhave
predatorstointeractwithandmorehumandisturbancestoimpacttheirhabitat.
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Beforetheactivity,brainstorm…
Whatdocaribouneedtolive?i.e.food,forest/habitat/home,water
Whateventsorthingscanlowercaribousurvival?i.e.predators,lackoffood,lackofwater,disease,
hunters,lossofforesthabitat
Whatwouldbethefourthingsthateveryspeciesneedtosurvive?Food,Water,Shelter,Space(addto
anchorchart.SeeattachedFactSheetfordefinitions)
Activity
1. Inthegymorschoolyard,tellstudentsthattheywillbedoinganactivitythatshowsthreeofthe
essentialthingsthatanimalsneedtosurvive:Food,Water,andShelter.
2. Separatethestudentsintotwogroups,withonequarteroftheclassinonegroupandthreequarters
oftheclassintheother.
3. Askstudentstoformtwoparallellinesonthefloor/groundabout10-20mawayfromeachother
(aboutthewidthofhalfthegym).
4. Thesmallergroupofstudentsbecome“caribou”.Askthestudentswhatthefourrequirementsof
survivalareagain:food,water,shelter,andspace.Forthisactivity,wewillassumethatthereis
enoughspaceforthecaribou.WearegoingtofocusonFood,Water,andShelter.The“caribou”
studentsneedtofindfood,water,andshelterinordertosurvive.Whena“caribou”islookingfor
food,itshouldclampitshandsoveritsstomach.Whenlookingforwater,itputsitshandsoverits
mouth.Whenlookingforshelter,itholdsitshandstogetheroveritsheadlikearoof.A“caribou”can
chooseoneoftheseneedsduringeachroundoftheactivity.Thecariboucannotchangewhatitis
lookingforduringtheround(e.g.whenithasseenwhatisavailable).Itcanchangewhatitis
lookingforinthenextround,ifitsurvives.
5. Therestofthestudentsarefood,water,andshelter-thecomponentsneededforthecaribouto
survive.Eachstudentgetstochooseatthebeginningofaroundwhichcomponentheorshewillbe
duringtheround.Thestudentsshowwhichcomponenttheychoseinthesamewayasthecaribou
showwhattheyarelookingfor.
6. Thegamestartswithallstudentslinedupontheirrespectiveline(caribouononeside,habitat
componentsonotherside)andwiththeirbacksfacingeachother.
7. Beginthefirstroundbyaskingallofthestudentstomaketheirsigns—eachcariboudecidingwhatit
islookingfor,eachhabitatcomponentdecidingwhatitis.Givethestudentsafewmomentstoput
theirhandsinplace—overstomachs,overmouths,orovertheirheads.(Thetwolinesofstudents
normallywilldisplayalotofvariety—withsomestudentsportrayingwater,somefood,andsome
shelter.Astheactivityproceeds,some-timesthestudentsconferwitheachotherandallmakethe
samesign.That’sokay,althoughdonotencourageit.Forexample,allthestudentsinhabitatmight
decidetobeshelter.Thatcouldrepresentadroughtyearwithnoavailablefoodorwater.)
8. Whenthestudentsareready,count,“One…Two…Three”.Atthecountofthreeeachcaribouandeach
habitatcomponentturntofacetheoppositegroup,continuingtoholdtheirsignsclearly.
9. Whencaribouseethehabitatcomponenttheyneed,theyshouldruntoit.Eachcariboumustmakethe
symbolofwhatitislookingforuntilgettingtothehabitatcomponentstudentwiththesamesign.
Eachcaribouthatreachesitsnecessaryhabitatcomponenttakesthe“food,”“water,”or“shelter”
studentbacktothecaribousideoftheline.“Capturing”acomponentrepresentsthecaribou
successfullymeetingitsneedsandsuccessfullyreproducingasaresult.Anycaribouthatfailstofind
itsfood,water,orshelterdiesandbecomespartofthehabitat.Thatis,anycaribouthatdiedwill
movetotheothersideofthegymtobeahabitatcomponentinthenextroundandsoisavailableas
food,water,orsheltertothecaribouthatarestillalive.NOTE:Whenmorethanonecariboureachesa
habitatcomponent,thestudentwhoarrivestherefirstsurvives.Habitatcomponentsstayinplace
untilacaribouchoosesthem.Ifnocaribouneedsaparticularhabitatcomponentduringaround,the
studentjuststayswhereitisinthehabitat.Thestudentcan,however,changewhichcomponentitis
fromroundtoround.
