Ecology
For this project, the class was tasked with focusing on a species or environment to protect from extinction or elimination. Our group decided to help the Pacific Ocean and stop pollution from spreading toward the highly destructive Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive concentration of pollution in the middle of the pacific ocean caused by general waste throughout the coastlines and the ocean itself along with currents, which draw it towards one area about the size of Russia. Our group’s solution mainly involved creating a website and going to Ocean Beach, directly creating change by depolluting the area. The website explains our impact on the environment and the unhealthiness of the ocean and redirects a visitor to relevant charities and organizations. This is useful because it can help someone navigating the site find out how they can help and why. The other part of the project, the actual beach cleanup, brought about ten volunteers to negate the raw beach pollution in order to stop the ocean from being affected. This helped the Pacific Ocean because it stopped some pollution from entering its diverse ecosystem.
Content
Photosynthesis: how a plant derives energy from carbon dioxide
Cellular Respiration: how a heterotroph derives energy (called ATP) from food
Nitrogen Cycle: the recursive process by which nitrogen is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Carbon Cycle: the recursive process by which carbon is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Water Cycle: the recursive process by which water is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Biodiversity: the magnificent variation of traits that all organisms possess.
Trophic Levels: the level at which an organism derives energy
Biosphere: the part of the Earth where all life is present
Symbiosis: the interactions between species
Growth Factors: the parts of an environment which stimulate growth
Limiting Factors: the parts of an environment which sedate growth
Carrying Capacity: the amount of organisms which can be supported by a given environment
Abiotic Factors: the parts of an environment not consisting of organisms
Biotic Factors: the parts of an environment consisting of organisms
Heterotrophs: organisms which convert energy from other organisms into their own energy
Autotrophs: organisms which convert energy from abiotic factors into usable: biological energy, which they utilize.
Cellular Respiration: how a heterotroph derives energy (called ATP) from food
Nitrogen Cycle: the recursive process by which nitrogen is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Carbon Cycle: the recursive process by which carbon is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Water Cycle: the recursive process by which water is transferred between organisms into usable: forms
Biodiversity: the magnificent variation of traits that all organisms possess.
Trophic Levels: the level at which an organism derives energy
Biosphere: the part of the Earth where all life is present
Symbiosis: the interactions between species
Growth Factors: the parts of an environment which stimulate growth
Limiting Factors: the parts of an environment which sedate growth
Carrying Capacity: the amount of organisms which can be supported by a given environment
Abiotic Factors: the parts of an environment not consisting of organisms
Biotic Factors: the parts of an environment consisting of organisms
Heterotrophs: organisms which convert energy from other organisms into their own energy
Autotrophs: organisms which convert energy from abiotic factors into usable: biological energy, which they utilize.
Reflection
During this project, I learned many things about myself and the world. This is somewhat because this project involved a good amount of out-of-class work. Those cleanups taught me how to have a better work ethic, and not give up. On the contrary, I was unable to contribute as much as I wanted to, because I repeatedly forgot to get the contact information of those in my group and much of the actual work for the project was done on the weekend. In conclusion, this project taught me how to be a better teammate which will help me for all of my future projects in high school and beyond.