Energy Web Slides Wild Systems Ecology Unit
Lesson 1 of 5
Energy Flow & Trophic Architecture
Energy Web Dynamics
Investigating how solar calories move through trophic levels and why top predators are always rare in wild ecosystems.
Solar Baseline
Primary production
10% Energy Rule
Metabolic heat loss
Apex Limits
Carrying capacity
Trophic Level 1 | The Primary Producers
10,000 kcal Baseline
Where Does All Biological Energy Begin?
Autotrophs capture solar radiant energy through photosynthesis, synthesizing organic glucose molecules from atmospheric carbon dioxide and water.
Key Ecological Principles:
Autotrophs form the massive foundation of every biomass pyramid
Total energy here sets the strict ceiling for all higher tiers
Solar Radiant Energy
Enters biosphere via chlorophyll pigments
Chemical Potential Energy
Stored in cellulose, starches, and plant tissues
Quick Check: If sunlight drops by 40%, what happens immediately to primary consumer carrying capacity?
Ecological Efficiency | Lindeman's Efficiency Law
90% Energy Dissipated
Producers (100%)
10,000 kcal
Grasses, phytoplankton, shrubs, and forest canopy trees.
Captured directly from sunlight
Herbivores (10%)
1,000 kcal
Elk, zooplankton, insects, and rodents consuming vegetative mass.
9,000 kcal lost as heat & metabolic waste
Carnivores (1%)
100 kcal
Foxes, predatory fish, snakes, and secondary consumers.
Only 10 kcal reaches apex predators (0.1%)
Why is 90% of energy lost between steps?
Cellular respiration, body heat production, motion, undigested fiber, and metabolic maintenance.
Web Architecture | Chains vs. Complex Webs
Structural Stability
Food Chain Model
A single linear pathway of energy transfer (Grass → Hare → Lynx).
Fragility Vulnerability
If the middle link dies or migrates, upper predators starve completely.
Food Web Model
A interconnected network of multiple overlapping feeding interactions.
High Resilience
Alternative prey routes buffer populations against abrupt local extinctions.
Scientific Reading Focus: Look for Cause-and-Effect transition words in today's reading: consequently, thus, triggers, leads to .
Inquiry Challenge
Turn & Talk (3 Min)
Ecological Thought Experiment
Why can a 500-acre nature reserve support 4,000 field mice and 250 red-tailed hawks, but only 2 breeding gray wolves?
Partner A Task:
Explain using the 10% energy transfer rule and caloric dissipation.
Partner B Task:
Identify what claim-evidence sentence structure best defends your conclusion.
Ready to open your Energy Pyramid Worksheet Proceed to Part 1 Text Analysis
Energy Pyramid Worksheet Wild Systems • Lesson 1 Student Handout
The Caloric Bottleneck: Energy in Ecosystems
Informational Reading • Page 1 of 2
Name:
Date:
Class Period:
Reading Passage • Read Closely & Annotate
Every living ecosystem runs on solar fuel, yet this fuel vanishes rapidly as it climbs through the living web. Primary producers, such as deciduous trees, prairie grasses, and marine phytoplankton, absorb radiant photons from sunlight and convert them into chemical bonds of glucose via photosynthesis. This total reservoir of organic chemical energy is called Gross Primary Productivity (GPP).
However, plants do not simply store this energy for waiting herbivores. Instead, plants consume roughly half of their produced energy through cellular respiration to fuel their own growth, cellular repair, and reproductive tissue development. The residual energy stored in harvestable plant tissue is Net Primary Productivity (NPP). When an herbivore browses on leaves or roots, an immense energetic drop occurs.
In 1942, ecologist Raymond Lindeman articulated the Ten Percent Rule : on average, only about 10% of the energy stored in biomass at one trophic level successfully incorporates into biomass at the next sequential level. The missing 90% is not destroyed—consistent with the First Law of Thermodynamics—but is dissipated into the environment as metabolic heat during locomotion, cellular maintenance, digestion, and unabsorbed waste products. Consequently, an ecological community requires vast tracts of vegetation to sustain even a modest guild of apex carnivores.