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
ActivityContinued
10. Recordthenumberofcaribouatthebeginningoftheactivityandattheendofeachround.Continue
theactivityforapproximately10rounds.
Adapted from CWF’s Project Wild: Oh Deer!
Discussion
1. Backintheclassroom,discusstheactivity.Encouragethemtotalkaboutwhattheyexperiencedand
saw.Forexample,theysawasmallherdofcaribou(7studentsinaclasssizeof28)beginbyfinding
morethanenoughofitshabitatneeds.However,becausethepopulationofcaribouexpandedover
twotothreeroundsoftheactivityuntiltherewasnotenoughfood,water,andshelterforallmembers
oftheherd.Atthatpoint,cariboustarvedordiedofthirstorlackofshelter,andtheyreturnedaspart
ofthehabitat.Suchthingshappeninnaturealso.
2. Usingaflipchart,orchalkboard,postthedatarecordedduringtheactivity.Theycanfillthisoutof
theirworksheet(seeattached).Thenumberofcaribouatthebeginningoftheactivityandattheend
ofeachroundrepresentsthenumberofcaribouinaseriesofyears.Thebeginningoftheactivityis
yearone;eachroundisanadditionalyear.Forexample,
Thestudentscanvisualizewhattheyexperiencedduringtheactivity:
thecariboupopulationchangedoveraperiodofyears.Thenumberswill
tendtopeak,decline,andrebuild;peak,decline,andrebuild—aslongas
thereisgoodhabitatandsufficientnumbersofanimalstoreproduce
successfully.ThisgraphshowspopulationssimilartothecaribouthatFrankieandTannersaw
inSlateIslandsNationalPark.Why?nolossofhabitatorpresenceofpredators
3. Caribouneedallhabitatcomponentstosurvive.Thinkbacktoearlierdiscussion:Howwouldour
graphchangeforcaribououtsideoftheSlateIslandswheretherearepredatorsandhabitat
destruction?Thepopulationnumberswouldnotbeabletogetashighbecausetheamountofshelter
andspaceavailabletothemwouldbelower.
4. Ontheirworksheets,askthestudentstoanswersomequestionsaboutwhattheylearnedfromthis
activity.
• Whatthreehabitatcomponentswereinthisactivity?
• Howdidthecaribouactwhenthehabitatcomponentswerelimited?
• Whyisgoodhabitatimportantforanimals?
• Howdowetellthedifferencebetweennaturalfluctuations(likeinouractivity)andadeclinethat
causesaspeciestobeatrisk?
ThroughouttheSeries:
BuildingYourFoodWeb
AdditionalLinks
Videoofpeopleplayingthehabitatgame:
http://youtu.be/G_79b-8y8vY
Moreinformationaboutthecomponents
ofHabitat(Food,water,shelter,space)
http://education.nationalgeographic.com
/education/encyclopedia/habitat/?ar_a=1
Throughoutthevideoseries,aswelearnmoreabout
speciesinteractionsandwilladdspeciestocreatea
foodweb.Remindstudentstokeeptrackofwhat
speciestheyseeintheepisodes.RefertoEpisode1’s
Lesson2formoreinformation.
DoaresearchprojectonmoosepopulationstudiesdoneonIsleRoyale,LakeSuperior.Individual
studentscanfocusondifferenttopics,predator/preypopulations,wolfandmoosepopulation
dynamics,climateeffectsetc.BasedontheirfindingsofwhathashappenedonIsleRoyale,what
prognosisdotheyhavefortheWoodlandcaribouontheSlateIslands?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_and_moose_on_Isle_Royale
http://www.isleroyalewolf.org/overview/overview/at_a_glance.html
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Themostfundamentaloflife’snecessitiesforanyanimalarefood,water,shelter,andspaceina
suitablearrangement.Withouttheseessentialcomponents,animalscannotsurvive.
Habitat:thisistheplacewhereanorganismlivesandmeetsalloftheenvironmentalconditionsit
needstosurvive.
• Themaincomponentsofhabitatarefood,water,shelter,andspace
• Food:theamountoffoodavailableisacrucialpartofmakinghabitatsuitable.Ifthereisnot
enoughfood,habitatisnotsuitable;alternatively,toomuchfoodcanalsodisruptahabitat
(e.g.toomanynutrientsinalakecandestroythefoodchain)
• Water:itisessentialforalllife.Theamountofwatersuppliedtoahabitataffectsthetypes
oforganismsthatcansurvivethere.
