ScienceSource 7 - Unit A

The Rouge River Valley - known to the local Iroquois as Katabokokonk, the Rouge River is an important part of this valley ecosystem in northeast Toronto:

• First Nations Peoples and the Rouge River Valley - First Nations Peoples have lived in the Rouge River Valley and surrounding area for 6000 years.
• History of the Rouge River Valley - the important role this ecosystem has played.
• Rouge Park - one of - if not THE - largest city park in all of North America, it is here that you find the famous Toronto Zoo.
• Friends of the Rouge Watershed - many groups, including this one, are working to preserve this important ecosystem.

Unit Task: Your Ecological Footprint - how large is your ecological footprint?

• Global Ecological Footprint Calculator - by answering a few questions, your footprint can be measured.
• MyFootprint - a quiz that determines your ecological footprint.
• Ecological Footprint - from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.

EverythingWolf - many photos of wolves and links to sites with photos of wolves; there is even a live "Wolf-cam" to watch.

First Nations Peoples and the Environment - Aboriginal cultures were very aware that maintaining a healthy environment was vital to their survival.

• Assembly of First Nations - Environmental Stewardship - Canada's First Nations address the role of modern Canadians in their environment.
• Aboriginal Canada - discover more about Aboriginal knowledge.
• The Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) - a First Nations website about current environmental challenges.
• First Nations Environmental Network - this site is a collection of news and stories of First Nations Peoples and their environmental efforts.
• First Nations and the Environment - a GreenOntario project listing Aboriginal groups and environmental concerns.
• Native Americans and the Environment - this is a collection of links to websites organized by region and by topic.

Silence of the Songbirds - - Migrating songbirds return to Canada every spring by the billions, and your backyard or local forest bustles with their activity. The birds spend the winter in Central and South America, then return to Canada to feed, and to raise their young. In this 11 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast, we learn that the number of songbirds returning to Canada each year has dropped, and while we enjoy their songs, we depend on birds in ways we often forget. They are a vital part of our ecosystems.

Ecosystems are Everywhere - by examining and organizing living and non-living objects, we can begin to appreciate the complexity of ecosystems.

• Free Nature Pictures - use this site for thousands of free nature photos. Also try FreeFoto.
• Ecosystem Matters - a series of simple ecosystem activities demonstrating a variety of environmental concerns.
• Ecosystems - from Discovery Education, using leaves to examine diversity in ecosystems.
• Balloon Safari - this Newton's Apple website examines an African ecosystem from a hot air balloon; video included.

The Boreal Forest - images and information about living things found in Ontario.

Ecosystems - the American Field Guide presents video summaries of several ecosystems.

Biotic and Abiotic Elements - every ecosystem is made up of biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) elements.

Analyzing an Ecosystem - examine an ecosystem and classify what you see (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).

Biotic Elements Survive Without Oxygen - also known as anaerobes, oxygen can even be poisonous to them.

• Life in Extreme Environments - a very interesting article about some of the locations where living things use no oxygen.
• Microbial Life Without Oxygen - images and information about microscopic organisms that do not require oxygen to survive.

Pond Ecosystem - - use the tools provided to affect and study a virtual pond (ExploreLearning login is required).

Mars or Bust - - 2030 has been set as the goal for the first human mission to Mars. But a mission to Mars is expected to last more than two years and is quite beyond anything we have ever done before. Are we really capable of stepping foot on another planet? In this 21 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast, we will learn about new projects scientists are working on to provide an artificial habitat for humans in space and, ultimately, on another planet.

The Living and Non-living Things Quiz - can you classify each object correctly?

Interaction of Biotic and Abiotic Elements - do you know your biotic and abiotic elements? Find out by trying this puzzle. (Also available for download)

Section 1.1 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Canada in 2050 - Our Future in a Changing Climate - - In the coming decades, our country is going to be transformed by climate change. According to Don MacIver, Director of the Adaptation and Impacts Research Group at Environment Canada in Toronto, there will be no part of Canadian life that won't be affected by climate change. In this 54 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast, we ask Canadian climate scientists to look ahead to 2050, to paint us a picture of what our country will look like as it's being transformed.

Producers - when we think of producers, we usually think of green plants, photosynthesis and food.

• Plants and Life on Earth - the many roles of producers can be found here.
• The Flow of Energy Through Plants and Animals - it all begins with sunlight and plants.

The Year With No Summer - a whole season of darkness as a result of natural disaster.

• Extreme Earth: Year Without Summer - from DiscoveryChannel.uk
• 1816 - The Year without a Summer - this article describes the impacts of the huge 1816 eruption on Canada and other parts of North America.

Mount Tambora Eruption Hardly Known - - Indonesia is home to the world's largest-ever volcanic eruption — Mount Tambora in 1815, killing 100,000 people. But the disaster is little remembered, primarily because of lack of media.

Photosynthesis - photosynthesis is probably the most important process on Earth for allowing living things to survive.

• Photosynthesis - this interactive NOVA presentation also has a worksheet for students to complete.
• Photosynthesis - a video, information and activity collection from the Newton's Apple series.

Photosynthesis Lab - - adjust the condition that affect photosynthesis and observe the results (ExploreLearning login is required).

