Sle103 Seminar 4 And At3 Instructions1 f1z9

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SLE103 Seminar week 8 • Assessment Task 3: Ecology report • Food webs

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report ing resources: On the Unit web Page - Resources- Assessments- Assessment task 3 • • • •

Instructions handout (pdf) Video for how to collect data in the field Video to demonstrate how to generate figures in excel Discussion board - for questions about the task - to find people to pair up with to collect data • Assignment writing for SLE103 workshop (Week 8: Friday 3.00pm class,)

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report Due: Wednesday 15th May: 5.00 pm Weighting: 25% Submit: online via the AT 3 drop box on CloudDeakin. YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE THE OFF-CAMPUS FIELD WORK QUIZ TO SEE THE AT3 DROPBOX

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report The purpose of the exercise is to help facilitate your understanding and appreciation of some key properties of an ecosystem. You will look closely at two areas within a single ecosystem (which may consist of two different habitats). Or, you could compare two separate ecosystems (e.g. a grassland versus a forest area). How? You will first consider the biotic components (living things) that make up an ecological community in an ecosystem, and their interrelationship with both other biotic components and also the abiotic components Then - consider energy flow and chemical (nutrient) cycling in your chosen areas.

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report

Field data collection:

How to approach the task

Set up a 1m x 1m quadrat in area 1

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Fill in the off-campus field work form online find someone to collect data with read the instructions and watch the video Ask questions BEFORE you collect data if you are unsure of what to do Take the instruction sheet into the field with you, as well as the equipment and data sheets you need Collect data and take notes Referring to the marking sheet to guide you, start formatting and writing your report Generate the graphs that you need, and select the photos and maps that you will use. Number these consecutively, in the order that they will appear in your report

x Record all the plant species occurring in the quadrat and record the % cover of each so that you can determine which two species are the most dominant overall, in each area

Plant Species

Area 1 Quadrats 1

Grass 1

10 %

Shrub 1

5%

2

3

4

5

etc Area 2 Quadrats Grass 1

15 %

Grass 2

5%

Tree 1

20 %

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Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report Field data collection:

Primary consumer 1 ie caterpillar

What other data do you need? - primary, secondary tertiary consumers - Chemical cycling

Primary consumer 2 ……..

Repeat until you have data for 5 quadrats in area one

Secondary consumer 1 …..

Spend at least 30 mins making observations and taking notes in area one

Secondary consumer 2

Move to area two and repeat!

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report Area 1

Area 2

What is it eating?

What Format will the report take? Scientific report format Introduction Methods Results Discussion

Tertiary consumer 1

CHECK YOUR INSTUCTION SHEET TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report

What Format will the report take?

What Format will the report take?

Introduction This is where you briefly outline the context and background for your study (why did you do this – why is it important to do this type of research? Look at the marking criteria- have you addressed the points required in your introduction

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report

Methods This is where you outline how you did your study -

Do not list equipment Do not write this section as a list of instructions

(DO NOT COPY THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ASSESSMENT TASK GUIDE)

- describe what you did - write in full sentences, not dot points or numbered points - speak in the PAST TENSE ( you have completed the study) Look at the marking criteria- have you addressed the points required in your methods

Assessment Task 3 : Ecology report

What Format will the report take? Results

What Format will the report take?

This is where you summarise the data you collected

Discussion

-

This is where you provide your interpretation of the patterns you have observed.

-

Provide written sentences that describe the “patterns” you found (see the example in the assessment task guidelines) Write the sentence, present the figure that relates to that sentence Write the next sentence, present the next figure etc Refer to figures in brackets at the end of the sentence Number figures consecutively, in the order that you present them speak in the PAST TENSE ( you have completed the study)

Look at the marking criteria- have you addressed the points required in your results

- Format the discussion as a series of answers to the questions posed in the assessment task guidelines. - Provide headings and numbers Look at the marking criteria- have you answered all the questions? -Have you provided a conclusion? -Have you cited sources for information that s your interpretations/answers (using the Harvard style) - Have you included a reference list

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Fantastic food web game

Food webs

Objective of the game You will need to think strategically, using your knowledge of food-webs to “win” 10 organisms to fit into a food-web. Teams will comprise 5-6 . Each team will have 10 balls that they need to throw into one of four cups. The cups represent different trophic (feeding) levels.

- To help understand how food webs work. - You will form teams to “win” organisms in the different trophic (feeding) levels. - Teams can organise themselves into “roles” ie strategists, throwers, collectors and a referee - GOAL – to throw table tennis balls into the cups on the table, thinking about how many of each trophic level you should ideally win, to be able to make a food web. - You will have @10mins to throw the balls SC TC

PP PC

Table set-up

- referees will write down on a slip of paper how many organisms from each trophic level the team have won - you will then have 10 mins to decide which organisms to use, from the list on the powerpoint slide - each team leader will then come up and collect their organisms from the stacks on the table (referees and demo’s to dispense )

- Each organism is worth a set number of points if you have any organisms that have not been fitted into the web, or any balls that you couldn’t get into cups, these points will be tallied. - Use the butchers paper and a small amount of bluetack to build your foodweb - use the highlighter to draw in the links between organisms- INDICATE THE DIRECTION OF ENERGY FLOW - The winning team is the team with the LOWEST number of points at the end of the game

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left over balls (2 points) Primary producers (1 point) Grass Eucalyptus leaves Acacia leaves Orchid (flower) Pearl Beard-heath

What is wrong with this food-web?

Primary consumers/ detritivores and decomposers (2 points) Bee Kangaroo Earthworm Leaf-cutter ant Dung beetle Caterpillar Cricket Moth Potoroo (O) Koala Red-necked Padymelon

that the winning team is the team with the lowest score!!

Secondary consumers (3 points) Mosquito Praying mantis Pied Currawong Skink Dingo Wedge-tailed Eagle Meat-ant Spider Cat Potoroo (O) Brown Snake Willy Wag-tail Striped Marsh Frog Yellow Footed Antechinus Tertiary consumers (5 points) Pied Currawong Dingo Wedge-tailed Eagle Cat Brown Snake

Please help tidy up for the next session by: - Replacing balls in the snaplock bag - Removing critter images from butchers paper and returning to their stacks on the table - Putting blutack into a neat glob and placing on side table near critters - Placing used butchers paper in a pile for recycling Thankyou - we hope you had fun, learnt lots and we would welcome any / ideas on the game (email tricia).

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