Ecosystem Dynamics @ Penrith Lakes...2. Using column 5, fill in the bird numbers seen today. The teacher will guide you. Use this to work out abundance/distribution and then a habitat/food

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Year 11 Biology Ecosystem Dynamics @ Penrith Lakes

(Population Dynamics - includes depth study modelling) Key Inquiry Question: What effect can one species have on the other species in a community? Students:● investigateanddeterminerelationshipsbetweenbioticandabioticfactorsinanecosystem,

including:(ACSBL019)- theimpactofabioticfactors(ACSBL021,ACSBL022,ACSBL025)- theimpactofbioticfactors,includingpredation,competitionandsymbioticrelationships

(ACSBL024)- theecologicalnichesoccupiedbyspecies(ACSBL023)- predictingconsequencesforpopulationsinecosystemsduetopredation,competition,

symbiosisanddisease(ACSBL019,ACSBL020)- measuringpopulationsoforganismsusingsamplingtechniques(ACSBL003,ACSBL015)

● explainarecentextinctionevent(ACSBL024)● investigatechangesinpastecosystemsthatmayinformourapproachtothemanagementoffutureecosystems●.investigatepracticesusedtorestoredamagedecosystems,CountryorPlace,e.g.:

- miningsites- landdegradationfromagriculturalpractices

Name ________________________

Inquiry Question: How healthy is the Ecosystem at Penrith Lakes?

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STATION 1 Abiotic Factors

Use water testing kit to collect abiotic data for this site.

Site: Final Detention Basin

Conditions: Date: Time:

Factor Equipment Used / Units Your small group results

Average results for your group

1. Phosphate (Nutrient) - Half fill tube. Dissolve tablet.

Wait 5 mins. Compare water to chart.

Test tablet kit - ppm (Parts per million)

2. Water pH - (Blue box) Fill tube. 3cm of paper in tube. Wait 1 min. Compare paper to chart.

Universal Indicator Paper - a number

3. Turbidity Turbidity Tube - NTU’s (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)

4. Water Temperature Digital Thermometer - oC (Degrees Celsius)

5. Dissolved Oxygen - mg/l is the reading on DO meter.

Dissolved Oxygen Meter (Milligrams per Litre) mg/L mg/L

Use conversion chart to get % sat.Conversion Chart - Temp, mg/L and %

( % saturation )%

saturation%

saturation6. Conductivity or Total Dissolved Solids (Salts)

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Scan- ppm (Parts per million)

7. LightLight / Lux Meter - Lux

8. Slope Clinometer - Degrees (o)

9. Wind exposure (speed)Anemometer - kph

10. Water Depth General knowledge of lakes. 4m

11. Visual PollutionVisual Assessment. Use your eyes.

Circle the appropriate result:

LOW MEDIUM HIGH

12. Water Source Groundwater and run-off

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STATION 2 Waterbird Observation

Waterbird Counts at 5 survey sites ( Teacher will help you fill this out)Bird Species

Circle points for

birds seen today

Bird Species / Site No. 1 2 3 4 5* Abundance Distribution

1. Australian Grebe 1 1. Grebe 4

2. Australian Wood Duck 3 4 6 12 2. Wood Duck 23. Black Swan 3. Black Swan 54. Blackwinged Stilt 2 4. Stilt 5

5. Dusky Moorhen 5. Dusky Moorhen 36..Eurasian Coot 4 6. Eurasian Coot 3

7. Great Egret 7. Great Egret 58. Little Black Cormorant 8. Black Cormorant 49. Little Pied Cormorant 6 2 9. Pied Cormorant 410 Pacific Black Duck 8 10.Black Duck 311.Pelican 1 1 11.Pelican 5

12 Purple Swamphen 4 12.Purple Swamphen 413. Royal Spoonbill 13.Royal Spoonbill 514.White-faced Heron 1 14.Heron 515. Other:_______________ 15.Other 5Total Abundance per Site 11 13 24 Total point score

TODAYTotal Species per Site 3 5 4

1. On your walk - Look at the bird pictures. Once you and the teacher have ID the bird, tick the box. 2. Using column 5, fill in the bird numbers seen today. The teacher will guide you. Use this to work

out abundance/distribution and then a habitat/food supply point score.

