Blog Archives

7th Grade Science 052918 Mr. Hankins

5/29/2018

Review Aquatic Ecosystems:

Two types of Aquatic Ecosystems:
1. Freshwater Ecosystems
2. Marine Ecosystems
Freshwater Ecosystems:

Most of the earth is covered with water, however, only a small portion is freshwater.
Freshwater ecosystems include:

Streams
Rivers
Ponds
Lakes

Streams & Rivers:
- Streams begin with cold and clear water flowing rapidly.
- Animals that live here are adapted to the strong current, insects and small animals have hooks and suckers that cling them to rocks.
- Trout have streamlined bodies that allow them to swim in rapid moving water.
- Not many producers can grow in the fast current, therefore first level consumers feed off of leaves and seeds that fall into the streams.
- Rivers are formed from many streams feeding into one body of water.
- Rivers are slower moving and warmer.
- Plants take root in the pebbles at the bottom, which provide food for insects and homes for frog and other animals.
- These consumers provide food for many larger consumers.

Ponds & Lakes:
- Ponds and lakes are bodies of standing, or still, fresh water.
- Lakes are generally larger than ponds.
- Ponds are shallow enough for sunlight to reach the bottom and allow plants to grow.
- Organisms include insects, turtles, frogs, snails, toads, and fish.
- Scavengers like catfish live near the bottom.
- Bacteria and other decomposers feed on the remains of other organisms.
- Lakes contain algae as their major producers.

Marine Ecosystems: Marine (of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea)
- 4 types of marine ecosystems

Estuary
Intertidal Zone
Neritic Zone
The Open Ocean

Estuary:
- where the freshwater of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.
- Many animals use the calm waters or estuaries for breeding grounds.
Intertidal Zone
- Between the highest tide line and the lowest tide line
- Tide (the regular upward and downward movement of the level of the ocean that is caused by the pull of the sun and the moon on the earth)
- Organisms must be able to withstand pounding waves and sudden changes in water levels and temperature due to high and low tides.
- Animals such as barnacles and sea stars cling to rocks. Clams and crabs burrow in the sand.
Neritic Zone
- The edge of the continent extends into the ocean for a short distance creating a continental shelf.
- The neritic zone is a region of shallow water that extends over the continental shelf.
- Sunlight passes through the shallow water which allow photosynthesis to occur to grow many producers such as algae and coral reefs.
- The producers provide food for a zone rich in living things.
The Open Ocean
- The surface zone, light penetrates only a few hundred which allows algae to grow on the surface - to feed many marine animals.
- The deep zone is almost totally dark.
- Most animals in the deep zone feed on the remains on organisms that sink down from the surface zone.
- The deepest parts are home to a variety of very weird alien like looking creatures whose eyes glow in the dark.

0 Comments

7th Grade Science - Mr. Hankins 5/25/18

5/25/2018

0 Comments

Review lesson on Biomes. See notes below:

Section 4 - Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems
Ecosysystem: The community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with non living surroundings.
Biome: A group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Aquatic: Living or found in or near water

Key Terms:
Biome:        a group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Canopy:       a leafy roof formed by tall trees
Understory:       a layer of shorter plants that grow in the shade of a forest canopy
Desert:       an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of precipitation per year.
Grassland:       an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other non woody plants, receiving 25 to 75 centimeters of rain per year.
Savanna:       a grassland close to the equator that receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year.
Deciduous Tree:   trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year.
Coniferous Tree:   a tree that produces the seeds in cones and that has needle-shaped leaves.
Tundra:       an extremely cold, dry biome
Permafrost:       soil that is frozen all year
Estuary:       a habitat in which the freshwater of a river meets the salt water of an ocean
Intertidal Zone:   the area between the highest high-tide line and lowest low-tide line
Neritic Zone:       the region of shallow ocean water over the continental shelf

Biomes

There are 6 major biomes that most ecologists study:

Rain Forest:
Desert:
Grassland:
Deciduous Forest:
Boreal Forest:
Tundra:

It is mostly the climate - temperature and precipitation - in an area that determines its biome.
Why? It is the climate that limits the species of plants that can grow in an area. The species of plants determine the kinds of animal organism that live there.

