|
When It Rains...
It could be argued that the substance that is most important to the
support of life is water. One of the reactants in photosynthesis — the
chemical reaction that brings energy into the living world — is
water. And, most cell processes must take place in the presence of water.
Yet life relies on the physical environment for its water supply. Why
doesn’t this water supply run out?
Along with other material cycles,
the water cycle is essential to life on Earth. In “When It Rains…” you’ll
use your EcoColumn to model the water cycle.
Materials Needed
Instructions
- Remove the top unit of your EcoColumn
and tie the string around the neck so that one end hangs freely.
- Invert
the top of your EcoColumn over the terrestrial habitat.
- Add water
with ice in it.
- Observe what happens over several hours.
Activity Questions
Water Cycle Concepts:
Evaporation — the change of
state of water from a liquid to a gas (water vapor)
Transpiration — the evaporation of water from the surfaces of leaves
Condensation — the change of state of water from a water vapor
to a liquid
Precipitation — water that falls in the form of rain, sleet, hail,
or snow
Percolation — the flow of water through a substrate (e.g., soil)
Surface water — still or flowing water on the surface of the Earth
Ground water — still or flowing water in the ground
- How is each habitat in your EcoColumn
supplied with water?
- Within each habitat, how do organisms obtain their
water?
- How would these habitats and organisms be supplied with water
in nature?
- Does surface water exist in your EcoColumn? Ground water?
Explain your answer.
- What happened when you added ice to the inverted
top of your EcoColumn?
- Which of the above concepts was illustrated
by the addition of the ice?
- Make a diagram of your EcoColumn and use the water
cycle concepts to label your drawing.
SHARE YOUR RESULTS: When It Rains
| |
prev:
basically, I'm a fungi