ECOLOGY PORTFOLIO

An "A" portfolio will include:

  1. Goals (which are written by teacher and included below).
  2. Evidence that each goal has been met.
  3. Captions next to each evidence that convincingly states that you have met each goal.
    1. Each caption should include the reason for inclusion, the goal addressed, and level of achievement.
  4. A reflection summarizing the learning demonstrated by the portfolio.
  5. A self-evaluation.

 

GOALS:

Students will:

  1. Explain what the following terms mean: biosphere, population, community, ecosystem, abiotic and biotic factors.
  2. Identify and understand each biome and what temperature and surroundings are present in each of the eight biomes.
  3. Distinguish between habitat and niche.
  4. Describe the function of producers and consumers in an ecosystem.
  5. Name the types of consumers and describe the feeding habits of each.
  6. Explain how decomposers make nutrients available to the ecosystem.
  7. Trace the cycle of water between the earth and the atmosphere.
  8. Summarize the major steps in the nitrogen cycle.
  9. Explain how oxygen and carbon are cycled through an ecosystem.
  10. Describe the role of vegetation in nutrient cycling in a forest.
  11. Define competition, and distinguish between intraspecific and interspecific competition.
  12. State the competitive exclusion principle.
  13. Describe the importance of predator- prey relationships in an ecosystem.
  14. Identify the three types of symbiosis, and give an example of each.
  15. Define circadian rhythms, annual rhythms, migration and tidal rhythms.
  16. Distinguish between hibernation from estivation.
  17. Define primary and secondary succession, and five an example of each.
  18. Describe the succession process in lakes.
  19. Define biotic potential.
  20. Differentiate between J-shaped and S-shaped growth curves, and explain the phases of population growth they illustrate.
  21. Distinguish between density-dependent and density-independent factors, and explain how each may limit population growth.
  22. Explain how the domestication of plants and animals has affected human population growth.
  23. Summarize the growth that has taken place in the human population since people learned to domesticate plants and animals.
  24. Compare and contrast three different models of human populations.
  25. List three types of renewable resources and three types of nonrenewable resources.
  26. Describe some efforts being made to preserve habitats and wildlife.
  27. Describe three methods of increasing soil fertility.
  28. List some technological advances that can help conserve fossil fuels and minerals.
  29. Describe the benefits of municipal composting and materials recycling facilities.
  30. List several primary pollutants and their sources.
  31. Identify the sources of ozone and acid rain, and describe the effects of these pollutants on the environment.
  32. Describe industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources of pollution.