Rain Forest: an area that receives plenty of rain in this biome, that creates a large variety of plant life.

Two types:

Temperate: plenty of rain however the temperature is moderate
Tropical: plenty of rain with very high temperature

Trees in the rain forest form several distinct layers:

Canopy - is the leafy roof of the forest
Understory - second layer of shorter trees and vines that grow well under the shade of the canopy
Forest Floor - very dark, little sunlight reaches, so very little plant life.

Desert: an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year.

The amount of evaporation exceeds the precipitation
Organisms must adapt in order to survive in this biome.

Grassland Biomes: an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other non woody plants

Receive more rain than desert - 25 to 75 cm of rain per year, but still not enough to for trees to grow. Commonly known as a prairie.
Savanna - a grassland that receives up to 120cm rain per year. Scattered shrubs and small trees grow.
Grasslands are home to many of the largest animals, i.e., elephants, bison, antelopes, zebras, rhinoceroses, giraffes, and kangaroos. They graze to maintain the grasslands (mow the lawns), and keep young trees and bushes from competing with the grass for water and sunlight.

Deciduous Forest:

Receive enough rain, at least 50 centimeters of rain per year.
Temperatures vary greatly - usually there are 4 seasons
The growing season lasts about 5 to 6 months.
The variety of plants create many different habitats.
Winter time, many animals will hibernate (a reduced body activity similar to sleep where animals rely on stored fat in their bodies to survive).

Boreal (Taiga) Forest:

Filled with spruce and fir trees
Chilly fall air.
Coniferous tree - trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles.
Very cold winters.
Coniferous trees have adapted to the cold climate and have developed thick, waxy needles that prevent water from evaporating.
The food chain consists of animals that feed off the producers, coniferous tree seeds. I.e., squirrels, insects, and birds.
Herbivores eat the tree bark and new shoots (the part of a new plant that is just beginning to grow above ground). I.e., hares, moose, and beavers.
Predators include wolves, bears, owls, and lynxes.

Tundra:

Extremely cold and dry.
Very little precipitation, not much more than a desert.
Most of the soil has been frozen for years.
Permafrost is the term to describe frozen soil.
During summertime, the frozen soil thaws at the top layer.
Rainwater cannot soak into permafrost, therefore causing puddles and marshy areas.
Producers include mosses, grasses, shrubs, and dwarf trees.
Most plant growth occurs in the short summer.
The sun does not set during midsummer North of the Arctic Circle.
The animals include lots of insects in the summer, which birds migrate north in order to feed on them.
Caribou, foxes, wolves and arctic hares grow thick fur coats in the harsh winter. Caribou feed of lichens (a small plant that grows on rocks and walls) that are under the snow. The wolves feed off of the weak Caribou in the herd.

Mountains & Ice:

These are not part of any major biome.
Mountain climate, plant and animal life can change from its base and its summit.
For instance, the base might resemble grasslands, the middle sections might resemble deciduous and boreal forests, the summit might resemble a treeless tundra.
Ice covers many parts of the lands on earth, i.e., Antarctica and Greenland.
Organisms on ice covered land include penguins, polar bears, and leopard seals.

0 Comments

Science Thursday May 24, 2018

5/24/2018

0 Comments

Ms. Scott:
6th grade: Read the Transfer of Heat on pages 479 – 483 in textbook. Copy and answer section assessment questions 1 – 3 on page 483 – due Friday. Study for exam Tuesday on energy. Make sure you know the difference between potential and kinetic energy, the types of energy, energy transfer and energy transformations.

transfer_of_heat_479-483.pdf
File Size:	5994 kb
File Type:	pdf

Science Homework

Archives

Categories