Saturday, March 7, 2009

A guide to answering ecological questions

This page is to help you research and formulate your essay. It is not intended to be a hard and fast answer to the question but may help you.
Print a copy or write up some notes. Save it to your folder.

My animal is (an endangered species)(extinct)(still in existence).
Its name is ___________________________________________
It is (colour)____________________________
(fur type/scales/feathers/skin)______________________
It eats_________________________________
Creatures which feed on it are______________________________
Or (it is at the top of the food chain nothing eats it) or (it is a herbivore. It doesn’t eat other animals).
Is it an omnivore (eats anything and everything)
A carnivore (eats meat only)
A herbivore (eats herbs and vegetable matter only)

Its normal habitat is (in the Australian dessert/ in scrub land/ in Spinifex/under rocks and stones/ in water/ in a burrow under loose sandy soil/forest areas/ alpine areas/etc) {choose one or more}

My animal is normally found in the desert/in woodlands/ in rock pools/ in the air/ in large trees/or other area)

My animal has natural predators. They are ______________________________(crocodiles and other raptors/ dingoes/humans)
It has some predators which are introduced species such as____________________ (foxes and feral cats).
It has become (extinct / endangered) due to___________________________ introduced species (rabbits) eating up its_________________________ normal food supply or habitat.
Unusual Features about your animal
It has___________________________.
It does this____________________________.
It may have adapted to its environment by developing these special features to help it survive.
I think it is an important part of the natural ecology and its presence affects the other animals and birds of the area. If it dies out the other creatures and plants will have to adapt to its being no longer there. It may have been part of their normal (diet/or the plants were part of its diet) I do not know if they will have time to adapt.

There is one creature which eats nothing but a particular breed of black ant.
How would that creature adapt if all the black ants suddenly died out?
How would it survive.
Search this site for the creature.
Back to Australian Deserts Page

No comments:

Post a Comment