Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
In this lesson, you will working as a scientist to look closely at how animals and plants interact in different ecosystems around Australia.
Lesson 2 overview and instructions on creating a food web
Duration: 4:27
Accessing documents on this site
Accessing documents on this site
Where you see a Google Doc or MS Word icon, there is a document attached. Choose the one that your class normally uses and click on the icon.
To open your worksheet in Google Docs, select the icon, then select ‘Use Template’ to create a copy for yourself.
To open your worksheet in Microsoft Word, select the icon. If you would like to download a copy, go to File > Download.
Inquiry questions and intentions
Inquiry questions and intentions
Inquiry questions:
How do organisms in Australian ecosystems interact?
How do changes to one species in a food chain affect other species?
Learning intentions:
To make food webs to show plant and animal interactions in ecosystems.
To understand how energy flows in an ecosystem.
To describe how changes to one species in a food chain affect other species.
About:
Understanding how animals and plants interact with each other and their physical environment is important in helping to keep balanced ecosystems. Changes in the Australian physical environment and human activities can have a significant impact on ecosystems. Scientists play a key role in helping to keep our ecosystems healthy.
Background information
Background information
Scientists study food webs so they can better understand how natural and human changes affect ecosystems. If you were going to study the animals in an ecosystem, how would you keep track of the numbers and types of animals there and whether there had been any changes?
Animal numbers and types might be monitored by looking for animal tracks, scats (animal faeces or poo), nests, feathers and fur and using motion-sensitive digital cameras.
Activity 1: Working in the bush
Activity 1: Working in the bush
Watch the video 'WildCount...where the wild things are' to find out about real science in the bush.
Download a Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) template using one of the icons.
Complete the PMI document with your thoughts on what it would it be like to work in the bush looking for and tracking wildlife.
"WildCount...where the wild things are"
Duration: 4:17
Activity 2: Constructing food webs
Activity 2: Constructing food webs
In this activity you will use your skills to build at least one Australian food web. The tasks get harder as they go along, how far can you go?
Discovery food web - bushland - Everyone can do
Challenge food web – dry sclerophyll bushland - Everyone can do
Super-challenge food web – coastal wetland - Give this a go!
Mega-challenge food web – coastal scrubland - Give this a go!
Need help?
Need help?
The Overview video at the top of this page explains how to construct a food web. If you need to, you can re-watch the video.
You can also go back and look at Lesson 1 - Investigating food chains and food webs to remember how the arrows work.
Task 1 - Bushland food web
Task 1 - Bushland food web
Complete the following in your exercise book or folder.
Using the information from the video in Activity 1 and the image gallery provided, create a bushland food web.
Underneath your bushland food web name a:
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer.
Task 2 - Dry sclerophyll bushland food web
Task 2 - Dry sclerophyll bushland food web
Complete the following in your exercise book or folder.
Use the information from the embedded Table of organisms - dry sclerophyll bushland to construct a food web.
Underneath the dry sclerophyll bushland food web you've created, name a:
producer
primary consumer
secondary consumer
tertiary consumer.
Next, look at the images of a feral cat and a fox and read the information about them, then answer these questions.
What could happen in this food web if feral cats or foxes invaded? Explain your answer.
Foxes are mainly carnivorous (meat- eating) scavengers and predators. What is the difference between a scavenger and predator?
Feral cats
"Feral Cat" by kun0me is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects
Foxes
"Fox" by jlcampbell104 (CC0 1.0)
eat rabbits, small mammals, frogs, birds, insects, fruit, vegetables and grain
Task 3 - Coastal wetland food web
Task 3 - Coastal wetland food web
Read the following information.
The Water Mouse Xeromys myoides is a rare native small mammal found in Queensland. It is nocturnal and lives in mangrove forests. The Water Mouse eats sea snails, slugs, crabs, small mud lobsters, shellfish and worms. After eating, it leaves behind mounds of shells and scraps of crabs and mud lobsters, so you can see where it has been. Tawny frogmouth, carpet python and other snakes like to eat water mice.
Crabs and mud lobsters feed on the mangroves in the forest. Phytoplankton is the main food for snails, slugs, worms and shellfish in the area. This coastal wetland habitat is being threatened by land clearing, as well as feral animals. The Water Mouse is eaten by predators like foxes and feral cats.