Part 1: Text Structure & Central Idea Analysis
1. Which sentence best states the central thesis of the reading passage?
A. Sunlight is the primary source of all weather phenomena on Earth.
B. Energy transfer between trophic levels is inherently inefficient, sharply restricting carnivore populations.
C. Plants consume 100% of their energy to prevent herbivores from obtaining any glucose.
D. Raymond Lindeman proved that energy disappears completely from ecosystems without a trace.
2. Text Structure: How does paragraph 3 use cause-and-effect transitions to develop the author's explanation?
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 1 Turn to Page 2 for Calculations & Synthesis →
Part 2: Quantitative Modeling
Trophic Pyramid Calculations & Argumentation
Page 2 of 2
Mathematical Modeling: Calculate Available Energy at Each Tier
Assume an oak-pine forest produces 200,000 kilocalories (kcal) of usable Net Primary Productivity per square meter annually. Apply the 10% rule to complete each tier:
Keystone Species Case Study Wild Systems • Lesson 2 Investigation
The Arch of the Ecosystem: Keystone Species
Case Study Dossier • Page 1 of 2
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Case Study A: The Tide Pool Experiment (1966) Dr. Robert Paine
In an architectural stone arch, the wedge-shaped keystone at the very peak holds every other stone in place; pull it out, and the entire archway collapses. In 1966, ecologist Robert Paine tested whether certain predatory organisms play this identical architectural role in living communities. Along the rocky Pacific coastline of Washington, Paine methodically pried away every predatory purple ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus ) from an experimental stretch of tidal reef, tossing them into deep water.
The consequences were swift and dramatic. The sea stars had previously preyed heavily upon California blue mussels. Without their primary predator, the mussels multiplied aggressively, crowding out limpets, barnacles, sea snails, and multiple species of marine algae. Within three years, the tide pool’s species richness plummeted from 15 distinct species down to a sterile monoculture of mussels alone. The sea star, despite its modest numbers, had acted as the keystone holding the entire ecosystem's diversity together.
Case Study B: The Yellowstone Trophic Cascade (1995) Yellowstone National Park
In 1926, human eradication campaigns eliminated gray wolves from Yellowstone. For nearly seven decades without their apex predator, elk herds surged, congregating along vulnerable river valleys. They browsed young willow, aspen, and cottonwood saplings down to nubs, destabilizing riverbanks and wiping out the shaded river habitats required by cold-water trout.
In 1995, wildlife biologists reintroduced 14 Canadian gray wolves into the park. This unleashed a trophic cascade —an ecological process that tumbles down from the top of the food chain to the very bottom. Wolves not only controlled elk numbers but fundamentally transformed elk behavior; herds avoided open river valleys where they were easily ambushed. Consequently, riparian willows rebounded, providing building materials for beavers. Beaver dams created calm wetland ponds, drawing in songbirds, amphibians, and waterfowl, and physically stabilizing riverbanks against erosion.
Close Reading Analysis:
1. Why did mussel populations explode when Paine removed sea stars?
2. How did wolves indirectly increase beaver populations?
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 2 Turn to Page 2 for Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Organizer →
Part 2: Scientific Argumentation
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) Framework
Page 2 of 2
Guiding Prompt: Write an evidence-based scientific argument answering the focus question:
Cascade Discussion Guide Teacher Instructional Guide • Lesson 2
Trophic Cascades & Discourse Facilitation
Teacher Reference • Page 1 of 2
50-Minute Lesson Architecture
00-08 Min • Hook
Display tidal pool photo; prompt: What single animal keeps this rock alive?
08-25 Min • Reading
Paired close reading of Sea Star & Yellowstone wolf text dossiers.
25-40 Min • CER Task
Independent drafting of Claim-Evidence-Reasoning organizer with peer check.
40-50 Min • Socratic
Fishbowl circle discussing top-down regulation vs bottom-up control.
