Dirt...it's what's for dinner

Earlier in the year we talked about the food chain and how energy is transfered through ecosystems. We learned that a food chain starts with the producers (organisms that can make their own food) and then how that energy can then be transfered to the herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, and finally the decomposers. Well, if it is true that the food chain begins with the producers then the most vital aspect of that chain must be the ground in which those organisms grow. We don't often give respect and appreciation for the dirt that is one of the most significant components of our ecosystem.

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Go to the website: Life Under Your Feet

On the left side of the page you will find six links (soil ecology, what is soil, soil organisms...etc). Go through each page, read the whole page, then write down three important facts (in sentence form) for each page.

The Niches of Fishes

Fishes exist in just about every aquatic environment on the planet. From the shallow seas to the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, fishes have found ways to adapt and survive. Some fish, like the stingray, are bottom dwellers that spend their time searching the bottom of the ocean floor. Others, like the hagfish, have amazing adaptations (remember the mucus?).

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Go to the following website: National Geographic.

Pick an article to read or a video to watch. Report on what information was being presented and discuss any adaptations you learned about the fish and what it's niche is.

Extra Credit

Research the reproductive technique of the Angler Fish.

The Mollusk!

There are approximately 85,000 species of mollusk in the world. Mollusks have soft bodies and many of them live in hard shells. The gastropods, like snails and slugs, are the most classified of all of the mollusks and make up about 80% of the total. Cephalopod mollusks, like the giant squid or the cuttlefish, are some of the most neurologically advanced of all the invertebrates.

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Watch two of the videos below and write down 10 questions (total) for both videos. Please make sure you describe which videos you watched.