Catalyst

1. Catalyst • On the next open page of your notebook, write a two sentence explanation of what you think is going on in this picture:

2. Homework • Study for your quiz tomorrow • Any questions?

3. Homework Quiz • You may use notes that you took last night for homework on this quiz. • You have 10 minutes to complete it, and you may write on the sheet. • During the quiz there should be absolutely no talking, even after you are finished. If you are talking, you will receive a 0% - even if I have collected your quiz.

4. Energy Pyramid Creation • Walk me through creating this energy pyramid • Vervetsare an interesting type of monkey known mainly for their alarm calls that they use to alert their group when danger is near. The vervet monkey eats a range of foods, most of them plants. One of their favorite snacks is fruit – especially from the acacia tree. • Though they aren’t very large in size, hyenas are fierce predators. They are meat eaters through and through, and are fearless when it comes to attacking their prey – even if it is much larger than them! After snacking on big cats like lions and cheetahs, wild dogs are easy prey for the hyena. • The acacia tree is a plant which produces leaves, fruits and flowers after harvesting energy from the sun. Those fruits, flowers and leaves serve as a source of food for many of the animals which make the Serengeti their home. • Wild dogs were once believed to be extinct in the Serengeti. In recent years, however, their population was rediscovered. Just like domestic dogs, wild dogs are naturally carnivorous – the love to eat meat! They eat a variety of smaller animals, including the vervet monkey.

5. Try It Yourself • Orcas (or Killer Whales) are toothed whales that roam widely and commonly hunt in Antarctica. Orcas are expert predators – hence their nickname. They cleverly hunt large, single prey such as squid and penguins. • Phytoplankton are an essential part of the Antarctic ecosystem. They are single-celled, plant like organisms which convert sunlight into useable energy for the food chain. Though these organisms are single celled, they frequently congregate in dense populations of cells in the ocean. Phytoplankton are mostly consumed by small crustaceans called krill. • Squid come in a variety of sizes from very small to up to 4-feet long. Squid eat a variety of other organisms including krill and face predators such as orca whales and albatross. • Krill are small crustaceans that form huge swarm in the open waters of the Antarctic Oceans. Krill are the main prey of many larger organisms in the Antarctic ecosystem including penguins, albatross, leopard seals, and squid. Krill feed on the microscopic phytoplankton in the open waters.

6. Burning Question • Background Information • To learn more about DDT and what it is, we are going to read a news article • We will annotate it together to draw out key parts

7. Annotation Key Use these symbols as we read through the article: Underline important details Box important or unfamiliar words ? questions ! surprising or interesting facts

8. Key Questions to Answer • What is DDT and what is it used for? • Where is DDT stored in the body? • How does DDT get from insects to birds? • Why is DDT a problem for birds?

9. Bioaccumulation • Break this down… what does it mean? • Bioaccumulation – build up of substances in higher trophic levels

10. Step 1: Energy Pyramid • Create an energy pyramid in your notebook that could exist for this ecosystem. • Think about what DDT targets, what it actually affects later on, and any in-between organisms.

11. Step 2: Write! • You are now going to write a letter to the editor of the Warren Record to let them know how important bioaccumulation is. • Be sure to address what it is, why it is harmful, and why we should care.

12. Rubric