Eddy Egan May 25, 2007

Tuliszewski Period ½
Section Assessment 3-1 Page 65
1. The six different levels of organization that ecologists study are the biosphere, the
biome, ecosystems, communities, populations and the individual.
2. The three basic methods of ecological research are observing, experimenting, and
modeling
3. Land - To harvest food from it, to walk upon it.
Water - To supply hydration for myself, to sustain life in plants.
Air - To breathe, for flight
4. To know if water in a stream is safe to drink I would observe and experiment
upon it. I would observe surroundings in the water such as plants and animals that
were surviving in uncontaminated water. Next, I would test the water in a
laboratory to find any additives that could be harmful. As an on the spot
experiment I would distill the water which consists of boiling it to kill any water
born bacteria or harmful substances.
5. An ecological phenomenon that could be studied by modeling would be the large
swells that occur around Venice and make the city overflow. By modeling the
swells and currents of the water scientists can devise a way to make the flooding
less disastrous and less of a threat to the ancient city.

Section Assessment 3-2 Page 73

1. The two main forms of energy that power living systems are sunlight and
inorganic chemical compounds.
2. Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun of inorganic
compounds to autotrophs (producers) and then to various heterotrophs
(consumers)
3. Only about 10 percent of the energy available within one trophic level is
transferred to organisms at the next trophic level.
4. Autotrophs are eating by herbivores and omnivores can eat both autotrophs and
omnivores.
5.