ED478712 2002-07-00 Teaching about

Ecosystems. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest.................................... 1

ECOSYSTEMS IN THE CURRICULUM.................................... 2

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK AND STANDARDS.......................... 4

REACHING BEYOND THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM................... 5

SELECTED WORLD WIDE WEB RESOURCES......................... 6

FINDING INFORMATION IN THE ERIC DATABASE.................... 7

REFERENCES.................................................................. 7

ERIC Identifier: ED478712

Publication Date: 2002-07-00

Author: Haury, David L.

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education

Columbus OH.

Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

When someone asks us where we are from or what we do, most of us mention the town

or city where we live, our occupation, where we attended school, or our family heritage.

We respond in terms of human communities, cultures, and geopolitical boundaries. We

seldom, if ever, describe ourselves in terms of our ecological status in the natural world.

ED478712 2002-07-00 Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest. Page 1 of 8
We humans have so completely ordered, designed, and defined our physical environs

and social milieu that our ecological connections have slipped from consciousness.

Perhaps this is why we seem so unaware of our impact on nature and our rapid

destruction of natural systems. We simply do not perceive ourselves as being part of the

natural order of beings.

All of us live within ecological systems, or "ecosystems", and through our commerce,

food distribution, and use of natural resources we each indirectly participate in the

custodianship of many ecosystems worldwide. Ironically, we are simultaneously the

most potent forces within most ecosystems, and yet nearly oblivious to the ecological

effects of our daily lifestyles. There has never been a time when a deep understanding

of ecosystems and our roles within them has been more critical. Indeed, the world's

freshwater ecosystems are so degraded that their ability to support plant and animal life,

including humans, is viewed by many as being in peril (Revenga, Brunner, Henninger,

Kassem, & Payne, 2000). Learning about ecosystems is more than an expected focus

in biology classes; it has become a study in survival.

Ecosystems are functional units of interacting abiotic, biotic, and cultural

(anthropogenic) components. All natural ecosystems are open systems where energy

and matter are transferred in and out through the complex interactions of energy, water,

carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and other cycles. Unfortunately, many

scientists contend, we humans have disrupted the balance of transfers across

ecosystem boundaries. In addition to learning our place within ecosystems, we must

learn to become better stewards and managers of ecosystems. A history of the

ecosystem concept has been presented by Bocking (1994). Unfortunately, some

concepts related to ecosystems--food web, ecological adaptation, carrying capacity,

niche--are complex and lead to misconceptions among students (Munson, 1994).

ECOSYSTEMS IN THE CURRICULUM

Ecosystems receive considerable attention in national curriculum standards and

guidelines. Both the "National Science Education Standards" (NSES, National Research

Council, 1996) and the "Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning

(K-12)" (EEE, North American Association for Environmental Education, 2000) use

systems as an organizing concept. Within the "Standards", the "unifying concepts and

processes" for K-12 content standards include "Systems, Order, and Organization", and

within the EEE "Guidelines", one of the four organizing strands is "Knowledge of

Environmental Processes and Systems" that includes specific guidelines regarding

ecosystems and their components. The "Standards" also include several content

standards pertaining to ecosystems in the Life Science strand and the "Science in

Personal and Social Perspectives" strand. Following is a overview of the standards and

guidelines specifically relating to ecosystems.

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Standards and Guidelines for Grades 5-8

Content Standards (NSES)

* The complementary nature of structure and function within ecosystems.

* All populations living together and the physical factors with which they interact

compose an ecosystem.

* Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an

ecosystem, and food webs identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and

decomposers in an ecosystem.

* Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical

energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from organism to organism in

food webs.

* The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources

available and abiotic factors.

"The Living Environment Guidelines" (EEE)

* Define ecosystem and give examples of connections among organisms at this level of

organization.

* Summarize how abiotic and biotic components in combination influence the structure

of an ecosystem.

* Describe how energy, which enters ecosystems as sunlight, changes form and is

transferred in the exchanges (production, consumption, and decomposition) that

comprise food webs.

Standards and Guidelines for Grades 9-12

"Content Standards" (NSES)

* Energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, from photosynthetic organisms to

herbivores to carnivores and decomposers.

* Organisms both cooperate and compete in ecosystems. The interrelationships and

interdependencies of these organisms may generate ecosystems that are stable for

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hundreds or thousands of years.

* Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify

ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human

destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and

other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will

be irreversibly affected.