• Shelter:itprotectsorganismsfrompredatorsandweather.Itcanalsoprovideanareafor
eating,sleeping,hunting,andraisingafamily.
• Space:theamountofspaceanorganismneedstosucceedvariesfromspeciestospecies.
ThespaceanantcolonyneedstosurviveisafractionofwhataBlackbearneedstohuntand
findamate.Spaceisnotthatsameasrange;therangeofananimalisthepartoftheworldit
inhabits.Awetlandisthehabitatofapaintedturtle,whiletheanimal’srangeismostof
NorthAmerica.
Withinanorganism’shabitat,someplacesaremoreimportantthanothers;thesearecalledcritical
habitats.ForWoodlandcaribou,criticalhabitatsincludewinterrangewithenoughfoodand
summerrangeforraisingtheiryoung.Speciesthatarealreadyatrisk,likeWoodlandcaribou,are
particularlyinneedofenoughgoodhabitattopreventtheirpopulationnumbersfromdeclining.
Somenaturallycausedandculturallyinducedlimitingfactorsservetopreventwildlifepopulations
fromreproducinginnumbersgreaterthantheirhabitatcansupport.Disease,predatorandprey
relationships,varyingimpactsofweatherconditionsfromseasontoseason(e.g.,earlyfreezing,
heavysnows,flooding,drought),accidents,environmentalpollution,andhabitatdestructionand
degradationareamongthesefactors.Anexcessofsuchlimitingfactorsleadstothreatening,
endangering,andeliminatingwholespeciesofanimals.
Thisactivityillustratesthat:
• goodhabitatisthekeytowildlifesurvival,
• apopulationwillcontinuetoincreaseinsizeuntilsomelimitingfactorsareimposed,
• limitingfactorscontributetofluctuationsinwildlifepopulations,and
• natureisneverin“balance,”butisconstantlychanging.
Wildlifepopulationsarenotstatic.Theycontinuouslyfluctuateinresponsetoavarietyof
stimulatingandlimitingfactors.Wetendtospeakoflimitingfactorsasapplyingtoasinglespecies,
althoughonefactormayaffectmanyspecies.Carryingcapacitylimitationscanresultincompetition
amongdomesticanimals,wildlife,andhumans.
Naturallimitingfactors,orthosemodeledafterfactorsinnaturalsystems,tendtomaintain
populationsofspeciesatlevelswithinpredictableranges.Thiskindof“balanceinnature”isnot
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
FactSheetContinued
staticbutismorelikeateeter-totterthanabalance.Somespeciesfluctuateorcycleannually.Quail,for
example,maystartwithapopulationof100pairsinearlyspring,growtoapopulationof1,200birdsby
latespring,anddeclineslowlytoawinterpopulationof100pairsagain.Thiscycleappearstobealmost
totallycontrolledbythehabitatcomponentsoffood,water,shelter,andspace,whicharealsolimiting
factors.Habitatcomponentsarethemostfundamentalandthemostcriticaloflimitingfactorsinmost
naturalsettings.
Thisactivityisasimplebutpowerfulwayforstudentstograspsomebasicconcepts:first,thateverything
innaturalsystemsisinterrelated;second,thatpopulationsoforganismsarecontinuouslyaffectedby
elementsoftheirenvironment;third,thatpopulationsofanimalsarecontinuallychanginginaprocessof
maintainingdynamicequilibriuminnaturalsystems;andfourth,thatifoneormoreelementsofan
environmentisimpactedoreliminated,itcancausespeciesnumberstodeclinetoapointofconcernor
extinction.
Whenoneofthesecomponentsdeclines,sodoesthecarryingcapacity.Thiscanreducespeciesnumbers
toresultinaspeciesbeingatrisk.Species-at-riskreferstotheofficialstatusofawildspeciesthatisin
dangerofdisappearing.ThelevelofriskcanvaryfromSpecialConcern,toThreatened,Endangered,
ExtirpatedandExtinct.
• SpecialConcern:aspeciesthatisatrisktobecomethreatenedorendangered
• Threatened:aspeciesthatislikelytobecomeendangeredifnothingisdonetochangeitsliving
conditions.
