Community Ecology Group Project

Vocabulary:

Abiotic factor Autotrophs Biological extinction

Biotic factor Commensalism Competition

Constancy Decomposers Ecological extinction

Endangered species Endemic species Foundation species

Habitat fragmentation Habitat island Herbivores

Heterotrophs Indicator species Inertia (persistence)

Invasive species Keystone species k-selected species

Local extinction Mutualism Native species

Omnivores Parasites Parasitism

Predation Primary Consumer Primary succession

Producer Resilience r-selected species

Scavenger Secondary Consumers Secondary succession

Threatened species

Each Student will be assigned to a group of up to 4 students. Each group will prepare one poster and one report will be given a single grade worth 30 points. All members of the group will do equal amounts of different work. When your group has chosen a specific ecosystem, have it approved by the instructor. Conduct internet research in class to answer the following questions in paragraph report format.

The report must include the following information:

Ø  Name and description of your specific ecosystem with location (eg. Forest, VA; Florida keys; etc.)

Ø  Name and complete description of the biome and climate conditions of your ecosystem. (eg. Tropical rainforest, temperate desert)

Ø  Describe which level or organization your ecosystem is in and why you think that. (mature, primary succession, etc.)

Ø  List at least 25 organisms found in your community. Indicate whether each organism is a primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, decomposer, or scavenger, etc.

Ø  Indicate what type of species each organism is. (see bolded terms on vocabulary list)

Ø  Answer the following questions with complete sentences:

  1. Explain what would happen if all of the primary consumers became ecologically extinct.
  2. Describe what would happen to the ecosystem if the keystone species were removed.
  3. Using the acronym HIPPO, choose two of the letters and describe a specific activity and the impact to your ecosystem. How would each affect your food web?
  4. Compare your food web with another group. Which group’s food web did you compare yours with? Is your food web more or less diverse? Explain why food webs with more biodiversity are more resilient than those with few species.

Your food web should include:

On the butcher paper, write the names of all of your organisms along with their role in the ecosystem. An easy way to indicate the community role is to develop a key. Draw an arrow from all food TO the organism which eats it. These arrows indicate the flow of energy within the ecosystem. Feel free to decorate your community as long as it is still legible.