Complete the following questions in your exercise book or folder.
Make a note of all of the organisms (plants and animals) named in the passage.
What is meant by these terms:
nocturnal
threatened
predator.
Draw a food web for this coastal wetland ecosystem.
Task 4 - Coastal scrubland food web
Task 4 - Coastal scrubland food web
For the mega-challenge in the coastal scrubland, you will need to carefully read the embedded document, Queensland’s Coastal Scrub fact sheet (borrowed from the the Queensland Museum).
Each organism has information about what it eats and what eats it.
In your exercise book or folder, use the information about each organism to create a food web.
Optional activity - Find pictures of these animals and plants and make a food web digital poster using MS Powerpoint, Google Slides or Canva.
Activity 3: A delicate balance
Activity 3: A delicate balance
Task 1 - Understanding food webs and how they work
Task 1 - Understanding food webs and how they work
For each of the Australian food webs you looked at earlier, think about how the organisms interact and how the work of scientists has helped us understand and protect important food webs and ecosystems.
Click on the image to navigate to the webpage 'Understanding food webs' from Science Learning Hub and watch the video.
Complete the following questions in your exercise book or folder.
Why do you think it is important to understand and protect food webs in ecosystems? Record your ideas using the Why > Because structure shown in the image.
In the video, we looked at a meal of fish and chips. Consider each part of the food you have eaten over the last day and record your ideas on where your food comes from.
Task 2 - Human impact on dugongs
Task 2 - Human impact on dugongs
Did you know that the dugong (Dugong dugon) is the only herbivorous marine mammal? An average adult dugong will grow to 3m long, weigh 500kg and live for 70 years. Dugongs eat mainly seagrass and can eat up to 40kg of seagrass each day. Seagrass communities are some of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems.
The Great Barrier Reef has one of the largest populations of dugongs. However, the seagrass communities are being lost due to human disturbances, water pollution, silt in run-off water and commercial fishing. Dugongs have also been caught in fishing nets. Some protection areas have been set up and dugong numbers are being monitored by aerial surveys and satellite tracking.
Watch the video 7 Facts About Dugongs and answer these questions in your exercise book or folder.
Predict what might happen to the number of dugong if there are less seagrasses meadows.
Why do you think it is important to monitor the numbers of dugong and amount of seagrass in oceans?
Extension: Find out more about dugongs using the embedded website About Dugong & Seagrass.
7 Facts About Dugongs | WWF-Australia
Duration: 1:12
Optional activity: Exploring trophic cascades
Optional activity: Exploring trophic cascades
Select the link or image to go to Exploring Trophic Cascades on the Biointeractives website and launch the interactive. Read the introduction and watch the video.
Work through the kelp example.
In your exercise book or folder, explain how the hunting of otters affected three other animals in the ecosystem. You might like to draw a food web to help in your answer.
Go to the case studies and select Arctic Tundra. Work through the activity.
Reflect on what you have learned by answering these questions In your exercise book or folder.
How can an introduced species interfere in food chains? Explain your answer using an example.
What other factors can disrupt the natural balance of an ecosystem?
Extension - Further explorations
Extension - Further explorations
Find out more about Wildcount (See embedded website below). You might like to become a citizen scientist and help track wildlife in your local area.
Go for a walk outside, in the bush, along the creek or river, in your local park or along the beach. Take photos or draw examples of living things in a local ecosystem.
Make a plant or insect collection.
Write a creative story of ‘A Day in the Life of’ a chosen animal in your local area.
Read the article 'Conservation plans help boost threatened mammals, scientists find'. (Click on image of quoll below to open the website.)
While some species have declined by more than a third overall, where conservation measures are in place they have increased by 46% .
Handing in your work
Handing in your work
Don't forget to hand in the work you completed today!
Your teacher will have told you to do one of the following:
Upload any digital documents you created and any photos you took of your written work to your Learning Management system (MS Teams, Google Classroom for example).
Email any digital documents you created and any photos you took of your written work to your teacher.
Make sure you keep any hand written work you did in your exercise book or folder as your teacher may need to see these when you are back in class.
Student reflection
Student reflection
Show how do you feel about today’s learning.
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