How to Link Species & Ecosystems
- 1). Select a small portion of an ecosystem to examine, such as a meadow, pond, forest, parking lot, stream bed, or city park. This can be any ecosystem of your choice. Create a square plot by inserting four stakes in the ground; each stake should be spaced approximately 3 feet apart. Section off the square by tying string to connect each of the stakes.
- 2). Write down the date and your weather observations at the top of the page in your field journal. Measure the temperature using the thermometer and write down this value under your weather observations. Write two headings on the same page: "Living" and "Non Living." Under "Living," write three subheadings: "Plants," "Animals"and "Microorganisms." With the help of field guide books, list the animals and plants you observe in your plot; you can also include organisms you hear. Under microorganisms, speculate which organisms might be there, such as bacteria in the soil. Under the "Non Living" heading, write down all the physical features you observe in your plot, such as rocks, sand, water or soil. Measure the temperature of the soil in your plot and record this under the same heading. If you want to be thorough, perform a nutrient and pH soil test by following the directions on the soil kit.
- 3). Look at the list under the "Living" heading. Brainstorm logical connections between species in your list. Research the type of ecosystem you are investigating to assist with determining relationships. For example, you may have seen a flower, and can theorize that it may be pollinated by a butterfly or bee. If you saw a mouse, you may assume that it eats seeds and may be eaten by a bird of prey within the ecosystem. Draw a flow chart in your journal for each relationship.
- 4). Examine how the physical features of your ecosystem affect the living elements. For example, a rock may be a shelter for an animal, and the soil pH may determine which plant species will grow there. Draw flow chart diagrams for each relationship in your journal.
- 5). Determine how species may affect the physical elements of the ecosystem. First think about how the food chain may affect physical factors. For example, when a population of minnows graze in a stream, they reduce the population of algae in that environment. If bass are introduced to that environment, they eat the minnows, which allows an algae population to rebound. Algae will affect the nitrogen and phosphorus content of the stream, thus affecting a physical element.
- 6). Reflect on how species modify the physical structure of the ecosystem. For example, beavers change the flow of a river or stream when they construct a dam. Or, the Common Buckthorn, an invasive species introduced to the United States from Europe in the mid 1800s, provokes erosion as it out competes native plants that would normally stabilize the soil.
- 7). Consider how species are responsible for levels of oxygen, water and nutrients in an ecosystem. Decomposers, such as fungi, bacteria and certain insects, break down organisms that have died and recycle their nutrients into the environment. Plants, through photosynthesis, add oxygen to the ecosystem's environment. Trees act as hydraulic lifts: their deep roots access water from underground, lift the water to shallower levels, and share with the adjacent vegetation.
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