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Building Ecological Pyramids

Topic
  • Ecology
  • Communities
  • Ecosystems
  • Science Practices
  • Data Analysis
Resource Type
  • Activities
  • Lessons
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Favorited By
14 Users
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Description

This activity supports using the citizen science platform WildCam Gorongosa in the classroom. It engages students into building biomass pyramids using data from trail camera photos of animals in Gorongosa National Park.

The activity begins with students learning about the animals in park by visiting WildCam Gorongosa. They then make predictions about which animals belong to different trophic levels. Students then visit WildCam Lab, a part of WildCam Gorongosa where they can view, filter, and download trail camera data. Students will build a biomass pyramid within an assigned vegetation type using those data. This activity allows students to develop and use models, organize and analyze real scientific data, and use Excel to perform calculations.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets
  • ​​​​​​Make predictions about the biomass relationships between trophic levels in an ecosystem.
  • Analyze quantitative data to create a biomass pyramid.
  • Describe the relationships between trophic levels and between ecosystems based on the shape of a biomass pyramid.
  • Formulate hypotheses and make observations about the stability of ecosystems based on the biomass relationship between trophic levels.
Details
Estimated Time
Two to three 50-minute class periods.
Key Terms

biomass, consumer, ecological pyramid, ecosystem, floodplain, grassland, intensity of use, limestone gorge, producer, savanna, species abundance, stability, trophic level, woodland

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Version History
Date Published 03.14.16
Date Updated 04.30.20
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-4, HS-LS2-6; SEP1, SEP2, SEP3, SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-1.H, ENE-1.M, ENE-1.N, ENE-1.O; SP2, SP3, SP4, SP5, SP6

IB Biology (2016)

4.1, 4.2, C.1, C.2

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.A, II.C

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9–12.3, ELA.RST.9–12.7, ELA.RST.9–12.9
Math.S-ID.3, Math.S-IC.4

Vision and Change (2009)

CC4, CC5; DP1, DP2, DP3

Materials
Resource Google Folder (link)
Educator Guide (PDF) 559 KB
Student Handout (PDF) 807 KB
Excel Tutorial (XLS) 2 MB
Additional Materials

Excel (spreadsheet tutorial provided)

Use This Resource With
Interactive Media
WildCam Gorongosa

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