melanie's+science

 **__Food Webs and Chains in Ecosystems around Maribyrnong __**

For the year 8 Community Integrated Project- SCIENCE- our class was separated into four groups. Each group had to choose one of the following ecosystems near the Maribyrnong River: -Newells Paddock (wetland ecosystem) - Iramoo Grassland (grassland ecosystem) - Altona Coastal Park (salt marsh ecosystem) You then had to research what types of plants and animals inhabit that ecosystem and answer a series of questions. You also had to create as many food chains as you could, and make a food web with the animals and plants you had examined.
 * GROUP: Courtney, Dianne, Linh, Melanie, Samantha **

Our group chose the Iramoo Grassland. Grasslands are flat, open habitats that are mainly covered with grass. There are many different species of grass in grasslands, along with some plants, shrubs, trees and wildflowers. Grassland ecosystems have hot summers and cold winters. They receive 25cm to 75cm of rainfall per year, which is less rainfall than forests but more rainfall than deserts. There are many types of grasslands such as tropical and subtropical grasslands, temperate grasslands, flooded grasslands, montane grasslands, polar grasslands and xeric grasslands. About one quarter of the earth's land is in the grassland biome. They are found in every continent except Antarctica. Grasslands have different names in different countries: North America- prairie, Africa- savannah, Asia- steppes, and South America pampas.

Trees- Seeds Plains Wanderer, golden sun moth || **__PLANT 2__** Wallaby Grass Golden Sun Moth, plains wanderer || **__ANIMAL 1__** Striped Legless Lizard Black field crickets, caterpillars, cockroaches, spiders, ants Snakes, birds of prey, cats, foxes, some native mammals carnivore or omnivore?** Carnivore || **__ANIMAL 2__** Eastern Barred Bandicoot Crickets, beetles, earth-worms, ants Foxes, cats, dingos carnivore or omnivore?** Carnivore || **__ANIMAL 3__** Tiger Snake Frogs, nestling eels, hunting mice, lizards, eels, fish, rats, small birds, small snakes Large birds carnivore or omnivore?** carnivore || Plains Wanderer Seeds, insects, rarely leaves Tiger snake, dingo carnivore or omnivore?** omnivore || **__ANIMAL 5__** Golden Sun Moth Wallaby grass Birds, frogs, plains wanderer carnivore or omnivore?** Herbivore || **__ANIMAL 6__** Dingo Rats, kangaroos, birds, rabbits, lizards and some farm animals carnivore or omnivore?** Carnivore || **__ANIMAL 7__** Ants Plants, dead insects, dead animals Lizards, some mammals, some birds carnivore or omnivore?** omnivore ||  ||
 * **__PLANT 1__**
 * Name of plant:**
 * What animal eats it?**
 * Drawing of plant:**
 * Name of plant:**
 * What animal eats it?**
 * Drawing of plant:**
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * **__ANIMAL 4__**
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,
 * Name:**
 * What does it eat?**
 * What eats it?**
 * Is it a herbivore,


 * __Food Web:__**

wallaby grass -> golden sun moth -> plains wanderer --> dingo wallaby grass -> golden sun moth --> plains wanderer --> tiger snake trees --> ants --> striped legless lizard --> tiger snake trees --> ants --> eastern barred bandicoot --> dingo
 * __Food Chains:__**

** 1. Which organisms are producers? ** Wallaby grass and trees- seeds are producers. First consumers: golden sun moth, ants and plains wanderer Second consumers: striped legless lizard, eastern barred bandicoot, plains wanderer Third consumers: tiger snake, dingo Omnivores: plains wanderer, ants Herbivores: golden sun moth Carnivores: striped legless lizard, eastern barred bandicoot, tiger snake, dingo
 * __Questions: __**
 * 2. Identify all the consumers as either first, second or third order.**
 * 3. Are any of your organisms omnivores, herbivores and carnivores?**

**4. Which organisms are predators?** The predators are the tiger snake and dingo.

**5. Which organisms are prey?** The striped legless lizard, eastern barred bandicoot, plains wanderer, ants and the golden sun moth are the prey.

**6. Which organisms are competing for thw same food?** The organisms competing for the same food are: Trees- plains wanderer, ants Wallaby grass- golden sun moth, plains wanderer Ants- striped legless lizard, plains wanderer, eastern barred bandicoot Golden sun moth- striped legless lizard, plains wanderer Striped legless lizard, plains wanderer, eastern barred bandicoot- tiger snake, dingo

**7. What would happen to the producer/s if the number of first-order consumers: (i) increases (ii) decreases** If the second-order consumers became extinct, then the third-order consumers would have less variety in their diet or might become extinct themselves because they have no food. There would be too many first-order consumers because there would be no second-order consumers to eat them. There would also be no more producers because the overpopulated first-order consumers would have eaten them all.
 * (i)** If the first-order consumers increased, then there wouldn’t be enough producers to satisfy their needs. They would eventually become extinct and that would resilt in there not being enough food for the second and tird-order consumers.
 * (ii) ** If the first-order consumers decreased, then there would be too much of the producers and they would grow and become a problem.
 * 8. What would happen to the ecosystem if the second-order consumers became extinct?**

**9. What are some of the decomposers in your ecosystem?** The decomposers in our ecosystem are the ants.

**10. Choose one of your consumers. Predict what would happen if the population changed in size.** If the plains wanderers’ population decreased, it would effect all the animals. There would be more wallaby grass for the golden sun moth; There would be more trees for the ants; There would be less variety in the tiger snake and dingo’s diet, and that would mean they would eat more striped legless lizards and eastern barred abndicoots. ** 11. What is an introduced species? Are there any in your ecosystem? ** An introduced species is a species that has been released into an ecosystem in which it does not occur naturally. The dingo was the only supposedly introduced species to Australia.  Biological control is the reduction in the number of problem plants and animals by using other plants and animals. There is no biological control in our grassland ecosystem. 
 * 12. What is a biological control? Are there any in you ecosystem?**

In conclusion, Iramoo is a vast grassland with various species of plants and animals. All the animals and plants in the Iramoo Grassland ecosystem are equally improtant. If one plant or animal was to increase or decreas, it would effect all the animals in the ecosystem. The trees- seeds and the wallaby grass are the producers. The trees- seed are eaten by ants and the plains wanderer; Wallaby grass is eaten by the golden sun moth and the plains wanderer. The golden sun moth, ants and the plains wanderer are the first-order consumers. The golden sun moth is eaten by birds, frogs and the plains wanderer; Ants are eaten by lizards, some mmmals and some birds; The plains wanderer is eaten by Tiger snakes and dingos.The striped legless lizard, eastern barred baindiccot and the plains wanderer are the second-order consumers. The striped legless lizard is eaten by snakes, birds of prey, cats, foxes and some native mammals; Eastern Barred Bandicoots are eaten by foxes, cats and dingos. The third-order consumers are the tiger snake and dingo. The tiger snake is eaten by large birds; Dingos are not eaten by anything.