Frequent Misconceptions & Teacher Pivots
Misconception 1: "Keystone species are always the most abundant creatures in the ecosystem."
Pivot Question: "Were sea stars covering 100% of the reef? No! Their influence is disproportionately large compared to their relatively low physical biomass."
Misconception 2: "Predators only harm prey populations."
Pivot Question: "Why did removing wolves actually harm Yellowstone beavers, trees, and riverbanks in the long run?"
Tiered Whole-Class Discussion Prompts
DOK 1
What specific physical changes occurred to Yellowstone rivers after willows regrew?
DOK 2
Contrast how Paine's sea star experiment and Yellowstone wolf reintroduction demonstrate the ecological concept of competitive exclusion.
DOK 3
Can humans ever replace the functional ecological role of a keystone species through artificial culling? Defend your position with evidence from today's texts.
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 2 Teacher Guide Turn to Page 2 for CER Exemplar & Differentiation Scaffolds →
Part 2: Teacher Calibration & Scaffolding
CER Exemplar Key & Differentiation
Exemplar & Rubric • Page 2 of 2
Master Student Exemplar (Full Credit 15/15)
Exemplar Claim (3 pts):
"Keystone species maintain ecosystem biodiversity by exerting top-down control that prevents dominant competitors from overrunning primary producers and lower trophic levels."
Exemplar Evidence (6 pts):
"In Paine's 1966 experiment, removing ochre sea stars allowed blue mussels to dominate the tidal reef, causing overall species richness to collapse from 15 species to just 1. Similarly, in Yellowstone, reintroducing 14 gray wolves reduced over-browsing by elk, allowing willow and cottonwood trees to recover along riverbanks and enabling beaver recolonization."
Exemplar Reasoning (6 pts):
"This evidence demonstrates that keystone species function as ecological checks against competitive exclusion. When apex predators are present, they limit herbivore or competitive prey density and alter prey foraging behavior. This top-down regulation preserves niche diversity and physical habitat complexity, proving that an ecosystem's structural stability depends disproportionately on its keystone predators."
Symbiosis Analysis Slides Wild Systems Ecology Unit
Lesson 3 of 5
Interspecific Interactions
Hidden Partners: Symbiosis
Investigating how close, long-term evolutionary relationships shape survival, reproductive fitness, and ecosystem structure.
( + / + )
Mutualism
Both species benefit
( + / 0 )
Commensalism
One benefits, one neutral
( + / - )
Parasitism
One benefits, host harmed
Category 1 | Mutualism ( + / + )
Mutual Advantage
Mycorrhizal Fungi & Trees
Fungal hyphae wrap around tree roots, expanding water and phosphorus absorption by 300%. In exchange, the tree pumps photosynthetic sugars directly to the fungi.
Outcome: Neither organism could flourish in poor soil without the other.
Clownfish & Sea Anemone
The anemone's stinging tentacles protect the mucus-coated clownfish from predators. In return, the territorial clownfish chases off polyp-eating butterflyfish and fertilizes the anemone with nitrogen waste.
Outcome: Reciprocal protection and resource exchange.
Key Scientific Distinction: Mutualism requires measurable fitness gains for both participating populations.
Category 2 | Commensalism ( + / 0 )
Neutral Host Impact
Barnacles & Baleen Whales
Sessile barnacles cement themselves to whale skin, gaining effortless transport through nutrient-dense plankton blooms. The massive whale experiences zero physiological cost or benefit.
Equation: Barnacle (+), Whale (0 neutral).
Cattle Egrets & Bison
As 2,000-pound bison trudge through grassland pastures, their heavy hooves flush out hidden grasshoppers and beetles. The egrets trail behind, feasting on fleeing insects without disturbing the grazing bison.
Equation: Egret (+), Bison (0 neutral).
Biologist Debate: Is any relationship ever 100% neutral? Extra drag on whales may impose slight energy costs!
