Millions of visitors enter Rocky Mountain National Park each year to view the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) that make up the spectacular range of mountain ecosystems. Biotic factors (e.g., conifer trees) depend on non-living factors (e.g., snow, water) for survival. Throughout RMNP, scientists are exploring the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors so that they can predict how these interactions may shift due to climate and environmental changes.
Context for Use
In this lesson, students explore biotic and abiotic interactions in Rocky Mountain National Park ecosystems in this virtual reality tour.
Part 1 – (10 minutes) Introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park
- Access students’ prior knowledge about National Parks, in particular, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Part 2 – (20 minutes) Construct Initial Ecosystem Model
- Students cut out and arrange RMNP biotic and abiotic graphics to construct an initial Rocky Mountain National Park ecosystem model.
Part 3 – (30 minutes) Ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park virtual reality tour
- Students engage with a virtual reality tour to identify biotic and abiotic factors in the montane, subalpine, and alpine ecosystems.
Part 4 - (15 minutes) Revise Ecosystem Model
- Students revise their ecosystem models by rearranging their Rocky Mountain National Park biotic and abiotic graphics based on what they learned from the virtual reality tour.
Part 5 - (10 minutes) Climate Change Reflection
- Students participate in a whole-class discussion focused on how climate change (projected to be warmer and drier) might impact the ecosystems of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Screen Capture from Rocky Mountain National Park Virtual Reality tour.
Goals Header
Learning Goals
- Develop a model to explain the dynamic interactions between biotic and abiotic factors in RMNP ecosystems.
- Construct an explanation for the effect climate change may have on the biotic and abiotic factors in RMNP.
