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Primary Source Set Ecology

The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.

Teacher’s Guide

To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides: Analysis Tool and Guides

Background

Ecology is the study of the relationship between living organisms (biotic factors) and the physical environment (abiotic factors). The formal study of ecology did not become prominent until the second half of the 20th century, but humans have been constructing a knowledge base for thousands of years. Current understanding of ecology has resulted from observations made by scientists and non-scientists, laboratory experiments, and reflection on ecological events.

Observational Studies

Our understanding of the world is largely due to observation. Explorers and naturalists such as Carl Linnaeus, Alexander von Humboldt, and William Hornaday are often considered some of the founders of ecology, but others, such as Benjamin Franklin and Nantucket whale-men, observed and explained interactions between biotic and abiotic factors as well. Fishery owners, farmers, and others who interact directly with the environment have shaped understandings of predator-prey relationships and soil ecology. Changes that occur in the environment, such as in the old growth forests of Appalachia and Rhode Island, have largely been observed by long-time residents who pass their knowledge down over generations. Technology, such as radar, has also helped to further our capabilities of observation and gain a deeper understanding of topography.

Laboratory Experimentation

Observations made in the field have led to laboratory experimentation to further identify relationships between biotic and abiotic factors. University faculty and students have worked together to explain a great deal of ecological knowledge, including the role that bacteria play in the absorption of organic nitrogen into plants and practical methods for sampling and chemically analyzing soil. Governmental agencies, such as the Bureau of Fisheries, Bureau of Animal Industry, and Department of Agriculture, have organized experiments at outposts throughout the country and globally. Members of universities and governmental agencies have collaborated to analyze experimental results and build an understanding of topics such as pesticide use and weather effects on forest growth. The findings of these collaborations have been used to guide state and national legislation.

Reflection on Ecological Events

The biotic and abiotic systems on Earth continuously change, and sometimes these changes dramatically affect the human population. These changes often produce both destruction and knowledge. For example, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s resulted from a combination of drought and topsoil destruction in the Great Plains. The dust storms led to the scientific investigation of dry farming techniques to prevent similar levels of destruction in the future. Similarly, the drainage of the Florida Everglades that started in the early 1900s helped people understand the role wetlands play in the maintenance of the adjacent ecosystems.

Suggestions for Teachers

  • Ask students to examine several primary sources from the set and think about who was responsible for constructing the knowledge evident in the source. Was the knowledge constructed by an individual or a group? What scientific training did that individual or group have? How does knowing that background affect people's perceptions of the validity of the knowledge?
  • Challenge students to analyze the knowledge that is conveyed in several of the primary sources from the set. What has changed and what has stayed the same? Ask students to reflect on why knowledge in ecology might change over time.
  • Present students with data from several of the primary sources in the set and ask what this data tells them. What additional information might they need to gather to make sense of the data? How can their prior knowledge be utilized to make sense of the data?
  • Ask students to think about the time period in which the various sources were created. How could events from the time have affected the construction of knowledge? If the items were created now, what might be different?
  • When analyzing the primary sources in the set, ask students where they see overlap between science, politics, and economics. How do each of these disciplines rely on one another in the construction of ecological knowledge?
  • Present students with one or more primary sources that were created to communicate scientific understanding. Who is the intended audience of each primary source? How effective is the communication of the ecological knowledge?

Additional Resources