Category 3 | Parasitism ( + / - )
Resource Extraction
Parasitoid Wasps & Hornworms
The female wasp deposits dozens of eggs inside a live tomato hornworm caterpillar. Hatched larvae devour the host from the inside out, sparing vital organs until pupation.
Outcome: Wasp gains nutrition (+), Hornworm host perishes (-).
Deer Ticks & Mammals
Symbiosis Matchup Activity Wild Systems • Lesson 3 Activity
Symbiotic Matchup: Case Dossiers
Dossiers • Page 1 of 2
Name:
Date:
Class Period:
Directions: Read the six biological case dossiers below. Pay close attention to how each organism's survival, energy budget, or reproductive success is altered by the interaction.
Dossier 1: Acacia Ants & Acacia Tree Pair A
The swollen-thorn acacia provides hollow thorns as nesting homes and secretes sugar nectar for stinging pseudomyrmex ants. In exchange, the aggressive ants fiercely patrol the branches, biting herbivores and trimming away encroaching vines that block sunlight.
Dossier 2: Cordyceps Fungus & Bullet Ant Pair B
Fungal spores penetrate the exoskeleton of a bullet ant, manipulating its central nervous system to make the ant climb high onto a branch and clamp down with its jaws. The fungus consumes the host's internal tissues, sprouts a fruiting stem from the ant's head, and rains spores on the colony below.
Dossier 3: Spanish Moss & Live Oak Pair C
Spanish moss is an epiphyte that drapes across high oak limbs. It possesses no roots and absorbs moisture directly from airborne fog and dust, using the oak purely as physical support without puncturing bark or extracting sap. Normal levels cause no harm to the sturdy tree.
Dossier 4: Cleaner Wrasse & Moray Eel Pair D
The small bluestreak cleaner wrasse swims directly into the open jaws of a predatory moray eel. The wrasse picks off and consumes ectoparasites, dead scales, and infected tissue. The wrasse secures concentrated calories, while the eel gains vital infection-free dental cleaning without eating the cleaner.
Dossier 5: Brown-Headed Cowbird & Warbler Pair E
Female cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of small yellow warblers, abandoning them completely. The larger cowbird chick hatches early, eats most food deliveries, and often knocks warbler hatchlings out of the nest to starve, while the exhausted host parents raise the intruder.
Dossier 6: Remora Fish & Manta Ray Pair F
A remora uses a modified dorsal fin transformed into a suction disc to attach to a giant manta ray's underbelly. The remora rides along, detaching briefly to grab leftover food crumbs floating past. The ray's swimming speed and health are unaffected by the hitchhiker.
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 3 Turn to Page 2 to Complete the Classification Matrix →
Part 2: Systematic Analysis
Symbiosis Classification Matrix & Synthesis
Page 2 of 2
Pair & Organisms Org 1 / Org 2 Classification
Threat Briefing Slides Wild Systems Ecology Unit
Lesson 4 of 5
Conservation Biology & Text Structures
Vanishing Habitats: Biodiversity
Investigating anthropogenic pressures, biological invasions, and how informational authors construct problem-and-solution arguments.
HIPPO Framework
5 extinction drivers
Invasive Species
Disrupted food webs
Text Structures
Cause / Solution syntax
Threat Taxonomy | E.O. Wilson's HIPPO Model
5 Primary Threats
H
Habitat Loss
Deforestation, wetland draining, and suburban sprawl fragment ecosystems.
#1 Extinction Driver
I
Invasive
Non-native organisms outcompete native species with no natural predators.
Today's Deep Dive
P
Pollution
Agricultural runoff, microplastics, and acid precipitation toxify soils.
Biomagnification
P
Population
Expanding human ecological footprints consume baseline biocapacity.
Resource Demand
O
Overharvest
Commercial overfishing and poaching strip populations faster than reproduction.
Exceeds Yield
Key Synthesis: Threats do not act in isolation; habitat fragmentation makes ecosystems far more vulnerable to biological invasion.
Biological Traits | Why Do Invasive Species Explode?
