Natural, Social and Cultural Sciences
Conservation of the ecosystems in The Basque Country
Activity 1. The importance of the ecosystems
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Activity 1. The importance of the ecosystems

La Concha beach, Donostia, the effects of the fuel from The Prestige February 2003.

Photo taken from Revista de Investigación Marina, 2009, 12

Edition: Unidad de Investigación Marina de Tecnalia

Very few totally “natural” environments exist on the planet today. The presence of man has modified them in some way. Sometimes more, sometimes less, human actions have influenced ecosystems. For this reason, it is fundamental to understand the effects and consequences of these actions.

When we talk about an ecosystem we mean a group of living things and the relationships between them and the environment in which they live. We differentiate between the biotic factors and the abiotic factors:

  • Biotic factors: are all the components with life in an ecosystem. Tree bark, hair, tree trunks, egg shells, etc. which once had life or formed part of a living thing are also considered biotic factors.

  • Abiotic factors: are the inert components that have never had life and will never have life.

Remember: an ecosystem, aquatic, terrestrial or mixed, is a group of biotic and abiotic factors and the relationships (of all kinds) between them.

In this DS we will look at a concept map and see how it helps to clarify ideas. We will use a concept map to understand the variety of factors and relationships in an ecosystem.

What is a concept map?

You have probably seen a concept map but didn’t know what it was called. It is a diagram which helps us to understand a central idea of a theme and its relation to other ideas.

The words in a circle or box are key words and the lines and arrows indicate the relationship between them.

Source: http://homoludens.zobyhost.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/MapaConceptual.gif

Activity

Look at the following example. It shows the components of a terrestrial ecosystem:

Click on the image to enlarge it

Imagine that a barbecue causes a fire and destroys a forest and the trees are eliminated from this concept map. Some birds would not have trees to nest in and the squirrels would not have acorns. So the birds would have to find a new place to live and the squirrels would starve to death or move away to another place. The absence of these birds and squirrels would modify the lives of other living things which relate to them, forming a chain reaction. So, a modification of one component affects the rest.

Try to imagine the modification of some of the key words in the concept map and check the possible consequences. Look at the map on the digital board and find the following relationships:

a) Worm → eaten by birds → nest in trees.

b) Squirrels → eat acorns → fruits of Holm oak treep>

c) Water → consumed by all living things.

For each of these relationships, consider the following disasters and try to work out the possible consequences. Follow the example. Your teacher will write your answers on the board.

Use the last line of the table (d) to invent a disaster and its consequences.

Disaster

Possible consequence

a) A fire destroys all the trees

The birds migrate because there are no trees to nest in and the worms reproduce in excess because of the absence of the birds to eat them.

b) The acorns cannot be eaten because of an excess of pesticides.

c) The water is polluted by a nearby factory

d)

Remember: the CONCEPT MAP is a graphic organizer which connects concepts and shows the relationship between them. In this case it shows the complexity of ecosystems.

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Credits

© Itinerarium 2011

DIRECTOR: Narcís Vives
COLLABORATORS:

  • EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Antonio Cara
  • CONTENT MANAGERS: Mª Cristina Pérez and Magdalena Garzón
  • COORDINATOR OF THE NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCE AREAS: Elena Anguera
  • TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Maite Vílchez
  • AUTHOR: Lorena Natalia Inzillo, María Inés Rodríguez and Elena Anguera
  • CORRECTORS OF STYLE CASTELLANO VERSION: Anna Betriu and Joan Martín
  • BASQUE ADAPTATION: Bakun itzulpen eta argitalpen zerbitzuak, s.l.
  • ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Sarah Richards
  • LAYOUT: Maite Vílchez and Miquel Gordillo
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