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ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
Ecosystem Modeling
Overview
With this homework you will learn about the interactions between species by building virtual
ecosystems and exploring the effects of those interactions.
The Ecology Virtual Lab
Procedure
The exercise, that is reported below, can be found at the following webpage:
https://www.learner.org/series/the-habitable-planet-a-systems-approach-to-environmental-science/ecology-lab/
Make sure the click on the HELP tab to understand how the simulator works.
Open the virtual lab:
https://www.learner.org/wp-content/interactive/envsci/ecology/ecology.html
The producers: Developing a solid food-web base
Try to get two plants to happily co–exist. In any given ecosystem, most organisms will carve out
a niche for themselves where they can obtain all of the necessities to survive. Often, different
species within the ecosystem will compete for the resources that a niche provides. However,
certain species live well together—symbiotically, parasitically, or by staying out of each other's
way. For example, lichen and moss, often the primary colonizers of a new ecosystem, tend to live
fairly harmoniously in each other's vicinity. Let's see what happens in this model.
Imagine the ecosystem is newly forming—the previous ecosystem has been destroyed by fire or
flood—and the first colonizers of the successive ecosystem are, of course, producers.
1.
Predict what will happen in this young system that is only composed of two fictitious
species of plants (A and B). Report your prediction in the table below:
Use X for "die out," ↑ for "increase in numbers," and ↓ for "decrease in numbers."
Lesson 1:
Step 1
(X, ↑, or ↓)
Plant A
Plant B
Prediction: starting population
↑
↑
Prediction: ending population
↓
X
2.
Then, in the simulator, check that plant A and plant B are selected and run the simulator to
100 time steps (100 days) and record the population numbers for both plants:
Clicking on a line of the graph will give you the number of individuals of the
corresponding species.
Lesson 1:
Step 1
(X, ↑, or ↓)
Plant A
Plant B
Starting population
↑
↑
ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
Ending population
↑
X
3.
What assumptions does this model make about co-dominance as well as the general terrain
of the ecosystem?
This model assumes that the plants can coexist and survive with each other.
4.
Do you find one producer to be dominant? Why might one producer be dominant over
another?
Plant A is more dominant due to its survival, as well as its genetic composition and ability to
adapt to the environment.
Now you'll introduce an herbivore into the environment. In theory, an herbivore native to the
ecosystem should feed primarily on the dominant species. In this system, the herbivore may
consume enough of the dominant species to give the non-dominant species a chance for
proliferation and survival.
5.
Click on herbivore A (the rabbit) and choose "eats plant A." Predict and record what will
happen to the population numbers in the ecosystem.
Use X for "die out," ↑ for "increase in numbers," and ↓ for "decrease in numbers."
Lesson 1:
Step 2
Plant A
Plant B
Herbivore A
Prediction: Starting population
↑
↑
↑
Prediction: Ending population
↓
↓
↑
6.
Then, run the simulator for 100 time steps and record your results:
Lesson 1:
Step 2
Plant A
Plant B
Herbivore A
Starting population
5000
5000
1000
Ending population
3334
5001
2055
7.
Does adding the herbivore establish a more equal field? Is one producer still dominant over
the other? Why might one producer be dominant over another?
The addition of a herbivore to an ecosystem may influence the balance between producers,
potentially leading to a more equal field if the herbivore feeds on a dominant producer. However,
factors such as the herbivore's feeding preferences, plant defenses, and resource availability can
contribute to the continued dominance of one producer over another.
8.
If the simulation included decomposers, how would your current results change?
If decomposers were included in the simulation, they would break down dead organic matter,
enriching the soil with nutrients that benefit plant growth. This could lead to changes in the
abundance and distribution of producers, enhancing overall ecosystem productivity.
ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
9.
How do producer population numbers with the presence of an herbivore compared to the
primary colonizer model?
The herbivore's presence can change producer populations, promoting a more diverse mix
compared to the primary colonizer model.
Investigating a food web
Now that you have a sense for the interrelationships between the trophic levels, see how big you
can make your food web and still have all of the species you add survive through the end of the
simulation run. Keeping the ideas of succession and the competitive exclusion principle in mind,
think of the many factors that may go into sustaining an ecosystem. Is there any way we can all
get along and live side by side?
First you'll run a less than "real-life" scenario. Choose only one organism from each trophic level
and make sure that the food chain goes in a straight line from one trophic level to the next, i.e.,
Herbivore A eats Plant A, Omnivore A eats Herbivore A, and the Top Predator eats Omnivore A.
Let Plant B survive on its own and see what happens.
1.
Predict whether each species will survive, and whether it will increase or decrease in
number, as well as whether Plant B will survive to the end. Record your prediction in the
Data Table and then run the simulation twice and record your data.
Use X for "die out," ↑ for "increase in numbers," and ↓ for "decrease in numbers."
Lesson 2:
Step 1
(X, ↑, or ↓)
Plant A
Plant B
Herbivore A
Omnivore A
Top Predator
Prediction
↓
X
X
↓
↑
Starting population
↑
↓
↑
↓
↑
Ending population
↑
↑
↑
2.
Was your prediction correct? How did you arrive at your prediction? What differences
were there between your prediction and the simulation?
I made a completely random prediction and it was not correct.
3.
What would happen to this imaginary ecosystem if the producers were to die out?
If the producers were to die out, the entire imaginary ecosystem would collapse as they form the
foundation of the food chain, impacting herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers.
4.
Did any of the species increase in number? What could account for this increase? Which
species decreased in number and what might account for this decrease?