* The distribution and abundance of organisms and populations in ecosystems are

limited by the availability of matter and energy and the ability of the ecosystem to

recycle materials

* Natural ecosystems provide an array of basic processes that affect humans. Those

processes include maintenance of the quality of the atmosphere, generation of soils,

control of the hydrologic cycle, disposal of wastes, and recycling of nutrients. Humans

are changing many of these basic processes, and the changes may be detrimental to

humans.

"The Living Environment Guidelines" (EEE)

* Apply the concepts of ecosystem and ecoregion to organize the multitude of

relationships among organisms and environments.

* Explain ecosystem change with respect to variables such as climate change, the

introduction of new species, and human impacts; and explain processes such as

desertification and soil formation as mechanisms for such change.

* Describe succession in ecosystems and their constituent plant and animal

communities.

* Describe how adding a species to, or removing one from, an ecosystem may affect

other organisms and the entire system.

There are many additional standards and guidelines that directly or indirectly relate to

ecosystems, but this overview provides the basic conceptual framework to be

developed through the school curriculum. It should be noted that the framework

includes attention both to basic concepts pertaining to ecological systems as well as the

impacts of human activity on ecosystem change and stability.

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK AND STANDARDS

As Noss, LaRoe, and Scott (1995) have so convincingly documented, there have been

severe declines in the area and natural quality of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in

all regions of the United States. Habitat loss, ecosystem degradation, and ecosystem

fragmentation have led to great losses in biodiversity. Indeed, entire ecosystems are

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endangered along with individual species. Though management efforts have led to the

gradual recovery of some ecosystems, there is a need for citizens to gain a greater

sense of their ecological connections and the long-term impacts of human activities.

Schools and individual teachers are responding by developing programs and learning

experiences that focus on ecosystems, field study, and examinations of human impact

through actions and decisions. Tracy and Glaser (1999) described an immersion

program in which K-5 students meet all curriculum guidelines through investigating,

monitoring, and restoring schoolground habitats and local ecosystems. Lewis (1999)

focuses on an analysis of human impacts through ecosystem surveys that engage

students in formulating and testing hypotheses about human impacts.

Freeman (2002) describes a unique approach to studying the human impact on

ecosystems through ongoing study of an artificial aquatic ecosystem by students in

grades 7 through 12. She describes activities that are woven into the curriculum of

integrated science, biology, chemistry, and physics over a six year period.

Another curriculum approach that combines study of ecosystems with consideration of

human impacts and decision making is offered by the Forest Service Employees for

Environmental Ethics (2000). Their Secret Forest Experience Curriculum is designed for

middle school students and engages students in five science-based projects related to

ecosystems of western U. S. forests. The materials are available in both English and

Spanish.

Finally, Brodie (1995) offers background and activities related to a unique ecosystem,

the Great Basin of the western United States, that draws attention to web of life within

deserts. This unit of study is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school

students, and includes both a historical perspective and visions of future options in

terms of human impact on this arid ecosystem.

REACHING BEYOND THE SCIENCE

CLASSROOM

To supplement the traditional content on ecosystems in science classes, some groups

have developed instructional materials and activities that integrate ecosystem concepts

with a range of topics and subjects. Following are selected examples of materials that

are available to teachers.

Adams, M., Brickell, R., & Hanophy, W. (Senior Eds.). (1995). "Ecosystem matters:

Activity and resource guide for environmental educators". Washington, DC: U. S.

Department of Agriculture. [ED 403 116]

This compendium of activities is intended for classroom teachers, nature camp

instructors, scout leaders, forest rangers, naturalists, and others who are helping

learners make conscious decision that lead to the long-term stewardship of natural

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ED478712 2002-07-00 Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest. Page 5 of 8
resources. This guide was designed to supplement existing courses and programs

concerning ecological matters, and the activities focus on ecosystem management. The

interdisciplinary activities relate to topics in social studies, drama, language arts,

geography, history, math, physical education, and science, and the activities are

categorized by grades K-3 (13 activities), grades 4-5 (20 activities), grades 6-8 (25

activities), and grades 9-12 (13 activities.

Lewis, J. (1999). "People, growth, and endangered ecosystems: Exercises in

biodiversity, grades 6-12". Tallahassee: Florida State Department of Environmental

Protection. [ED 434 013]

This document features interdisciplinary activities that combine the study of biology with

music, art, language arts and social studies. The activities are aimed at students in

middle school through the first two years of high school. All activities can be conducted

in the classroom or outdoors near the school.

