Unit A Section 1 Introduction
Completion requirements
Section 1: Ecosystems are communities of living things.
Unit A: Section 1 – Introduction
Figure A.S.1.1 – A burrowing owl stands guard near its home.
Figure A.S.1.2 – Three hungry chicks wait for food.
The Burrowing Owl’s Rich Habitat
At first glance, the dry treeless grassland in southeastern Alberta looks barren. On closer inspection, however, we see that it is teeming with life. Many organisms here interact in complex ways.
The burrowing owl is a native of this region. An abandoned ground squirrel hole provides it with shelter. The owl lines the hole with feathers, dried plants, and cattle dung. Then, it lays as many as twelve eggs in the underground nest. In the daytime, it hunts for insects, small snakes, and beetles. At night, it hunts for mice and voles. At one time, bison grazed the grass short here. Now, pastured cattle take their place. The short grass allows the tiny owl to see predatory foxes and coyotes in the distance.
A complex web of relationships makes life possible for the burrowing owl.
At first glance, the dry treeless grassland in southeastern Alberta looks barren. On closer inspection, however, we see that it is teeming with life. Many organisms here interact in complex ways.
The burrowing owl is a native of this region. An abandoned ground squirrel hole provides it with shelter. The owl lines the hole with feathers, dried plants, and cattle dung. Then, it lays as many as twelve eggs in the underground nest. In the daytime, it hunts for insects, small snakes, and beetles. At night, it hunts for mice and voles. At one time, bison grazed the grass short here. Now, pastured cattle take their place. The short grass allows the tiny owl to see predatory foxes and coyotes in the distance.
A complex web of relationships makes life possible for the burrowing owl.
Figure A.S.1.3 – On the hunt!
Words to Think About:
Check out the word cloud below. It pictures the important words that you are going to learn in this section. Watch for these words, and combinations of these words, as you read. When you see them highlighted, you can click on them to learn more about
what the word means.
You can also visit the course glossary and read definitions for all of these words.
Lessons in This Section
Lesson A1: What Is An Ecosystem?
Key Question – How do organisms interact with each other and with their non-living environments?
Lesson A2: Needs Of Living Things
Key Question – What does an organism need to grow and reproduce?
Lesson A3: Relationships And Adaptations
Key Question – How do organisms benefit or harm one another?
Reading and Materials for This Section
Science in Action 7
Materials Lists for Unit:
Reading: Pages 2–25
Materials Lists for Unit:
Think • Interpret • Decide
What’s Important to a Burrowing Owl?
Watch the following video that shows a burrowing owl parent feeding its young near its burrow in a pasture.
Watch the following video that shows a burrowing owl parent feeding its young near its burrow in a pasture.
After you have watched the video, consider the following questions. After you have given them some thought, click them for answers.
Burrowing owls require pasture and prairie land for a place to live and a place to obtain their food. Therefore, pastures are important to burrowing owls.
If the land were tilled for farming, the homes of the burrowing owls would be destroyed. With no prairie grass, burrowing owls would have difficulty to find food.
Burrowing owls have lost much of their habitat to human development. Now, they are endangered. To preserve burrowing owl populations, they must be protected. Protecting burrowing owl populations starts with educating people about the need to protect burrowing
owls; then, we need to protect their habitat.
Think about some strategies for protecting the burrowing owl species. Here’s a clue – watch the following video that shows burrowing owl camera footage. It reveals an interesting technique being used by a Texas wildlife preserve to help the owls.
The Texas wildlife preserve is trying to replace the lost homes of the owls. A PVC pipe dug into the ground provides an artificial burrow. Can the owl adapt to its new home? This young owl in the video seems to approve! The adaptation of animals to their
surroundings – both natural and artificial – often is amazing!
In this section, you will learn much more about how species can be sensitive to their surroundings and how they interact with their environments.
In this section, you will learn much more about how species can be sensitive to their surroundings and how they interact with their environments.