Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 1
ECOLOGY
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ECOLOGY
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Ghana app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Biology
Class: SHS 1
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 5
Grade code: 1.3.2.LI.2
Strand code: 3
Sub-strand code: 2
Content standard code: 1.3.2.CS.1
Indicator code: 1.3.2.LI.2
Theme: DIVERSITY OF LIVING THINGS AND THIER ENVIRONMENT
Subtheme: ECOLOGY
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Welcome, students! Today, we are starting a very important topic called Ecology. Look outside the window at the school compound. You see grasses, trees, insects, birds, and maybe a lizard. You also see the soil, sunlight, and you can feel the air and temperature. All these things, living and non-living, are connected in a fascinating way. Ecology is the scientific study of these connections – how living organisms interact with each other and with their non-living environment. Understanding ecology is crucial in Ghana. It helps us understand why some crops grow well in the Ashanti region but not in the Northern region. It explains how controlling stagnant water can reduce malaria cases.
Ecology is structured like a set of building blocks, from the smallest unit to a very large one. Let's build our understanding step-by-step.
A. The Levels of Organisation Organism (or Individual): Definition: This is the basic unit of ecology. It is any single living being. Explanation: An organism can be a plant, animal, fungus, or bacterium. It is one individual member of a species. Ghanaian Example: A single oil palm tree on a farm, one black-chinned tilapia in the Weija Dam, a soldier ant in a colony, or you, a human being. Population: Definition: A group of organisms of the same species living together in a specific area at a particular time. Explanation: The key phrases here are "same species" and "specific area." We are no longer talking about one organism, but a whole group of them that can interact and breed with each other. Ghanaian Example: All the tilapia in a Kpong fish pond. All the Odum trees in the Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary. The colony of weaver birds nesting in the big tree on the school compound. All the students in your school form a human population. Community: Definition: All the different populations of different species living and interacting in the same area. Explanation: This is the next level up. Here, we consider all the *living* things together. A community includes plants, animals, fungi, and micro-organisms. The word "interacting" is very important – they might compete for food, one might eat another (predation), or they might help each other. Ghanaian Example: In the Kpong fish pond, the community would include the population of tilapia, the population of waterweeds (plants), the population of water snails, and the populations of different bacteria and plankton. They all live together and interact. Ecosystem: Definition: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical (non-living) environment. Explanation: This is the first level where we officially include the non-living parts of the environment. Think of it as: Ecosystem = Community + Environment. The interactions are not just between living things, but between the living things and their non-living surroundings. Ghanaian Example: The Kpong fish pond ecosystem includes the community (tilapia, snails, weeds, etc.) PLUS the non-living factors like the water itself, the sunlight that penetrates the water, the temperature of the water, the dissolved oxygen, and the mud and rocks at the bottom.
B. Components of an Ecosystem
Every ecosystem is made up of two types of components: Biotic Factors: Definition: These are all the living or once-living components of an ecosystem. Explanation: "Biotic" comes from the Greek word "bios," meaning life. This includes all the organisms in the community. Ghanaian Examples: Producers: Plants that make their own food (e.g., maize plants, mango trees, algae in a river). Consumers: Animals that eat other organisms (e.g., a grasshopper eating grass, a lizard eating the grasshopper, a hawk eating the lizard). Decomposers: Organisms that break down dead material (e.g., mushrooms, earthworms, and bacteria in the soil that decompose fallen leaves). Abiotic Factors: Definition: These are all the non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem. Explanation: "Abiotic" means non-living. These factors determine which organisms can survive in a particular place. Ghanaian Examples: Sunlight: Provides energy for photosynthesis. The intense sunlight in the Northern savanna supports the growth of grasses but can be too harsh for some forest plants. Water: Essential for all life. This includes rainfall, humidity, and water in rivers or lakes. The difference between the rainy season and the dry season (harmattan) dramatically changes our environment. Temperature: The hot climate of Ghana influences which plants and animals can thrive here. Soil and Minerals: The type of soil (e.g., sandy, loamy, clay) determines which crops can be grown. For instance, cocoa grows well in the rich forest soils of the Western Region. Topography: The shape of the land (e.g., hilly areas like the Akwapim-Togo ranges vs. the flat coastal plains). Wind: Affects plant pollination and can cause soil erosion.