Solved by a verified expert:QUESTION 1:
It is said: humans are on top of the food
chain.
What does this
mean?? What are the ramifications for keeping the ecosystem intact and
planning for a sustainable exchange? To answer these questions we need to
first understand what ‘biological organization’ is!
Proceed to the State
Park website where you live (I live in El Paso Texas) or thewww.fws.gov or www.NWF.org,
or http://www.wwf.org/
to answer the questions below.
(1) Pick your favorite native species (not domesticated species). Include
a plant and animal on land or in water.
Make a simple chart
about biological organization like this:
INDIVIDUAL
POPULATION (of species)
COMMUNITY
ECOSYSTEM (living and non living components)
Then fill in the headings
with local examples where you live and also one you would like to visit.
What is the difference
between an ecosystem and a community?
(2) How do species
effect the surroundings where you live? What is their contribution? Name some
contributions from plants and animals. How do we effect species
(succession, nutrient cycles, food chains)? What is the balance? How can it be
achieved?
(3) How does natural
selection play a part in speciation and habitat availability? How
do we disrupt flow patterns in nature? When people disrupt ecosystems,
what are the ramifications for people and species???? Give some local
examples and explain.
QUESTION
2:
We are, in fact, on the ‘top
of the food chain’. What does this mean? It means we eat everything
that is ‘below’ our species. This raises some pertinent questions about
the contamination in our local food and water supply.
Consider all the chemical
exposures food passes through. Do you see how your food comes to
you? What do you want to do as a consumer? Have you ever talked to
your grocer about WHERE the food is brought in from and how it is raised???
Did you know you can get the
local (or any) EPA report on soil, water and air as the EPA is a federal/public
agency. It is open to the public! Find out what is in your water
supply or area reports by going tohttp://www.epa.gov OR tryhttp://www.scorecard.org !!
QUESTION 3:
For a change of pace:
Have you ever listened to environmental radio? It isn’t quite the same as
mood music, but you may hear or find out something VERY interesting.
Please try these links
to read or hear an environmental news item. You can go to the site here
🙂 Any link will do 🙂
http://www.enn.com/
http://www.enn.com/rss_feeds
Make a
report on the radio or news article or station, topic and related link and
report what you heard!! What did you learn??
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