Ecosystems, Communities, Populations, and Species - interactions between biotic and abiotic elements.

• Ecosystems, Communities, Populations, and Species - discover how scientists organize nature.
• Interactions Within Ecosystems - a worksheet/self-guided tour of the Toronto Zoo.
• Forest Habitat - examples from southern Ontario forest ecosystems.

Ecosystems, Communities, Populations, and Species - try these activities to learn and better appreciate the organization and complexity of ecosystems.

• Life Systems: Grade Seven Interactions Within Ecosystems - this booklet, from the Toronto Zoo, examines all aspects of a stream ecosystem.
• Build An Online Habitat - this interactive activity has students change ecosystem factors and residents of the ecosystem, searching for a match.

Vegetarianism - some people choose to consume only plants for their nutrition.

• How Vegetarians Stay Healthy Without Eating Meat - learn about vegetarians, and see what a vegetarian can eat as a part of a healthy meal.
• Becoming a Vegetarian - a very complete discussion of being a teenaged vegetarian.

The Roles of Producers - do you know the roles of producers? Find out by trying this puzzle. (Also available for download)

Section 1.2 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

Wolves and Coyotes - - The reintroduction of the wolf to the Western USA a decade ago has led to many changes in that ecosystem, including changes in the behaviour of wolf prey, such as elk. It's also had an effect on wolf competitors, particularly the coyote. Learn more in this 9 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast.

Consumers - consumers must eat other things in order to get nutrients to survive.

• Herbivores and Carnivores - herbivores, carnivores and omnivores are discussed on this site.
• What's for Lunch? - the San Diego zoo discusses who eats what, and who, in nature.

Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore? - students research many animals and classify each as a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore.

Scavengers, Detritivores and Decomposers - nature is an excellent recycler (by the way, the words "detrivore" and "detritivore" are interchangeable).

Food Chains - these activities help to further understand food chains.

• The Food Chain - a nice overview of food chains.
• Food Chains - an interactive BrainPop presentation of food chains.
• Who's Coming to Dinner? - Ontario food chains in the boreal forest.

Hunting Spiders - - Dr. Oswald Schmitz, a Canadian scientist, is interested in the relationships between grass, grasshoppers and spiders. In the natural order of things, the grasshoppers eat the grass and herbs, and in turn are eaten by the spiders. But, as described in this 9 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast, he found that different spider behaviours caused changes in the grasshopper behaviour, which, in turn changed which plants were being eaten. In other words, change the way the predator and prey interact, and the whole system can be shifted so much that even different plant populations become involved.

Fox versus Skunk - - This 8 minute audio Quirks and Quarks broadcast is a neat little animal story: On the Californian island of Santa Cruz, there's a small population of island foxes. For hundreds of years, these foxes have been the dominant predator, and have kept populations of skunks under control. But over the last few years the number of foxes has dropped dramatically, and the skunk population has increased. The reason for this turn-around is quite complicated. It seems golden eagles have moved to the islands and are eating the foxes. But the eagles appearance has relied on the presence of - yes, you guessed it - feral pigs. Huh?

Ocean Food Chains: Whales - how do the largest animals on Earth fit into their food chains?

• Whales and Food Webs - you might be surprised by a whale's food chain.
• Whale Food Chains - this page shows a comparison between toothed whales (orca) and baleen whales (blue).

Prairie Ecosystem - - change populations and see how it affects the prairie ecosystem (ExploreLearning login is required).

Food Chain - - change the number of creatures in a species and see how it affects the food chain related to it (ExploreLearning login is required).

Ecosystem in a Jar - these activities are designed to test what components are necessary to create a healthy, stable ecosystem.

• Table Top Biosphere - this site provides a video summary and pdf instructions on creating a marine ecosystem in a jar.
• Virtual Ecosystem - add the ingredients to your virtual jar and see what happens.
• Bottle Biology - build an ecosystem and recycle plastic pop bottles.

Producers and Consumers - do you know about producers and consumers? Find out by trying this puzzle. (Also available for download)

Section 1.3 Quiz - need more practice? Try this online quiz.

The Wainfleet Bog - a natural area found in southern Ontario that has been protected to save this unique ecosystem.

• The Wainfleet Bog - the official website from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
• Great Lakes Portraits - the Wainfleet bog is just one preservation project in the Great Lakes area.

Zoos and Ecosystems - although zoos preserve many species, some people argue that the animals should be kept in protected natural areas like parks.

• The Toronto Zoo and Conservation - linked to the Zoo Action website, which has a "Zoos and Conservation" list of their efforts.
• Good Zoos - this website contains information about specific zoos, and discusses whether zoos are a good or bad idea.
• Conservation Messages - these messages are from the zoo side of the debate.

Zoos and Ecosystem Activities - try your hand at managing animals in the correct ecosystem:

• SwitchZoo - create new animals for your virtual zoo, but be ready to name them and describe what their natural habitat is like. Introduce the activity with this great video.
• Biomes- this interactive feature includes climate and precipitation data for every biome (free Teacher's Domain registration is required).

• Global Ecological Footprint Calculator - by answering a few questions, your footprint can be measured.
• MyFootprint - a quiz that determines your ecological footprint.
• Ecological Footprint - from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.