Enemy Release Hypothesis
Zero Coevolved Predators
In their new range, no native carnivores or parasites recognize them as edible prey. Their mortality rate drops to near zero.
Rapid R-Selected Reproduction
They produce thousands of offspring per breeding cycle, mature rapidly, and disperse seeds or larvae across vast distances.
Broad Generalist Niche
Unlike picky specialists, invasive organisms consume virtually any food source and tolerate wide ranges of temperature and water chemistry.
Ecological Takeaway: Non-native species leave their limiting evolutionary checks behind in their native lands.
Case Evidence | Invasion Shockwaves
Ecosystem Disruption
Case 1: Great Lakes Ballast Water
Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha )
Filter feeders brought via transatlantic cargo ships. A single female releases 1 million eggs annually. They filter out virtually all phytoplankton, starving native mussels and larval sport fish while encrusting infrastructure.
Invader Impact Worksheet Wild Systems • Lesson 4 Student Handout
Silent Invasions: Biodiversity Disrupted
Reading • Page 1 of 2
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Informational Text • Invasive Species & Management
When species move beyond their native evolutionary boundaries, they often leave behind the specialized herbivores, carnivores, and pathogens that historically kept their populations in check. This phenomenon, known as the Enemy Release Hypothesis , enables invasive species to outcompete indigenous flora and fauna, fundamentally warping native food webs.
In the Mississippi River basin, imported Asian silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) escaped flooded aquaculture ponds in the 1970s. Because these voracious fish consume up to 20% of their body weight in plankton daily, they rapidly deplete the microscopic energetic foundation relied upon by native paddlefish and gizzard shad. Consequently, native fish populations have plummeted across invaded waterways. In response to this ecological crisis, wildlife engineers constructed underwater electric dispersal barriers near Chicago to prevent silver carp from entering the vulnerable Great Lakes ecosystem.
Similarly, in terrestrial forests across the American South, the semi-woody vine Kudzu smothers millions of acres. Kudzu blankets native hardwood trees, blocking critical solar irradiance and suffocating understory plant life. To combat this botanical siege, conservationists are testing targeted biological control agents—specifically host-specific insects from Kudzu's native Asian habitat—while carefully verifying that these biocontrol agents will not harm native flora.
Part 1: Informational Text Structures & Transitions
1. Which primary text structure does paragraph 2 utilize to present the silver carp dilemma?
A. Chronological timeline of fish evolution over prehistoric eras.
B. Cause-and-effect leading directly into a problem-and-solution framework.
C. A fictional narrative told from the perspective of an escaped fish.
D. Simple alphabetical listing of river organisms without transition words.
2. Cite two specific transition words or signal phrases from the text that indicate a cause/effect or problem/solution relationship:
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 4 Turn to Page 2 for Comparative Analysis →
Part 2: Comparative Synthesis
Invasive Species Comparison Matrix & Synthesis
Page 2 of 2
Ecological Category Asian Silver Carp Kudzu Vine Primary Ecosystem Invaded
Rewilding Argument Worksheet Wild Systems • Culminating Argument Task
The Great Plains Rewilding Debate
Evidence Cards • Page 1 of 2
Name:
Date:
Class Period:
Conservation Policy Proposal #204 Public Hearing Draft
The Department of the Interior has proposed restoring 500,000 acres of federal public prairie lands into a contiguous "Rewilded Grassland Reserve." The initiative will reintroduce free-roaming American bison and gray wolves while removing interior fencing, allowing natural trophic interactions and fire cycles to resume.
Card A: Ecological Trophic Benefits Pro-Restoration
Bison create shallow dirt wallows that collect rainwater, creating micro-wetlands for over 30 species of breeding amphibians. Reintroduced wolves limit overpopulated coyotes, enabling ground-nesting prairie birds and native swift foxes to rebound by over 40%.
Card B: Ranching & Agriculture Impacts Opposition View
Adjacent cattle ranchers fear wolf depredation on private calves, with estimated regional livestock losses reaching $450,000 annually. Furthermore, roaming bison can transmit bovine brucellosis bacteria to commercial herds, potentially triggering mandatory quarantines.
