Biome Project

Revision Date April 25 2005 You must selected a particular biome and the guideline sheets have been given out.
Class computer Dates Room ???

This project should be done in threes
Presentation dates will been assigned in class with two presentations per day. Presentations will start on Dec 6 or May 19 with date assignments viewed on the Ecology Homepage Click Here
If you are going to use power point, make sure you book the equiment from the library as soon as possible.

The biomes are as follows:

Major Biomes or Ecozones
   Desert: the American Southwest    1 
   Aquatic Marine: the East Coast of Canada, Gulf of St. Lawrence    2 
   Grasslands: Alberta, Saskatchewan & Manitoba      3 
   Mountains: Alpine Biome: Canadian Rockies      4 
   Tiaga: Coniferous Forest     5 
   Temperate Deciduous Forest      6 
   The Artic Region of Canada : Tundra      7 
   Pacific Marine Rainforest      8 
   Wetlands eg. Hudson Plains      9 
   Chaparral (Mediteranean)      10 
   Aquatic: the Great Lakes      11 
   Aquatic Marine: West Coast of Canada, British Columbia      12 
   Niagara Peninsula      13 

To help you get started here is a series of notes & maps from Environment Canada. They seem to be a little more specialized in that they have divided the major biomes into Ecological Zones, which are just subsets of the biomes listed in the text book.

Canadian Ecozones

  1. An Introduction to Ecozones
  2. Terrestrial Ecozones of Canada
  3. Marine Ecozones of Canada
  4. Descriptive biophysical Characteristics of Canada'a Ecozones
  5. Introduction to Ecological Regions of North America
  6. Map of Ecolgical Regions of North America

  7. From Radford University

    General Outline: Division of Tasks

    1. To be done in groups of two or three with tasks assigned in the following categories:
      1. Chief coordinator
      2. Main writer
      3. Main presenter
      4. Presentation board organizer
    2. Each individual should contibute to the overall development , data collection and presentation (both verbal & visual display).
    3. Each group must select a species from the animaliae kingdom
      one from the mammal, bird, fish, and reptile groupings with
      a detailed report on each species that must include the following:
      1. classification (Latin names; must have genus and species)
      2. habitat: where it resides in the ecosystem
      3. niche: its role in the community
      4. physical description; list special physical characteristic traits that enable your animal to be successful in it's environment
      5. dietary habits
      6. position in the food chain/web of this biome. Indicate which tropic level your species would be found
      7. special evolutionary traits used for enhancement, survival of the species
      NOTE: Not all biomes may have an example of each species.

    Project Outline / Presentation

    Try to follow these guidellines especially in the order in which they are listed.

    1. An introduction to the biome and a brief description to your presentation, indiation on a map where the biome is located
      Ecozones are subsets of a biome so include all related ecozones.
    2. Climate and weather patterns and how they dicatate the life forms found in the biome
    3. Main fauna, insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles & mammals in your biome; a list should be generated then these should all be interconnected in a food web, not a food chain
    4. Your animals (picture required), proper classification name etc. do not spent more than 1 minute on each animal species.
      See point #3 above
    5. Your food web must include your selected animals
    6. Aquatic ecosystems (if present)
    7. Soils ==> short description
      include the terms litter, topsoil, humus, subsoil, bedrock
      how is surface water and ground water related through the water table
      normal soil pH and how is mankinding interfereing with nature's balance
      how does the fauna in your biome, and ultimitely each ecosystem, adapt to the soil conditions that are present
    8. Mankinds influence ==> how people have changed the biome
      How mankind has caused extinction, endangerment etc (see page 14) for species in your biome. List any extinct species that once were prevalent.
      Pollutions and human settlement, development in the biome
    9. A discussion of the indigenous peoples of the biome
    10. Future of the area; is it healthy or headed for a biological disaster?
      How sustainable is your biome?
      These can be the inital part of your conclusion. Make sure you have one.

    Rubrics are provide; one for the presentation and one for the project itself. Make sure you get one before you present. These can be obtained from the home page; Rubrics to Go

    Assessment

    Timelines for assessment will be set and must be met if high marks are to result.