The herbivores increased in number, definitely due to a plentiful amount of producers, and the
plants decreased in number due to them being eaten by the herbivores.
5.
Which populations would benefit the most from the presence of decomposers?
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ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
The populations of producers would benefit the most from the presence of decomposers, as
decomposers break down organic matter, releasing nutrients that enrich the soil and support plant
growth
Now try a more "real-life" scenario and experiment with what might happen in an ecosystem that
is more like a web.
6.
This time click the "all on" button. The model shows who eats whom and the paths by
which energy is transferred. Predict which populations will die out, increase in numbers, or
decrease in numbers and record your predictions. Run the simulation twice and record the
results in your Data Table. Then try to modify who eats whom in order to ensure the
survival of all species and record what was changed in your chart. Finally, answer the
following:
Lesson 2:
Step 2
(X, ↑, or ↓)
Plant
A
Plan
t B
Plant
C
Herbivore
A
Herbivore
B
Herbivore
C
Omnivore
A
Omnivore
B
Top
Predator
Prediction
down
dow
n
down
down
down
down
down
down
Up
Starting
population
Dow
n↑
Dow
n
Dow
n
Down
down
down
X
X
Up
Ending
population
Down
X
down
down
down
down
X
X
Up
Modifications
made
dow
n
down
X
down
down
X
X
up
7.
Was your prediction correct? How did you arrive at your prediction? What differences
were there between your prediction and the simulation?
I arrived at my prediction by thinking that all of the food was going to be eaten level by level
until the top predator ate them all.
8.
Were you able to modify the parameters so that each species survived? Explain how you
decided what changes to make.
I was not able to configure a parameter where each species survived
9.
Which way does energy flow and how does eating an organism result in energy transfer?
Energy flows towards the top and eating an organism results in energy transfer through the
producers getting energy from the sun.
Earth works: Energy transfer
ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
Directions
The image below is a representation of the food webs in the temperate forest (such as Sierra
Nevada)
1.
Using textboxes, write the name (use text box tool) of all the organisms that are shown in
the image below in the pyramid according with the trophic level that they belong.
ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
Red-Tailed Hawk
Rattlesnake, Elf owl
woodpecker, lizard mouse, mantid
squirrel, rat, grasshopper, ants
cacti, bush, grass, mesquite
2.
The rule of thumb is only 10% is transfer to the next level. If 28,000 kcal/m2/yr of energy
is stored as biomass from your primary producers, calculate how much energy would be
passed on to each of your trophic levels. Write the energy that is available on each trophic
level in your pyramid.
Primary Producers: 28,000 kcal/m2/yr
Herbivores (Primary Consumers): 10% of 28,000 kcal/m2/yr = 2,800 kcal/m2/yr
Carnivores (Secondary Consumers): 10% of 2,800 kcal/m2/yr = 280 kcal/m2/yr
Top Carnivores (Tertiary Consumers): 10% of 280 kcal/m2/yr = 28 kcal/m2/yr
3.
Where does the other 90% of the energy go?
It’s lost in growth, movement, waste, or respiration.
You learn during the simulation, that the 10% of energy transfer is not precisely what happens in
nature. The energy transfer varies greatly from a few percent in large herbivores to a much
higher percentage in for example fish or chickens.
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ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
The measurement of energy transfer efficiency between two successive trophic levels is termed
the trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE) and is defined by the formula:
𝑇𝐿𝑇𝐸 =
???????𝑖?? 𝑎? ??????? ????ℎ𝑖? 𝑙???𝑙
???????𝑖?? 𝑎? ?ℎ? ????𝑖??? ????ℎ𝑖? 𝑙???𝑙
𝑥 100
According with your pyramid make an estimation about the biomass for each level. You will
start with a biomass of 9,000 (kcal/m
2
/yr) for a primary producer with an energy transfer of
13.5%. Write in the Table the Productivity available according with the organisms that you have
in your pyramid per each trophic level.
Large herbivores
±
300 (kcal/m
2
/yr)
Small herbivores
±
200 (kcal/m
2
/yr)
Large carnivores
±
100 (kcal/m
2
/yr)
Small carnivores
±
50 (kcal/m
2
/yr)
Omnivores
±
175 (kcal/m
2
/yr)
Trophic level
Productivity (kcal/m
2
/yr)
TLTE
Producers
Primary
(example)
Large herbivores + small herbivores
= 800 + 1000 = 1800
1800/9000 x 100% = 20%
Secondary
Tertiary
Apex predator
1.
Which trophic levels are more efficient transferring energy?
The lower producer and herbivore levels.
2.
Explain why most food chains rarely have more than 4 trophic levels?
With approximately 90% of energy lost as heat at each transfer, the amount of energy
available for sustaining higher trophic levels is limited.
3.
Look at the type of organisms that you have in your different trophic levels. What kind
of animals that you have at the top 2 trophic levels (invertebrates, fish, mammals,
amphibians, reptiles or birds)?
There are birds and reptiles
4.
According with your previous answer. Explain, why these animals’ losses more energy,
compared with the animals in lower trophic levels?
Birds and reptiles lose more energy due to inefficiencies in energy transfer at higher
trophic levels, with about 90% lost as heat in each step.
ESS 1
Biosphere Homework 2
5.
Human are becoming the apex predator for many food webs in almost all the ecosystems
in the planet. Today, the human population is 7.8 billion. How do you think this large
number of apex predator will affect your food web?
Many of our tertiary predators’ food will be eaten by humans leading to a decrease in their
population.
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