In the Balance
Students will learn about the interconnectedness between people and ecosystems as they take a closer look at the factors that influence this sensitive relationship.
OBJECTIVE
- Identify ways people depend on, change, and are affected by the environment
- Know factors that affect the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support
MATERIALS
In the Balance Student Worksheet 1 (PDF)
pen/pencil
paper
DIRECTIONS
Background Discussion:
1. Define ecosystem: a defined area in which plants, animals, the landscape, and the climate interact. Explain that everything on Earth plays a unique and specific role within its ecosystem.
2. Ask: What might happen if moss suddenly began killing trees in an ecosystem? (trees could die; more moss-eating deer could be born; insects that eat moss could move in; etc.). Discuss how organisms react to changes in an ecosystem—some move in, some move out, some die, and some thrive.
3. Explain that natural events help to keep ecosystems in balance. Discuss the effects that these events might have on the plants and animals in each ecosystem:
- Forest: disease (a disease that affects deer could shrink the population and allow more vegetation to grow)
- Prairie: fire (a fire could introduce more nutrients into the soil for healthier plant and animal life)
Using the Student Worksheet:
4. Ask: Do you think that ecosystem changes caused by humans (e.g., agriculture, mining) have the same balancing effect as natural events? (No, humans change ecosystems too quickly for nature to keep up.)
5. Distribute In the Balance Student Worksheet 1 (PDF) to each student. Read the article, then have students answer the questions.
Take Action
Ask: Using the rainforest ecosystem as an example, describe the ecosystem of which the trees around your home are a part. Identify and describe two human-related and two natural dangers to your ecosystem. Share your thoughts about these dangers with your local government officials through a letter-writing campaign.
ARTICLE
