BRIDGE ECOLOGY
Diorama: "One Thing Changes Everything"
The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected.
Matter cycles and energy flows through all of them.
Matter cycles and energy flows through all of them.
Matter cycles through ecosystems, constantly reused by organisms, while energy flows in one direction, entering as sunlight and exiting as heat. Nutrients, like Carbon and Nitrogen, cycle between biotic and abiotic components. In contrast, energy flows from producers to consumers, with most lost as heat.
Your task is to build a small diorama that shows how Earth works as one connected system.
You will create a shoebox-sized diorama that includes representations of all four Earth systems:
You will create a shoebox-sized diorama that includes representations of all four Earth systems:
- Biosphere – living things (plants, animals, microbes)
- Geosphere – land, rocks, soil
- Hydrosphere – water (lakes, rivers, rain, oceans)
- Atmosphere – air, clouds, gases
These should all be in the same box. These should blend together, not be separate boxes.
Your diorama must include at least 5 arrows showing how things move between systems.
Each arrow must be labeled as:
Example:
Attach tiny papers that answer:
Your diorama must include at least 5 arrows showing how things move between systems.
Each arrow must be labeled as:
- Matter (water, carbon, nutrients, oxygen, etc.)
or - Energy (sunlight, heat)
Example:
- Sunlight → plants (that arrow is energy)
- Rain → soil → plants (those arrows are matter)
Attach tiny papers that answer:
- Where does energy enter your system?
- How does water move through your system?
- How do living things affect the non-living world?
Key Question - The curveball
Choose ONE change to your system, such as:
- drought
- pollution
- deforestation
- warming air
- flooding
- arrows
- symbols
- short labels
- colour coding
- cardboard, paper, markers
- yarn or string for arrows
- clay or crumpled paper
- Cotton balls
- Construction paper
SUCCESS CHECKLIST
Your project should show:
- All four Earth systems
- Labeled arrows
- Matter and energy movement
- Clear cause-and-effect thinking
- Please add a short written explanation which includes your chosen issue, and how this issue impacts the other systems and consequently life on Earth.
