For this project we were tasked with choosing an ecosystem and coming up with a solution to a problem that this ecosystem is facing. After doing some research we narrowed our decision down to the great barrier reef and more specifically the problem it has surrounding the crown of thorns starfish. The problem that we found was the over collection of the giant Triton which is a sea snail in the same reef as the crown starfish. The crown of thorns starfish feeds on the top layer of live corals that live in the reef with them. This is acceptable when there is normal starfish densities, but when the densities are too high it can case the reef to decimate because of this we have proposed to raise awareness about over fishing of the giant Triton and how it effects the great barrier reef.
Content Trophic levels-each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy. Ecological succession-the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. Abiotic factors- non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems. biotic factors-The living things in an ecosystem are called biotic factors. 10% rule- when energy is passed in an ecosystem from one trophic level to the next, only ten percent of the energy will be passed on. nitrogen cycle- the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition. water cycle-the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. carbon cycle-the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration. climate zones- Earth has three main climate zones—tropical, temperate, and polar. These zones can be further divided into smaller zones, each with its own typicalclimate. A region's climate, together with its physical characteristics, determines its plant and animal life. climate-the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years. Weather-The state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place. Independent/dependent-A density dependent factor occurs only when the population reaches a certain level. Human impact-Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact on the environment includes changes to biophysical environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans, including global warming, environmental degradation (such as ocean acidification), mass extinction and biodiversity loss, ecological crises, and ecological collapse. Photosynthesis-the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct. Biosphere-the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms. Biomes-a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra. Relationships- The interaction among organisms within or between overlapping niches can be characterized into five types of relationships: competition, predation, commensalism, mutualism and parasitism. Niche-place or position (something) in a niche. Population-a particular section, group, or type of people or animals living in an area or country. Carrying capacity-the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation. Autotroph- an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide. Heterotroph-an organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances. Cellular respiration-a set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and then release waste products.
Conclusion This project was very entertaining for me and I learned a lot during it. Over the course of the project there were many things that I did well as well as things I did poorly. One thing I did well was contribute to my group. The work was spread out very well throughout my group. Although we did have things done well we also had certain aspects that we did not do well. One of these was wait too long to do all of our work. It came down to the last day to finish all of our work. For the future years and projects to come I will make sure to be on top of it with the work. One thing I want to improve on is being more prepared for the presentation and know what I need to say before hand.