Go with the Energy Flow
Figure 1. An aquatic environment food chain.Copyright National Institutes of Health, http://orf.od.nih.gov/ Environmental+Protection/Mercury +Free/MercuryHealthHazards. htm#foodchain
Students learn about energy and nutrient flow in various biosphere climates and environments. They learn about herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, food chains and food webs, seeing the interdependence between producers, consumers and decomposers. Students are introduced to the roles of the hydrologic (water), carbon, and nitrogen cycles in sustaining the worlds' ecosystems so living organisms survive. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.
Understanding energy flow and transfer is important for many engineering applications. Some engineers must consider how to avoid and exploit heat loss/gain in their building designs. Other engineers must understand the direct application of energy in determining the type of fuel used to power essential and everyday appliances and tools. Since our weather and climates result from heat transfer and energy flow, engineers who design sensor and reporting equipment must understand these cycles. From this knowledge, they also design meteorological computer modeling systems that generate information and tools to make weather predictions and forecasts.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe the importance of energy flow and nutrient cycles in sustaining Earth's ecosystems.
- Diagram the flow of energy through simple food chains and food webs.
- Relate how engineers use their knowledge of energy flow through systems in the design of new technologies.