By LadyofHats (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Consider the image above depicting a terrestrial food web and a marine food web. In the Everglades, freshwater marsh, terrestrial and aquatic environments are interconnected. The complexity of this unique ecosystem can be analyzed by constructing a food web to trace the flow of energy between organisms.
Part 1: Your task for this project is to construct an illustrated food web to diagram trophic interactions in the Everglades ecosystem. The food web must be an original creation, you cannot submit a food web that you find online!
- You must use a minimum of 8 species that are found in the Everglades.
- You must indicate, using arrows or lines, the flow of energy between the species in your diagram.
- Be sure to upload your food web as an attachment in the assignment folder. Your constructed food web is worth 60 points.
Part 2: Answer the following questions about the food web you constructed. Answers should be provided on a separate attachment in the assignment folder using correct spelling and grammar. The responses are worth a total of 40 points.
1) List the producer(s) in your food web.
2) List the herbivores in your food web.
3) Are there any organisms in your food web that are omnivores? On which trophic levels are they feeding?
4) List the carnivores in your food web.
5) Identify and list a food chain within your food web that depicts at least three trophic levels. What organism in your selected food chain is a secondary consumer?
6) Are there any nonnative species in your food web? Briefly describe how are they altering this food web in the Everglades ecosystem?
7) Choose a primary consumer in your food web. If its population suddenly started to decline, what density-dependent (biotic) factors could be causing it?
8) Choose a secondary consumer in your food web. If its population suddenly started to increase, what density-dependent (biotic) factors could be causing it?
9) Are there any keystone species in your food web? If a keystone species were removed from your food web, how would its loss impact the other organisms?
10) Are there any endangered or threatened species in your food web? If the species goes extinct, how would its loss impact the other organisms?