• Endangered:aspeciesthatisfacingextirpationorextinction.
• Extirpated:aspeciesthatnolongerexistsinthewildinaparticularregion,butexistsinthewild
outsideCanada.
• Extinct:aspeciesthatnolongerexistsanywhereintheworld.
UnderCanada'sSpecies-at-RiskAct,aspeciesthatislistedontheofficialSpeciesatRiskregistry(SARA)
receiveslegalprotectionforthespeciesanditshabitat.Woodlandcaribouarelistedasthreatenedin
Ontario.
KeyTermsforAnchorChart
Species-at-risk:thestatusofawildspeciesthatisindangerofdisappearing
Food:whatisconsumedbyanorganismtogetenergy
Water:isessentialforlifeandtheamountofwaterpresentcontrolsthetypesoforganismsabletolive
there
Shelter:protectsorganismsfrompredatorsandweather
Space:theareaoflandneededtosupportalltheaspectsofanorganism’slife
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Name:____________________________________________
1.Graphtheresultsfromyourcaribouactivity.
2.Answerthefollowingquestions:
a)Whatthreehabitatcomponentswereinthisactivity?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b)Howdidthecaribouactwhenthehabitatcomponentswerelimited?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
c)Whyisgoodhabitatimportantforanimals?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
d)Howdowetellthedifferencebetweennaturalfluctuations(likeinouractivity)andadeclinethat
causesaspeciestobeatrisk?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Name:____teachercopy_____________________
1.Graphtheresultsfromyourcaribouactivity.(resultswillvarybasedongameplay)
2.Answerthefollowingquestions:
a)Whatthreehabitatcomponentswereinthisactivity?
________food,water,andshelter___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b)Howdidthecaribouactwhenthehabitatcomponentswerelimited?
_____Theyworkedharder,theseemedstressed,andtheyfoughtwitheachotherforthehabitat
requirements.______________________________________________________________________________________________________
c)Whyisgoodhabitatimportantforanimals?
_______Itiskeytotheirsurvival.WithoutGOODfood,water,shelter,andspace,animalshavetowork
hardertoliveandthereforedon’tthrive.RefertotheFactSheetformoreinformation.___________________
d)Howdowetellthedifferencebetweennaturalupsanddowns(likeinouractivity)andadeclinethat
causesaspeciestobeatrisk?
_____Normallywewouldseepopulationnumbersriseaslongaswehavethehabitatrequirements.
Whentheserequirementsrunout,wewouldseeadropinpopulationnumbers.Itisaconstantcycleof
peak,decline,rebuild.Whenaspeciesisdecliningtoapointofbecomingatrisk,wewouldnotseehigh
enoughrebounding.Thenumberswouldgetlowerandlowerovertimeandneverrebuildtonormal
numbers.________________
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Lesson2:Interactions
Thislessonfocusesonunderstandingtermsassociatedwithfoodwebs.Studentswilllearn
aboutthefoodwebwithintheepisode,aswellascreateafoodweboftheirown.
TeacherPreparation
•
AddKeyTermsfromtheFactSheettoclassroomanchorchart
Materials
•
•
Timing
Afterviewing
Episode1
Duration
ChartPaperandmarkers
Onesheetofblankwhitepaperperstudent
70minutes
Location
Introduction
Classroom
Inthis,thefirstepisodeofTheWoodlandCaribou,FrankieandTanner,two
IncredibleWorldInvestigators,traveltotheSlateIslandsProvincialParkin
northernOntariotomeetwithSteveKingston,anecologist,tolearnaboutthe
Woodlandcariboulivingthere.
ReviewKeyTermdefinitionswithclass
Grouping
Wholeclass
ScreeningtheEpisode
ScreenEpisode1
Afterscreening,askstudentswhattheysaw:
• Whatdidwelearnabouttheborealforest?
• Whataresomeexamplesofanimalsthatlivethere?
Togetherwiththestudents,listontheboardwhatspeciesmayliveontheSlateIslandsbasedonwhat
wastalkedaboutinthevideo.Thinkbacktospecieswesawinthefirstepisode.Worktogethertofigure
outwhichareconsumers,producers,anddecomposers.
