Science KS 3 Unit 8D Ecological relationships

In this unit pupils:

• study a habitat in detail and learn how:
1. organisms can be identified and sizes of populations compared,
2. feeding relationships can be modelled quantitatively,
3. living things within a community influence each other and are affected by the environment.

In scientific enquiry pupils:

• model consequences of environmental changes within a habitat.
• learn how to sample in biological investigations.
• collect, present and interpret data and use this to make predictions.
• undertake fieldwork to collect information about organisms within a habitat.

The activities in this unit are intended to be combined into a full day of fieldwork. This could focus on habitats studied in unit 7C 'Environment and feeding relationships', but it would be preferable to use a contrasting habitat. Many urban environments provide ample opportunities for the work in this unit. Alternative classroom-based activities are suggested within the unit.

This unit is expected to take approximately 9 hours.

OTHER RESOURCES

• secondary sources to explore animal and plant communities living in different habitats, eg reference books, CD-ROM, access to internet
• specimens of a variety of plants, eg mosses, liverworts, ferns, conifer branches, pelargonium, grasses in flower
• secondary data providing information on food webs, population sizes, etc, in a range of environments
• keys and field guides for use in fieldwork
• datalogging equipment and software
• prepared spreadsheet template for recording data from fieldwork
• apparatus for collecting specimens during fieldwork
• quadrats and other sampling apparatus
• video camera and/or digital camera and associated software
• simulation software for investigating predator-prey interactions