Exploring Ecosystems: Coastal Food Webs | California Academy of Sciences

Enter a kelp forest and explore the various threads that connect species together in food webs. How do changes in the ecosystem effect the community? Enter an underwater forest of kelp and explore the various threads that connect species together that help maintain diversity and balance in food webs. In addition to showcasing live footage from a unique ecosystem, each of the three videos in the Exploring Ecosystems series features an opportunity for students to actively participate in a problem-solving scenario based on an ongoing research project of Academy scientist Peter Roopnarine. As you watch the video, be prepared to pause at key points to participate fully! Explore food webs through the kelp forest featuring sea otters (Enhydra lutris), sea urchins (Echinoidea), sea stars (Asteroidea), sunflower seastars (Pycnopodia helianthoides), abalone (Haliotidae), and other marine animals. The Coastal Food Web video investigates the following questions: How do you predict the effects of a change in the community’s populations on the community as a whole? How will a change in an ecosystem affect energy flow, nutrient cycling, population growth, or community structure? How will loss of an organism from a food chain or web affect flow of energy? Check for Understanding Describe two concrete examples of community interactions, being sure to describe the relationships between species. Key Scientific Terms community: two or more different species occupying the same geographical area and interacting in some way ecosystem: the community of different species in a particular geographic area and all of their interactions with each other and the physical environment; ecosystems are also called ecological networks herbivore: an animal that eats plants; also called a primary consumer population: all the individuals of a particular species that live in a specific geographic area; a species may be made up of one or more populations predator: an organism that hunts, catches, kills, and eats other animals prey: an organism that is caught, killed and eaten by a predator species: a distinct type of organism Connections to High School Standards AP Biology LO : The student is able to predict the effects of a change in the community’s populations on the community. (1) Interpreting graphs and other quantitative data that represent community and ecosystem interactions. (2) Reading curves that represent community interactions (e.g., predator-prey) and using them to infer relationships between species. (1) Working with ecological models and using them to predict how a change in an ecosystem will affect energy flow, nutrient cycling, population growth, or community structure. (2) Predicting how loss of an organism from a food chain or web will affect flow of energy. Next Generation Science Standards DCI: LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Crosscutting Concepts: Energy and Matter; Stability and Change; Systems and System Models Science and Engineering Practices: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; Using Models Related Reading Food Webs Before the Impact In this Science News article, explore what killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Could it have been the health of ecosystems from 13 million to 2 million years prior to the impact? Healthy Ecosystems Limit Disease in Humans and Wildlife Ecosystem services in the form of food, water, shelter, and even medicines are key to our lives, but furthermore, studies have determined that diseases emerge from damaged environments. In this article learn how our human health depends on a healthy environment. More from the Exploring Ecosystems Series In this video series, students participate in problem-solving exercises as they explore how species interact with one another and their environment. While the coastal food web video covered kelp forests, the below tutorials discuss biodiversity and mutualistic relationships, respectively. Exploring Ecosystems: Tropical Rainforest Diversity Trek through a tropical rainforest and explore the incredible diversity of species that call it home. Exploring Ecosystems: Coral Reef Symbiosis Dive beneath the ocean waves and explore the unique and diverse relationships found on a coral reef. - - - The California Academy of Sciences is the only place in the world with an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four-story rainforest all under one roof. Visit us online to learn more and to get tickets: . Connect with us! • Like us on Facebook: • Follow us on Twitter: • Add us on Google :