Speciescouldbe:
KeyCo
• Woodlandcaribou
ncepts
• Bio
• Wolves
ticand
elemen abiotic
• Lichen
t
relatio sandtheir
nships
inthe
envir
Whatabioticfactors(non-livingnaturalfactors)arepresentinthe
• Ro onment
l
esan
borealforest?
ofprod dinteractio
• Weather(harshwinters,shortgrowingseason)
ns
u
consum cers,
• Water(LakeSuperiorasabarriertothemainland)
e
decom rs,and
posers
• Temperature(verycoldwinters)
• Nutrientsinthesoil(affectsuccessofplantgrowth)
Keeptheseontheboardforlaterintheactivity.
Activity
1. Asagroup,getstudentstogiveexamplesofconsumers,producers,anddecomposersthatlivein
fields,lakes,andforests.Remindthemtothinkofamphibians,insects,birds,mammals,fish,and
plants.
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
ActivityContinued
2. Putstudentsintogroupsof4-5,eachgroupwithapieceofblankpaper
3. Haveonestudentdrawhorizontallinesacrossthepagetodivideitinto6sections
Grass
4. HaveastudentfromeachgroupwriteGrassonthebottomsectionofthepage.
5. Studentswillpassthepaperaroundthetable.Eachnewpersonwillwriteaspeciesthateatsthe
speciesbelowit.Thegoaloftheactivityistocreateachainof5-6species.Remindstudentsnottoput
atoppredatorintothechainearly.Belowisanexampleofachain.
Eagle
Fox
Snake
Mouse
Grass
6. Repeatthisactivityseveraltimes,withthebottomspecieschangingto:
seeds,mosquitoes,crickets,waterbeetles
7. Ontheboardorachartpaper,createalargefoodwebforthefoodchainscreated.Putthegrass,
seeds,mosquitoes,crickets,andwaterbeetlesatthebottomandaddthespeciesuptheboard(with
linesconnectingthespecies).Producersshouldbenearthebottomoftheboardwithconsumersin
thecenterandpredatorstowardsthetop.Oncecomplete,getstudentstoaddlinesbetweenspecies
thatwouldalsointeract(eg.mousewouldeatseedsandgrasssotherewouldbealineconnecting
each).Thisshouldresultinacomplexfoodwebstemmingfromthefoodsourcesthatwereoriginally
provided.Thereshouldbemanylinesontheboard.
Thisactivityistoshowthecomplexinterconnectionsofanenvironmentandthereforeitisokayifit
looksmessy.
• Whatisthegreatestnumberofconnectionsyouseetooneanimal?
• Whatotherfoodsourcescouldweaddtothebottom?
Wewillnowlookbackattheborealforest
8. Getstudentstothinkbacktothespecieswesawinthevideo(whichwehavewrittenontheboard).
Eachstudentwilldrawafoodwebonablankpieceofpaperofthespecieswehaveseensofarand
drawlinesofhowtheseareconnected.
9. Colourcodeyourlinestoshowbiotic(living)interactions.Thesebioticfactorsare:
RedforPredation,GreenforCompetition,andBlueforParasitism.
10. Talkabouttheabioticfactorsintheenvironmentseeninthevideo.Listthesefactorsonthesideof
yourpaper.
AbioticFactors:
• Weather(harshwinters,shortgrowingseason)
• Water(LakeSuperiorasabarriertothemainland)
• Temperature(verycoldwinters)
• Nutrientsinthesoil(affectsuccessofplantgrowth)
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
Discussion
Howdoabioticfactorsaffectbioticfactors?Theavailabilityandimpactsofabioticfactorscanaffectthe
amountandsuccessofthebioticfactors.Thelakeprotectsfrompredatorsgettingtotheisland.Theweather
canaffectthefoodavailabilityandeaseofaccessinthewinter.Thecoldtemperaturesofthewintercan
makesurvivalhard.
Whichaffectsthecariboumore:abioticorbioticfactors?Answerswillvary.Theyareinterrelatedand
thereforeaffectthecariboudifferentlybutequally.
Doyouthinkthefoodwebforourcaribouiscomplete?No,therearemanymorespeciesintheboreal
ForestthatwillinteractwithandaffectWoodlandcaribou.
ThroughouttheSeries:BuildingYourFoodWeb
Doyouthinkthefoodwebforourcaribouiscomplete?
Throughoutthevideoseries,aswelearnaboutmoreinteractions,wewilladdmorespeciestoourfood
web.Remindstudentstokeepthefoodwebinasafeplace;wewillbeaddingtoitthroughouttheseries.