SELECTED WORLD WIDE WEB RESOURCES

"Living Things: Habitats and Ecosystems" A resource of the Franklin Institute

http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habitat.html

"Earth on Edge: Ecosystems" A Web resource associated with Bill Moyers Reports on

PBS that examines the status of the world's ecosystems

http://www.pbs.org/earthonedge/ecosystems/index.html

"Exploring Ecosystems Online" An electronic field trip for grades 7-12 provided by the

Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History

http://www.bsu.edu/teachers/academy/ecosystems/

"Ecosystems of Our World" An interactive Think Quest resource featuring ten different

ecosystems http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/ecosystems.htm

"Freshwater Ecosystems" An extensive directory of Web resources and lesson plans on

aquatic ecosystems in Canada and the United States

http://www.eagle.ca/~matink/themes/Biomes/watereco.html

"Ecosystems" A Learning Web resource provided by the U.S. Geological Survey

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/explorer/topic_eco_links.as p

"Backyard Science: How Ecosystems Work" Online teaching guide for an activity

suitable for students in grades 5-12.

http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g52e_ecosystems.html

"Ecosystems" A lesson plan from Discovery.com suitable for students in grades 6-8.

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http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/yosemite/

FINDING INFORMATION IN THE ERIC

DATABASE

There are many records in the ERIC Database pertaining to ecosystems, but it takes a

little searching to find them. The term ecosystem is not used to index records in ERIC,

so it is best to search using "ecology" as a Descriptor, combined with ecosystem or

ecosystems as keywords. You can narrow your search by combining these terms with

one or more of the following Descriptors: "teaching methods", "instructional materials",

"experiential learning", "hands on science", "environmental education", or similar terms.

You can further narrow your search by using education level Descriptors, such as

"elementary education", "middle schools", "intermediate grades", or "junior high

schools", or individual grade levels. You can search the database on the Web at

http://ericir.syr.edu/Eric/adv_search.shtml.

REFERENCES

Bocking, S. (1994, July-August). Visions of nature and society: A history of the

ecosystem concept. "Alternatives", 20 (3), 12-18. [EJ 491 835]

Brodie, J. M. (1995, May). The big empty. "Science & Children". Also available online at:

http://www.blm.gov/education/great_basin/great_basin.html

Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. (2000). "The secret forest

experience". Eugene, OR: Author. Available online at: http://www.fseee.org/project.cfm

Freeman, C. C. (2002). "Building an ecosystem. Access Excellence, Activities

Exchange", The National Health Museum,

http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/AEF/1995/freeman_ecosystem.ht ml.

Lewis, J. K. (1999). "Surveying an ecosystem: An exercise for high school biology

students". Tallahassee, FL: Florida State Department of Environmental Protection.

Munson, B.H. (1994, Summer). Ecological misconceptions. "Journal of Environmental

Education", 25 (4), 30-34.

National Research Council. (1996). "National science education standards".

Washington, DC: National Academy Press. (Available online at:

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/)

North American Association for Environmental Education. (2000). "Excellence in

environmental education: Guidelines for learning (K-12)". Washington, DC: author.

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED478712 2002-07-00 Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest. Page 7 of 8
Noss, R. F., LaRoe, E. T., & Scott, J. M. (1995). "Endangered ecosystems of the United

States: A preliminary assessment of loss and degradation". Biological Report 28.

Washington, DC: USDI National Biological Service. (Available online at:

http://biology.usgs.gov/pubs/ecosys.htm)

Revenga, C., Brunner, J., Henninger, N., Kassem, K., & Payne, R. (2000). "Pilot

analysis of global ecosystems: Freshwater systems". Washington, DC: World

Recources Institute. (Available online at:

http://www.wri.org/wr2000/freshwater_page.html)

Tracy, J., & Glaser, K. (1999, Fall). Ecology project learning. "Green Teacher", no. 59,

5-9.

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This digest was funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.

Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0024. Opinions expressed in

this digest do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the U.S.

Department of Education.

Title: Teaching about Ecosystems. ERIC Digest.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC/CSMEE, 1929 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1080. Tel:

800-276-0462 (Toll Free); Fax: 614-292-0263; e-mail: ericse@osu.edu; Web site:

www.ericse.org.

Descriptors: Ecology, Elementary Secondary Education, Environmental Education,

Instructional Materials, Science Curriculum, Standards, World Wide Web

Identifiers: ERIC Digests, National Science Education Standards

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