Card C: Carbon Sequestration & Soil Pro-Restoration
Unlike commercial cattle that trample and compact delicate riparian soil, bison possess light rotational grazing habits that stimulate deep native perennial root systems, locking an estimated 1.2 metric tons of atmospheric carbon per acre underground each year.
Card D: Tourism vs Infrastructure Costs Economic Data
Ecotourism is projected to generate $14 million in annual county revenue from safari visits. However, initial perimeter fencing upgrades and highway wildlife overpasses are estimated to require an upfront taxpayer investment of $22 million.
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 5 Turn to Page 2 to Draft Your Argumentative Stance →
Part 2: Performance Writing Task
Argument Essay: Defending Your Ecological Stance
Page 2 of 2
Prompt: Should the federal government approve the 500,000-acre Great Plains Rewilding Project? Formulate a clear claim, defend it with evidence from at least two cards, and directly refute an opposing counterclaim using unit concepts (trophic cascades, carrying capacity, or symbiosis).
1. Stance & Central Claim (Your clear position on Policy #204):
2. Core Argument & Evidence Integration (Cite Card letters and explain ecological mechanisms):
3. Counterclaim Acknowledgment & Rebuttal:
Self-Check: Clear Claim 2 Evidence Cards Counterclaim Addressed Ecology Vocab Used
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • NGSS MS-LS2-5 • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1 Argument Assessment Score: ______ / 25
Debate Rubric Guide Teacher Assessment Guide • Lesson 5
Argument Scoring Rubric & Calibration
Rubric • Page 1 of 2
Use this 4-tier analytic rubric to evaluate student performance on the Great Plains Rewilding argument task. Evaluates alignment with NGSS MS-LS2-5 and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.1.
Criterion Exemplary (4 pts) Proficient (3 pts) Developing (2 pts) Emerging (1 pt) 1. Ecological Reasoning Flawlessly applies unit principles: trophic cascades, energy flow, and niche diversity to justify impacts. Accurately uses 1-2 ecological principles with minor omissions in mechanistic explanation. Mentions basic food chains or animals without articulating underlying biological mechanisms. Inaccurate or absent ecological understanding; treats topic purely as emotional opinion. 2. Claim Formulation Presents a precise, nuanced claim taking a firm, defensible stance on Policy #204. Clear claim with an identifiable stance, though somewhat broad or simplistic. Vague stance; reader must infer student's true policy position. No discernible claim or contradictory positions stated. 3. Evidence Integration Directly synthesizes data from 2+ Evidence Cards, seamlessly citing quantitative facts. Cites 2 Evidence Cards, but summarizes loosely without highlighting key data metrics. Only references 1 Evidence Card; evidence is disconnected from the main claim. No textual citations; relies solely on personal speculation. 4. Counterclaim & Rebuttal Accurately acknowledges an opposing viewpoint and systematically disproves it with evidence. Mentions an opposing view and offers a basic rebuttal, though reasoning is somewhat brief. Acknowledges a counterclaim but fails to provide a logical rebuttal or defense. Completely ignores counterclaims or dismisses them without rationale.
Total Score Conversion: 15-16 pts = Advanced (A) • 12-14 pts = Proficient (B) • 9-11 pts = Basic (C) • ≤8 pts = Re-attempt
Max Score: 16 pts
Wild Systems Ecology Unit • Lesson 5 Assessment Guide Turn to Page 2 for Benchmark Exemplar & Unit Synthesis →
Part 2: Teacher Calibration Model
Benchmark Student Exemplar (16/16 pts)
Exemplar • Page 2 of 2
Full Credit Model Essay Response Score: 16/16
[Claim]: The federal government should approve the Great Plains Rewilding Project with a targeted rancher compensation fund, because restoring bison and gray wolves will reconstruct critical trophic cascades, boost native biodiversity, and sequester atmospheric carbon.
