New Critter’s Niche in a New Place
Background:
You have been studying ecology……you have learned about the delicate balance between populations of organisms in their environment, the transfer of energy throughout the food chains and webs that exist in ecosystems, the limiting factors that determine population size and carrying capacity of an environment, the niche of organisms that allow them to survive in the wild, and the concept of non-native species throwing the whole system out of whack!
Your Task:
Earlier in this unit, you created a critter and developed its niche. You drew your critter and described its place in the food chain and its daily routines, habits, interactions, etc. that comprised its niche in an existing ecosystem. Today, this new critter is going to find a new place in its world! Your job is to evaluate how well it would survive the change.
Procedures:
Self-Evaluating your Critter & Niche Assignment:
1. Refer back to your new critter creation.
2. Compare your work to the original assignment. Make any additions/changes that need to be made. Be sure you have thoroughly described your creature’s niche. Check for the following:
a. What do they eat?
b. How does it gather food and water?
c. How does it spend its day?
d. What time is it active?
e. What is its social behavior? (grooming? Live alone? Live in a group?)
f. How does it affect the land? Other organisms?
g. How does it interact with others of its kind?
h. Is it food for other organisms?
3. Complete the “Critter & its Niche” section of the worksheet
Your Critter meets others:
1. Share your critter with your tablemates
2. Listen to your tablemates as they describe their critter(s) to you
3. Record the critter’s name and niche description on the “Your Critter Meets Others” section of the worksheet.
The Evaluation:
1. Analyze what would happen when all the new critters enter the same environment.
2. Bullet Key events in the middle circle of the “Your Critter Meets Others” section of the worksheet. Be sure to consider ecological (environmental), economical, and health issues that may be caused.
3. Write a conclusion paragraph that THOROUGHLY explains the impact several non-native species had on the area. Be sure to include as many scientific and ecological issues as possible. You may refer to information you learned through the powerpoints, video, and activities we completed in class!
New Critter’s Niche in a New Place
Name:______
Critter & Its Niche:
Description of its Appearance:
Its Biome: ______
Its Niche:
Sample Food Chain/Web:
Active Time & What It Does:
Interactions (with biotic & abiotic things around it):
Conclusion:
Your Critter Meets Others:
Critter Name:______Critter Name:______
Critter Name:______Critter Name:______