Professional Documents
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QUICK LAB
OBJECTIVES
markers
posterboard
PROCEDURE
Long-term, evolutionary changes in population traits of ice age megafuana,
such as mastodons, occurred after glaciers began melting. Scientists have
looked at how a mammals body size, or biomass, has changed over time
using an indicator organism, Sporormiella, associated with megafuana
mammals. Explore the graph on the next page to determine what long-term
trend in biomass or size occurred in populations of megafuana between
17,000 and 14,000 years ago. Describe the trend and any other observations
below.
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Grade 8 Lab Manual
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Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
Edit File
How many thousands of years ago does this graph show the first indication
that the biomass of megafuana populations was decreasing?
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The graph above shows how one trait in populations, body size, changed
over time due to evolutionary processes. While individual organisms do not
undergo evolution, the organism does respond to long-term environmental
changes. What happened to individual organisms and subsequent
populations in response to environmental conditions between 14,000 and
13,000 years ago?
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What adaptations in an organisms behavioral traits are likely to have
occurred as a result of increasing temperatures to help it survive?
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ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
619
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
620
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
621
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
622
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
QUICK LAB
PROCEDURE
Begin your investigation by working with your group and
looking at a world coral reef distribution map. Where are the
worlds major coral reefs located? What pattern can you identify
in where they are located?
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The diagram below shows the shape of continental sediments.
Coral reefs are found on the continental shelf. Using modeling
clay, construct a model of the shape of continental sediments,
the continental crust, and oceanic crust. Place your model inside
a plastic container.
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Grade 8 Lab Manual
626
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
OBJECTIVES
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
Edit File
Press gravel into the clay to represent where coral reefs grow. Fill the plastic
container with water to represent the water level in the ocean. Water should
just cover the continental shelf.
Based on your model, describe the conditions in which coral normally grow.
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Many coral reefs are either dying or diseased. The table below summarizes
information from studies conducted by scientists that describe effects on
coral and possible explanations of their causes. Examine the table to explore
the evidence for these changes and proposed solutions. Use logical
reasoning to analyze the evidence as you read.
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS FOR CORAL REEF DECLINES IN HEALTH
Effect on Corals
Corals damaged by anchors
Over fishing
Corals smothered by sediments;
corals turning white (bleaching)
Corals overgrown by seaweeds,
corals turning white (bleaching)
Corals turning white, bleaching
Evidence/Explanation
Fishing, diving, and cargo boats
Poverty, inappropriate fishing
techniques
Erosion of sediment by wind;
erosion of soils by logging and
farming, dredging
Over-fertilization of the coastal
zone by nutrients from sewage and
agriculture
Excessively high temperatures,
pollution, erosion of soil, freshwater
dilution by rivers, possibly affected
by climate change
Infectious diseases; possibly
affected by climate change
Solutions
Install moorings
Establish fish reserves: halt spear,
dynamite, and poison fishing
Reforest coastal watersheds, no-till
agriculture, terracing, contour
plowing, silt curtains
Better treatment of sewage to
remove nutrients, more efficient
use of fertilizers
Decrease pollution from land,
including industrial discharge,
fertilizers, sewage
Measures to reduce global climate
change, still too little known to
identify solutions
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
627
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
628
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
Identify two trends in reef health from near shore to shelf edge reef
locations. What could you conclude about these trends? Based on the table
above, what could some of the explanations be for why this is occurring?
What can you conclude about how long-term environmental changes on land
may affect coral?
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Can you identify a trend in the graph for the presence of Black Band disease
in corals? How does this pattern compare with that for bleaching and
mortality?
What other evidence might you need in order to examine all sides of
scientific explanations about coral reef decline and events such as bleaching
and disease?
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ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
629
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
EXPLORATION LAB
OBJECTIVE
PROCEDURE
MAKING OBSERVATIONS
Obtain two jars from your teacher. Be careful not to shake them. Record
your observations of each model in the table on the next page.
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
635
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
Edit File
Water color
Odor
Aquatic plant health
Material floating on the water
surface
Material resting on the jar bottom
The graph below shows how algae growth rate is affected by various
nutrient concentrations. What trend can you identify from nutrient
concentrations of 10 to 200 g/m3? How does growth rate relate to the
amount of biomass produced in the population?
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MAKING PREDICTIONS
Look at your two models. Based on your observations and the graph above,
predict which has been polluted with fertilizer and develop a scientific
explanation for the state of each model. Explain your reasoning.
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_________________________________________________________________________
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ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
636
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
How does the change in environment affect the algae population in the
polluted ecosystem?
