NAME: CLASS:
Interdependence in the Ahupua‘aWords to Know
biodiversity – how many different plants and animals live in one place
ecosystem - a whole community of living things (organisms) and the places they live
food chain – pyramid or cycle of organisms living by eating other organisms
habitat - the specific place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows
interdependence – when all parts of a system depend on each other to survive
THE AHUPUA‘A YOU LIVE IN is like the body of the ‘āina (nature). For it to be healthy, it needs just the right lōkahi (balance) of …
wai ‘ai and ‘ohana
(pure water) (nutritious food) (social interaction)
rain, streams, aquifer sun, minerals from food chain balance of prey/predators
Just like you, if an ahupua‘a doesn’t get a balance of these things, it will lack energy, look sick, and important parts of it will die.
HOW DOES THE ECOSYSTEM WORK? All living things depend on energy from ka lā (the sun), or from the mea kanu (plants) that live off the sun’s mana (energy). When one living thing eats another to survive, it becomes part of the food chain. Like this:
The FOOD CHAIN
WHAT GOES WRONG? Long ago people lived and died like other animals in the food chain & almost everyone helped farmers. But in modern times, we get our food in different ways so only a few of us need to farm. But we all depend on the farmers. The new ways of doing things has changed the health and lōkahi (balance) of the ecosystems we live in. It looks like this:
Nature’s Ecosystem / Human Farm EcosystemJ Ahupua‘a have many kinds of plants all over (this is called diversity)
J Different insects live off only certain plants and compete for food
J Other insects and animals eat all kinds of insects, so there’s never too many
J Dead plants fertilize new plants and feed some insects and animals
J Water is made pure as it runs through clean air, soil and evaporates / L Farms have only 1 crop in large area (this is called mono-culture)
L Similar insects live off 1 type of plant with no competition for food
L Chemicals (pesticides) are used to kill insects because there’s always too many
L Dead plants are thrown away and chemical fertilizers are sprayed on crop
L Water is polluted by chemicals and harms insects, animals and people
WHAT GOES RIGHT? Most people ignore the problems but many Hawaiian people know how to be pono (do things right). Like this:
{ Many people take action – they talk or write to politicians, and go to court, to make changes in laws so nature is protected
{ Many people eat less meat, buy organic food, & don’t buy things that make too much garbage (fast food, paper diapers, etc.)
{ Many people recycle cans & bottles, give things away to charities instead of throwing it away, or re-use what they have
MOST OF ALL, how Hawaiian your attitude is will make the difference! When you realize everything & everyone in your ahupua‘a is interdependent, then pono is the only way to go!
Questions: Interdependence & Ecosystems
12 points
1. What is an ecosystem? ______
______
2. What is an ahupua‘a? ______
______
3. How is an ahupua‘a like an ecosystem? ______
______
4. What is interdependence? ______
______
5. Where do humans fit in the food chain?
a. What energy do we produce for other living things? ____
______
b. What energy do we need to live? ______
Continue ->
6. What do humans do today to make ecosystems and food chains lose lōkahi (balance)? ______
______
7. How were humans in ancient Hawai‘i able to live in lōkahi in every ahupua‘a? ______
______
8. How is lōkahi in your personal life like lōkahi in your ahupua‘a?
a. Can you have 1 without the other? ______
______
b. How are the 2 ideas similar?______
______
9. What could you do to help keep our ahupua‘a in lōkahi? _____
______
10. REFLECTION: What do you wonder about ecosystems, food chains &/or interdependence? ______
______
______
______
______
______
4
DRAFT: Science in Hawai‘i: Nā Hana Ma Ka Ahupua‘a – A Culturally Responsive Curriculum Project
Sources retrieved & adapted 4/7/05 from: http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/102/ecosystem.html