8.3 3.1.4 ecosystems  (Page 6/6)

Energy stands as one of the most essential of all the earth’s resources. Human life would not exist without the heat, light and food that depend on it. Theworld consumption of energy has quadrupled in the past five decades. There has been a very great increase in the use of non-renewable energy sources, notablyfossil fuels, yet most energy is inefficiently used.

Your presentations must focus on any of the following themes for creating a sustainable city

• Conserving : including terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems; restoration of; monitoring and conserving plants, animals and ecosystems.
• Water conservation : monitoring and reducing water use; water harvesting&re-use
• Waste management : waste / litter audits; reducing, reusing and recycling; composting; avoiding/appropriately disposing hazardous wastes
• Energy conservation : monitoring and reducing energy use; alternative energy; global climate change
• Environmental health : nutrition and food gardens; controlling air and water pollution; hygiene and sanitation; creating a healthy environment
• Transport : reducing the use of fossil fuels and pollution through public / shared transport, walking and cycling programmes,

Procedural Guideline :

• Decide on a topic. Choose a topic in which you have a particular interest and about which you would like to know more. It is quite probable that your fieldof interest has nothing to do with your school subject syllabus. The important thing is the investigative process that you follow. Get ideas from magazines/TV/ attached list.
• Find a question that needs an answer. Read available literature as background information. Start planning your investigations/experiments that will hopefullyanswer your question.
• Now consult with your teacher and possibly some expert in the field. Phone a relevant Company/University/Technicon Department. Ask for advice. Be politewhen asking!!
• Your typed report:

1. This should be a detailed account of your research and investigation .
2. It should be neat , attractive and illustrated if possible. Concise. Use photocopies, scanned pictures or preferably use your own illustrations.
3. Computer printed reports, using graphics are recommended.
4. The format for the report should be as follows:

TITLE : Name of your project

AIM : What problem are you trying to solve?

METHOD : Show programmes followed to solve the problem. Include experiments, clearly illustrated. This could be done in a diary format.

RESULT : Preferably tabulate results of experiments and observations. Include graphs of results, if appropriate.

CONCLUSIONS : Very important

THEORY : Any theory, which needs explanation, can be included at any stage.

APPLICATION : Can these conclusions have any practical application in everyday life?

FURTHER RESEARCH: Very often your research opens up further questions related to your topic which someone else might like to investigate.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND REFERENCES :

Include titles of books used, publishers and pages. Include names of people who advised and helped you. Be honest in this regard.

ASSESSMENT:

PRESENTATION

Neatness10

Visual impact10

CONTENT

Factual accuracy10

Adequate coverage10

EXPERIMENTAL WORK/RESEARCH

Technique and controls10

Display of results10

Interpretation of results10

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Factual accuracy10

Insight and understanding10

EVIDENCE OF PERSONAL GROWTH

Enjoyment and learning experience5

PLANNING5

TOTAL100

DATES AND DEADLINES

PLANNING - Decide on topic. You must hand in a written report on what you are doing and how you are planning to set about it. You will be penalised if yourreport is late. (This may be written)

DUE:

PROGRESS - You need to write about how far you’ve got with your

research, any complications/problems encountered, how you

propose to move on from there…

DUE:

FINAL PROJECT DUE:

Rich media

INTERACTIVE QUIZ (External Link)

This link is useful for consolidating the concepts of ecology. (External Link)

This link is useful for consolidating the concepts of ecosystems.

(External Link) In this exercise, you will utilize an online calculator to examine your ecological footprint, compare it to the average footprint in your country andother countries, and critically examine ways to reduce it.

VIDEO: (External Link)

Video on the study of the interaction between organisms and their environment. (External Link)ystems

Video that examines the types of interactions that exist among organisms in a community, from competition between consumers for specific resources to therelationship between predators and prey. (External Link) In this Interactive Exercise, you will use a marine ecosystem to investigate the dynamic nature of ecosystems. You will explore the various regions of the bay,and then investigate some of the natural and human-imposed changes to which the bay responds.