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Explore how short-term environmental changes, such as the addition of
fertilizer, can affect organisms by explaining the response an individual
algae cell has to fertilizer.
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Examine the graph above. What would you predict the growth rate would be
when nutrient concentrations are between 0 and 10 g/m3?
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When fertilizer initially affects algae, the sudden increase in nutrients
available results in rapid growth. As the nutrients are used up quickly what
could happen to the population?
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What would you predict would happen to an individual organism? Can you
see evidence of these effects in your model? Explain what observation
indicates that this happened.
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Once the algae population begins to decrease, algal cells die and sink to the
bottom. As the cells decay, oxygen in the water is used up and depleted.
Compare the health of the aquatic plant in both models. How has the
depleted oxygen affected the aquatic plant? Explore and describe how shortterm environmental changes, such as a decrease in oxygenated water, can
affect traits in subsequent populations of aquatic plants.
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ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
637
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
What could happen to plants and animals that need oxygenated water to live
if chemical fertilizer is washed into a pond? Explain your reasoning.
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Critique your explanation from Step 3, including examining all sides of the
evidence that you have explored so far in this investigation. Is your
scientific explanation supported by evidence and observations? Explain your
reasoning.
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_________________________________________________________________________
EVALUATING SOLUTIONS
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
638
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
The table below lists some alternatives to the use of inorganic fertilizers in
lawns, gardens, and fields. Discuss them with your group and then complete
the table by determining the practical and environmental advantages and
disadvantages of each.
Lawn care
Disadvantages
Using slow-release
fertilizers less often
Rotating crops to make soils
nitrogen-rich
Using organic fertilizers
such as manure
During this lab, you have explored the effect short-term environmental changes
have on organisms. Describe how a short-term change, such as the introduction of
fertilizer, affects organisms, such as an aquatic ecosystems plants and animals.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Use the Internet to explore how the short-term environmental changes
caused by inorganic fertilizers can affect traits in subsequent populations of
plants and animals. Record your findings.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
639
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
EXPLORATION LAB
OBJECTIVE
PROCEDURE
MAKING OBSERVATIONS
Obtain two jars from your teacher. Be careful not to shake them. Construct a
table in your lab journal to record your observations for each model aquatic
ecosystem. Identify 5 characteristics that you can observe in each model and
record them in your table.
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
640
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
The graph below shows how algae growth rate is affected by various
nutrient concentrations. What trend can you identify from nutrient
concentrations of 10 to 200 g/m3? How does growth rate relate to the
amount of biomass produced in the population?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
MAKING PREDICTIONS
Look at your two models. Based on your observations and the graph above,
predict which has been polluted with fertilizer and develop a scientific
explanation for the state of each model. Explain your reasoning.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
How does the change in environment affect the algae population in the
polluted ecosystem?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Explore how short-term environmental changes, such as the addition of
fertilizer, can affect organisms by explaining the response an individual
algae cell has to fertilizer.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
641
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
Examine the graph above. What would you predict the growth rate would be
when nutrient concentrations are between 0 and 10 g/m3?
_________________________________________________________________________
When fertilizer initially affects algae, the sudden increase in nutrients
available results in rapid growth. As the nutrients are used up quickly, what
could happen to the population?
_________________________________________________________________________
What could happen to an individual organism? Can you see evidence of
these effects in your model? Explain what observation indicates that this
happened.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Once the algae population begins to decrease, algal cells die and sink to the
bottom. As the cells decay, oxygen in the water is used up and depleted.
Compare the health of the aquatic plant in both models. How has the
depleted oxygen affected the aquatic plant? Explore and describe how shortterm environmental changes, such as a decrease in oxygenated water, can
affect traits in subsequent populations of aquatic plants.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
What could happen to other organisms that need oxygenated water to live if
chemical fertilizer is washed into a pond? Explain your reasoning.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Critique your explanation from Step 3, including examining all sides of the
evidence that you have explored so far in this investigation. Is your
scientific explanation supported by evidence and observations? Explain your
reasoning.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
642
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations
During this lab, you have explored the effect short-term environmental
changes have on organisms. Describe how a short-term change, such as the
introduction of fertilizer, affects organisms, such as an aquatic ecosystems
plants and animals.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Use the Internet to explore how the short-term environmental changes
caused by inorganic fertilizers can affect traits in subsequent populations of
plants or animals. Record your findings.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ScienceFusion
Grade 8 Lab Manual
643
Original content Copyright by Holt McDougal. Alterations to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Unit 9, Lesson 5
Environmental Changes and Populations