NSWTR 2024 HR - Flipbook - Page 46
3. Did you lose or gain species? That is, was the
number of di昀昀erent types of species greater or
smaller at the end of the game?
4. Create a food chain with at least three of the species
that were in your ecosystem.
5. What abiotic, or non-living, factors such as weather
or shelter, a昀昀ected your species diversity over the
course of the game? Give two examples of abiotic
factors mentioned in the game cards and their
e昀昀ects on your ecosystem diversity.
6. What biotic, or living, factors such as predators
or disease, a昀昀ected your species diversity over
the course of the game? For
example, what e昀昀ect does an
invasive species, infectious disease or
predators have on the species in your ecosystem?
Give an example of how another living thing may
have a昀昀ected one of the species in your ecosystem.
7. Why do you think having a greater range of species
is preferable to having fewer species, but more
members of each?
8. Do you think di昀昀erent ecosystems (such as an
ocean or desert ecosystem) would result in the same
outcomes with the same Species Diversity game
cards that you encountered? Why or why not?
9. How could a botanic park or other conservation
organisation protect one of your species? If so, how?
10. How might technology be used to track the number
of species in an ecosystem over time?
W
orl
d Con
ne
ct
io n
UNDERSTANDING SPECIES DIVERSITY
s
Rea
STAGE 4 – REAL-WORLD CONNECTIONS
l-
2. Did you gain more or lose more organisms overall?
That is, was the total number of organisms greater
or smaller at the end of the game?
estions
1. Describe the overall trend of the species diversity in
your ecosystem over the course of the game.
n Crisis
!
Conser
STAGE 4 – CONSERVATION CRISIS!
QUESTIONS
io
at
Qu
v
YEAR 7-8 SECTION
1. What is meant by the term ‘species diversity’?
2. Why do you think it is so important to preserve species diversity?
3. What is meant by the term ‘feral species’?
4. List some feral species we have in Australia.
5. Outline the problems caused by one of the feral species named in your response to question 4
and describe what is being done to reduce one or more of those problems.
6. Complete the table below to describe how each of the following technologies is used to help
reduce the impact of feral species:
NAME OF
TECHNOLOGY
DESCRIPTION
AND/OR IMAGE OF
TECHNOLOGY
DESCRIPTION
OF HOW IT WORKS
DESCRIPTION OF HOW IT
HELPS REDUCE THE IMPACT
OF FERAL SPECIES
TRAP
VIRUS
SENSORS
DRONES
7. Write two questions to ask scientists Dr Jodi Rowley or Dr Vanessa Pirotta if they came to your school for Science
Week.
8. Discuss or debate the bene昀椀ts of investing in the prevention of overpopulation of feral species, compared with
having to spend time and resources culling them afterwards.
SPECIES SURVIVAL – MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITY
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