Woodlandcaribouareanimportantpartoftheborealforest
ecosystem.Youcancreateyourownecosysteminanecojar.Use
readilyavailableobjectslikesand,sticks,algae,andpondwaterto
createacontainedecosysteminabottle.Studentscanwork
individuallyorinpairstoputallofthecomponentsoftheir
ecosystemintoaplasticwaterbottleorlargeMasonjar.These
ecosystemscanbekeptintheclassroomandmonitoredforany
changesovertime.Belowisalinktoatutorialforteacherstouseto
createthemfortheclassroom.
http://violetpaperwings.blogspot.ca/2012/02/ecojar.html
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Ecosystem
Weallliveinanecosystem.Ecosystemsaremadeupofliving(Biotic)andnonliving(Abiotic)
partsthatcreateastablehomeforvariouskindsofspecies.Intheborealforestthebioticand
abioticpartsworktogethertocreateauniquehabitatforthespeciesthatlivethere.
BioticElements
•
•
Bioticreferstolivingthingsspecieslike:caribou,people,wolves,mosquitoes,trees,lichen,
Bioticfactorscanbebrokendowninto:producers,consumersanddecomposers.
o Producerscreatetheirownfood:plantscreateenergybyphotosynthesis:ex.jackpine,
lichen
o Consumershavetoeatotherstogainenergy:ex.caribou,wolves
o Decomposersbreakdownthewastefromproducersandconsumers:ex.flies,
mushrooms,bacteria.
AbioticElementsinaBorealForestEcosystem(someexamples)
•
•
•
•
Abioticreferstononlivingthingslike:temperature,sunlight,rainfall,rocksandthesoil.
TemperatureandSunlight:Theborealforestislocatedinthenorthernregions.Insummerthe
regiongetsupto20hoursofsunlightaday.Plantscangrowveryrapidlyintheseconditions.
Buttheseasonisshort(3months)andwinterisverycoldandlong,anddaylightislimitedtoa
fewhours.
Precipitation:theborealgetslotsofprecipitationbothsummer(rain)andwinter(snow)
Soil:Thesoilispoorinnutrients,whichlimitsthenumberandkindsofplantsthatcangrow
there;Thegroundismarshyandisgoodatretainingmoistureforplantsyearround.
RelationshipBetweenBioticandAbioticElementsinaBorealForestEcosystem
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TheplantsandanimalsthatliveintheborealforestareespeciallyadaptedtotheAbiotic
conditions(temperature,sunlight,precipitation&soil)oftheirhabitat.
Theborealforestisdominatedbyevergreenconiferssuchasblackspruceandjackpines
thathaveneedlesratherthanleaves.Theyconserveenergybynothavingtoregrowtheir
leaveseveryspring.
Manyoftheanimalsoftheborealforest,includingcaribou,haveadaptationsforcoldand
snow,suchaslargehoovesfordiggingforfoodinwinter,orhollowhairthatkeepsthem
warm.
ImpactsofChangestoAbioticandBioticElementsinaBorealEcosystem
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Abioticfactorslikechangesinclimatecouldhavemajorimpactsonthebioticfactorspresent
intheborealecosystem.Forexample:changesintemperatureandrainfallcanresultin
caribouhabitatlossduetoincreasednaturaldisturbancesfromfire,insectsanddisease.
Otherplantspeciesmaymoveinandwiththemotheranimalsandmorehuman.
Thechallengewillbeforallspecies-particularlythosethatareatriskalreadytoadaptto
thenewconditionsintheborealecosystem.
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EPISODE1
OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU
KeyTermsforAnchorChart
BioticFactors:livingcomponentsthataffectanotherorganism,includinganimalsthatconsume
them,animalsthatcompetewiththemforresources,andthelivingfoodthattheyeat.
AbioticFactors:non-livingpartsoftheenvironmentthataffectlivingorganismsandtheir
ecosystems;e.g.soil,water,air,temperature,andsunlight.
Producer:anorganismthatmakesitsownfood(e.g.plants,algae,bacteria)
Consumer:anorganismthatgetsitsenergyfromconsumingotherorganisms
Decomposer:anorganismthatgetsitsenergybybreakingdowndeadordecayingorganisms
Predator:aconsumerthatkillsitspreytogetitsenergy,whichdirectlyeffectstheprey’spopulation
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