FEATURES OF ECOSYSTEMS SMALL SCALE EXAMPLES WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY ARE CHANGED?

Ecosystems food chains

Starter: Can you think of a five level food chain?

Key terms in Trophic levels

Producer (plants) Primary consumer (herbivores) Secondary consumer (carnivores or omnivores) Tertiary consumer (top/apex predator = carnivores)

Decomposer (fungi and bacteria = recyclers) NOTE: When you combine the concept of trophic levels, it becomes challenging, depending on how many consumers are in the chain/web.

Do you eat the same thing every day? Didnt think so. Food chains are in fact, more often than not, actually not linearthey are more like webs

Ecosystem Food Web for a deciduous forest

Deciduous forest food web Sort it out!!!

Cut up your sheet and set it out across a double page in your exercise book to show a food web. Follow the remaining instructions at the bottom of the sheet for labels and information.

What if ecosystems are experience changed?

Are there short term effects? Are there long term effects?

The impact of change on an ecosystem

The diversity and relative numbers of the components of an ecosystem can change over time. This can be caused by factors such as environmental change (e.g. flood, fire, drought) or human-induced change (e.g. drainage, reclamation, fish stocking). Once a change has occurred it is rarely isolated and often has an impact on other parts of the ecosystem.

Ecosystem interdependence
Interdependence is a relationship in which each member is mutually dependent on the others.
Describe and explain the interdependent relationship shown here..

Freshwater pond ecosystem (small scale) - the impact of change

What if the following happened?
1.Introduction of another predatory fish. 2. Removal of Lily pads. 3. The pond is dredged to increase its depth. 4. Pollution incident kills Great Diving Beetles.

In groups, describe and explain what the consequences would be up and down the food web

What would adding this species do?

What category is it? What Trophic level is it? What would happen to the ecosystem? Short term Long term

What would adding this plant do?

What category is it? What Trophic level is it? What would happen to the ecosystem? Short term Long term

Homework
EITHER: OR: OR:

What would adding this species do?

What category is it? What Trophic level is it? What would happen to the ecosystem? Short term Long term
This is a Crane. They are being reintroduced into wetlands in Somerset after being hunted to extinction in the past. H/W = research this!

What would adding this species do?

What category is it? What Trophic level is it? What would happen to the ecosystem? Short term Long term
This is a Beaver ! They have been reintroduced into river systems in Devon after being hunted to extinction in the past. H/W = research this!

What would adding this species do?

What category is it? What Trophic level is it? What would happen to the ecosystem? Short term Long term
This is a Burmese Python ! They have been introduced into the everglades in Florida after Hurricane Andrew (1992) destroyed a reptile centre. H/W = research this!