I bet you didnt know About biodiversity and
I bet you didn’t know… About biodiversity and trophic cascades Teacher Guide Curriculum Areas Ages Food Chains & Webs Ecosystems 7 -11 years
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Who are the scientists? Justine L. Atkins, Ryan A. Long, Johan Pansu, Joshua H. Daskin, Arjun B. Potter, Marc E. Stalmans, Corina E. Tarnita, Robert M. Pringle Cascading impacts of large-carnivore extirpation in an African ecosystem Published in Science 364, 173– 177 (2019) This group of researchers worked in the field in Mozambique to study animals in their natural habitat and see what happened when key features or the ecosystem changed. Entrance to Gorongosa National Park Lake Urema in the dry season (late September) What do we mean by ‘in the field’? Do you know where Mozambique is? What can you find out about the country, it’s landscape, history and wildlife?
What did the scientists know? Species interaction within ecosystems is incredibly complex with species depending on each other for survival. What might happen if humans harvest too many clams?
What did the scientists know? Almost every ecosystem on Earth has been adversely affected by human activity and interaction. Wolves changed rivers in the Yellowstone National Park Whales play an important role in maintaining fish stocks in the oceans. What is an apex predator? What is a trophic cascade? Why do you think the apex predator so important?
What else did the scientists know? Global biodiversity is in crisis with many key ecosystems losing over 50% of their species variation over the last 100 years. Why do you think it is important to study understand ecosystems? In some ecosystems, rewilding has been key to restoring biodiversity to pre-human levels. Scafell Pike, Lake District, England. What do you think the term ‘rewilding’ means? Can you find out if there any rewilding projects near you?
What did the scientists do? The research scientists carried out a field study in Mozambique over several months. Why do you think some research can only be done in the field? What must scientists think about and prepare before they work in the field? The damage to large mammals following the civil war gave the scientists the perfect conditions for their research. The researchers used a variety of analysis tools: • GPS tracking • DNA analysis • wildlife counts Why is it important that scientists from around • plant measurements the world meet up and share their research? This project, and its findings, is a starting point for further field research into the effect of rewilding the Gorongosa National Park with apex predators.
What did the scientists find out? The bushbucks have changed their grazing habits in the absence of predators to hunt them. They moved from wooded areas to the lush floodplains. Bushbuck populations feeding on the floodplains were healthier and larger than their woodland counterparts. The change in bushbuck grazing was causing damage to the plant life and the biodiversity of the ecosystem. The bushbucks had retained their natural fear of predators and reacted to clues that predators had been close. What do you think the researchers will do next?
What did the scientists find out? What differences can you spot between the different habitats found in this area of Mozambique?
Quick activity Can you create a food web? mouse hawk fox leaf rabbit blackbird earthworm grass Resources A 4 images or names of plants and animals in an ecosystem familiar to children
Longer activity Can you spot wildlife in different ecosystems? There are some brilliant citizen science projects on Zooniverse that children can get involved in. They can help scientists working in remote ecosystems identify and tag different wildlife that they see from looking at photographs. https: //www. zooniverse. org/projects/sandiego zooglobal/wildwatch-kenya Resources Devices for children to access www. Zooniverse. org https: //www. zooniverse. org/projects/y-dotliefting/snapshot-hoge-veluwe
Longer investigation Can you identify food webs in your local area? How many ecosystems can you identify in your local environment? Choose ONE ecosystem and spend time observing the different species there. Can you place the different species you find into a food web? A single tree ecosystem can support 100 s of different species. Resources Mobile devices to access i. Naturalist app – use this to identify any unknown species
What did you find out? How many different species did you find in your ecosystem? Were you able to identify all the species you found? How complex was the food web you constructed? Did you find any evidence of human interaction within the ecosystem you were studying?
What else have scientists found out? ©Efbrazil, licenced through Creative Commons and accessed here.
Questions for further learning Are there any negative consequences to rewilding? Children can research rewilding projects around the world and see if they can find opinions on both sides of the debate. What can you do in your school to rewild on a small scale? Children can plant wildflower meadows or trees in the school, or community grounds to encourage native species to return. Are there any rewilding projects going on in your local area? Children can speak to people involved in local rewilding projects and find out about the reasons behind it and the problems they face. How does air pollution affect your local environment? Children could investigate levels of air pollutants across the UK and in their local area using PSTT’s Air Pollution Research resources.
Maths links Area of learning Activity Data Handling Survey of species in an ecosystem Fractions What fraction of species in your ecosystem is. . . ? Graphs Present results of survey as pictograms or bar chats
Writing links Area of learning Activity Letter writing Write to a local MP to voice concerns at urbanisation projects and ecosystem destruction. Letter writing Write a Letter to the Earth* expressing your feelings about the climate crisis. Persuasive writing Write a proposal for a rewilding project in your local area. Poetry Using the outdoors for inspiration, write a poem about what you see/hear/feel.
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