Interdependence

Grade Level Expectations

Checks for Understanding

State Performance Indicators

GLE 0607.2.1 Examine the roles of consumers, producers, and decomposers in a biological community.

GLE 0607.2.2 Describe how matter and energy are transferred through an ecosystem.

GLE 0607.2.3 Draw conclusions from data about interactions between the biotic and abiotic elements of a particular environment.

GLE 0607.2.4 Analyze the environments and the interdependence among organisms found in the world’s major biomes.

0607.2.1 Compare and contrast the different methods used by organisms to obtain nutrition in a biological community.

0607.2.2 Create a graphic organizer that illustrates how biotic and abiotic elements of an environment interact.

0607.2.3 Use a food web or energy pyramid to demonstrate the interdependence of organisms within a specific biome.

0607.2.4 Create poster presentations to illustrate differences among the world’s major biomes.

SPI 0607.2.1 Classify organisms as producers, consumers, scavengers, or decomposers according to their role in a food chain or food web.

SPI 0607.2.2 Interpret how materials and energy are transferred through an ecosystem.

SPI 0607.2.3 Identify the biotic and abiotic elements of the major biomes.

SPI 0607.2.4 Identify the environmental conditions and interdependencies among organisms found in the major biomes.

Ecosystem - all the living and nonliving things that can be found in a particular area

Have students name ecosystems while teacher fills in a chart similar to the one below. Next have students brainstorm to fill in additional material. Chart from Enchanted Learning http://members.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

Biome	Water	Temperature	Soil	Plants	Animals
Desert	Almost none	hot or cold	poor	sparse - succulents (like cactus), sage brush	sparse - insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds (often nocturnal)
Chapparal	dry summer, rainy winter	hot summer, cool winter	poor	shrubs, some woodland (like scrub oak)	drought and fire-adapted animals
Tundra	dry	cold	permafrost (frozen soil)	lichens and mosses	migrating animals
Taiga	adequate	cool year-round	poor, rocky soil	conifers	many mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc.
Temperate Deciduous Forest	adequate	cool season and warm season	fertile soil	deciduous trees	many mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, arachnids, etc.
Grassland	wet season, dry season	warm to hot (often with a cold season)	fertile soil	grasses (few or no trees)	many mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc.
Tropical Rainforest	very wet	always warm	poor, thin soil	many plants	many animals
Swamp	very wet	warm	nutrient-rich soil	many plants	many animals
Cave	variable	cool (and dark)	rocks	almost no plants	few animals
Biome	Water	Temperature	Soil	Plants	Animals

Biome

Water

Temperature

Soil

Plants

Animals

Desert

Almost none

hot or cold

poor

sparse - succulents (like cactus), sage brush

sparse - insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds (often nocturnal)

Chapparal

dry summer, rainy winter

hot summer, cool winter

poor

shrubs, some woodland (like scrub oak)

drought and fire-adapted animals

Tundra

dry

cold

permafrost (frozen soil)

lichens and mosses

migrating animals

Taiga

adequate

cool year-round

poor, rocky soil

conifers

many mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

adequate

cool season and warm season

fertile soil

deciduous trees

many mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, arachnids, etc.

Grassland

wet season, dry season

warm to hot (often with a cold season)

fertile soil

grasses (few or no trees)

many mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc.

Tropical Rainforest

very wet

always warm

poor, thin soil

many plants

many animals

Swamp

very wet

warm

nutrient-rich soil

many plants

many animals

Cave

variable

cool (and dark)

rocks

almost no plants

few animals