Pelican q Little Pied Cormorant q

Little Black Cormorant q

Australian Grebe q

DIVERS

Eurasian Coot q

Pacific Black Duck q Dusky Moorhen q

Australian Wood Duck q

Black Swan q

SWIMMERS

Great Egret q

White-faced Heron q

Purple Swamphen q

WADERSRoyal Spoonbill q

Black winged Stilt q

Habitat total bird score?

0-10 Poor

11-18 Fair

19 - 25 Good

>25 Excellent

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STATION 3 Dipnetting - Invertebrate population sampling -

STATION 4 Waterbug (Invertebrate) I.D.

Name, picture & Sensitivity Rating

No.Bugs

Circle S.R.

Name, picture & Sensitivity Rating

No.Bugs

Circle S.R.

Back Swimmer 4

Water Beetle 3

Caddisfly Larvae 6

Water Boatman 4

Damselfly Nymph 6

Water Mite 5

Dragonfly Nymph 6

Water Scorpion 3

Freshwater Shrimp 6

Water Spider 4

Giant Water Bug 4

Water Treader 4

Leech 3 Worm 2

Mayfly Nymph 7

Mosquito Fish (vertebrate)

1

Pond Snail 3 Other

Total Bug SPECIES caught =(known as TAXA RICHNESS)

A Total Sensitivity Rating (S.R.) = This is a POLLUTION INDEX

B

Calculate a SIGNAL SCORE (S.S.). S.S. = Signal Score = Pollution Index (B) / Taxa Richness (A)

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1. Location: Final Detention Basin 2. Date: ___________________

3. Name of Ecosystem : Freshwater Ecosystem (not brackish or marine)

4. Describe the technique used to sample the abundance of invertebrates:

Using a dipnet, sweep the edge of the lake RANDOMLY for 10 - 15 mins

Interpreting your results using an UNWEIGHTED Signal Score. Step 2Using your signal score to determine a pollution rating.Use the table below.

Step 3A pollution indicator graph.Use your Signal Score and Taxa Richness to plot a point on the graph below.

5.6

S.S. 2.8 S.S.

0 6 12 Taxa Richness (A)

Signal Score Pollution Rating

> 3.5 Healthy Habitat

2.8 to 3.5 Mild

2.1 to 2.7 Moderate

< 2.1 Severe

Quad 3 - Some pollution

Quad 1 - Very Good Ecosystem

Quad 4 - Toxic, harsh Ecosystem

Quad 2 - Fair to good Ecosystem

(Using your bug numbers column you can calculate a WEIGHTED Signal Score.This is a post excursion activity. See your teacher for details on this method.)

Step 1 - With the help of the instructing teacher-fill out the table of the total waterbug survey results.

Wrap UpAbioticFactorResults

Yourresultstoday(andaglimpseofthepast)

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AbioticFactor

Combined AverageToday Now

Water Ratingq Tick the correct box

Past

The Past (Farming era)

Turbidity NTU q Excellent: <10 q Good: 10-20 q Fair: 21-30 q Poor: >30

q q q q

250 NTU

Light lux q Excellent: >15,000 q Good: 10,000 - 15,000 q Fair: 5,000 - 9,999 q Poor: < 5,000

q q q q

3800 lux

Dissolved Oxygen

% q Excellent: > 60 q Good: 50 - 60 q Fair: 40 - 49 q Poor: <40

q q q q

25%

pH q Excellent: 6.5 - 8.5 q Good: 6.0 - 6.4 or 8.6 - 8.8 q Fair: 5.5 - 6.2 or 8.9 - 9.2 q Poor: < 5.5 or > 9.2

