Unit Context

Food chains and food webs form the basis of all ecosystems with the various producers, consumers and decomposes ensuring the ecosystem remains healthy and viable. However microbes can be beneficial or harmful. When we are infected by a micro-organism we may become ill but some foods such as cheese and yoghurt have been made using micro-organisms.

Our understanding of micro-organisms has helped us prevent and treat disease and manufacture new food products. Human impact on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems can have devastating effects. Similarly natural events such as bush fires, floods and droughts take their toll in the environment.

However, new scientific evidence and technologies can help manage these events. Also new agricultural practices and plant cloning techniques improve sustainability and improve the farmer’s yields.

Australia has access to a range of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. It is important to conserve these resources. Our society needs to decide whether new technologies should be used to obtain resources from the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

Some living things prefer to live in hot dry environments such as the deserts of inland Australia. Others prefer wetlands, rainforests or a coral reef. Habitats are defined by their abiotic and biotic components and organisms often reveal specific adaptations which enable them to survive in particular habitats.

Healthy ecosystems usually contain many different habitats and a variety of organisms. The organisms living there interact in different ways. Food is one of the most important needs of all living things. Therefore one of the relationships between organisms is a feeding relationship. Some organisms do the eating. Other organisms are the food.

Environmental conditions in ecosystems change. Fire, flood, cyclone and drought may cause widespread changes that have both short-term and long-term consequences. Introduced animals change relationships within ecosystems.

As the human population grows, cities get larger and industry expands. These changes mean that the area available for natural environments is reduced. Many species have been badly affected. However, many industries are now trying to make their operations more sustainable.

Student Learning Goals