q q q q

8.6

Conductivity ppm q Excellent: < 500 q Good: 500 - 1000 q Fair: 1001 - 1,500 q Poor: >1,500

q q q q

950 ppm

Phosphate ppm q Excellent: 1 or less q Good: >1 - 2 q Fair: >2 - 3 q Poor: > 3

q q q q

2.5

Temperature 0C q Good: summer 20-30; q Good: autumn/spring 15-25; q Good: winter 10-20

q Poor: summer <20 or >30; q Poor: autumn/spring <15 or >25; q Poor: winter <10 or >20

q q q

q q q

Summer average29

Autumn average24

Spring average19

Winter average15

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Yourturn.Writeinthespace-HighorLow

Very High Biodiversity

Inquiry Question : How can human activity impact on an ecosystem?

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KeystoneSpecies• Submergedaquaticplants

- E.g.RibbonweedTheseplantstakenutrientsoutofthewater.Whentheycarryoutphotosynthesistheoxygengoesdirectlyintothewater.Theplantsareasourceoffood(aproducer)andoxygen.

!

A local extinction event - due to predation

Vs

Green and Gold Bell FrogMosquito Fish (Gambusia)

MosquitoFish

* Broughtintocontrol______________________.

* Eatsarangeof_____________________________

* Responsiblefor____________________loss(frogs).

* Tolerates____________________waterquality.

* _____________________________quickly.

* DifWicultto_____________________________.

FromFarmingtoNowPastfarming NowandFuture

Edgeplantsdominate

Lowoxygenwaterbugs

Wadingbirdsdominate

FewMosquitoFish

Yourturn.Writeinthespace-HigherorLower

FoodWeb-Placetheletterofthe3missingspeciesinthespacesbelowtocompletethediagram

B-BassA-Shrimp C-Ribbonweed

Decomposers

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PhosphateandWaterSource•Phosphateisanessentialnutrientforplantgrowth.Itisaplantfood.Toomuchfoodcancauseproblems.• hurbanrunoff(mainwatersourceforthelakes)g hphosphatelevels(>2)ghriskofbluegreenalgaeoutbreaks.Note:Aseriesoflargedetentionbasins/lakeshasbeenconstructedupstreamsothattheplantsinthosecanremoveexcessphosphate(andotherimpurities)fromthewaterpriortoitbeingallowedintothemainlakes.•Farmingpast:hphosphatelevels(>2)ghalgaeg iaquaticplantsgiD.O.giinvertebrates.

pHandConductivity/Salinity • pHisameasureofthehydrogenionconcentrationinwater.Mostaquaticorganismscanonlysurviveinthe6-9pHrange.LowpHvaluesareacidicandkillaquaticlife.• Conductivity/Salinityistheamountofdissolvedsaltspresentinthewater.Highersaltlevelsghdehydrationoffreshwaterorganisms.

TemperatureandLight •Watertemperatureisdirectlydependentonsunlightavailability,airtemperatureandturbidity.•Temperatureaffectsvitalbiochemicalprocesseswithinaquaticorganismsandultimatelytheirsurvival.•Mostorganismscanonlytolerateanarrowtemperaturerange.

- 10-30°C=optimalrangeformacroinvertebrates.- Inwarmerwater(20to30°C),therateofphotosynthesisandplantgrowthincreases.

Animalactivityalsoincreases.•Farmingpast:hturbidityghheatabsorptionghwatertempsgiaquaticorganisms.

Analysis of abiotic and biotic key relationships

Turbidity,LightandDissolvedOxygen • TheWinalbasinhaslowturbidity(abioticfactor).•Anhsunlight(abioticfactor)ghaquaticplants(bioticfactor)ghD.O.(abioticfactor)ghinvertebrates/aquaticlife(bioticfactor). Note:aminimumof60%D.OisessentialforgillbreatherssuchasdragonWlynymphs.•Farmingpast:hturbiditygisunlightgiaquaticplantsgiD.O.giinvertebrates.