Paperbark Swamp Ecosystem

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Field Trip: Paperbark Swamp Ecosystem

1  a)  The ecosystem which we studied on our field trip was a paperbark swamp.

    b)  Two abiotic factors which control the development of the ecosystem are water and soil.  Water makes up a large part of all living organisms and is needed for the growth and survival for all flora and fauna.  Without water in the environment the animals and plants within the ecosystem would not be able to survive.  Animals like the short-finned eel, frogs and turtles require water as it is their habitat.  Frogs lay their eggs in the water so without water there would be no frogs.  The short finned eels live in the water all their lives so if there was no water then there would be no short finned eels as they will all be dead.  Water is also required for plants to photosynthesise.  If there were to be no water there wouldn’t be any plants which would then affect the whole food chain.

  Another abiotic factor which controls the development of the ecosystem is the soil.  Soil is needed for plants to grow.  Without soil the plants will have nothing to get their nutrients from and will have nowhere to place their roots and grow.  The pH of the soil is also a large factor which effects the development of the ecosystem.  If the soil is too acidic, plants will not be able to grow in it.  The soil at Centennial park is sandy and quick to drain of water and low in nutrients, so the plants which are in the ecosystem have adapted to the environment.  Animals also need soil to gather food from or lay their eggs in.  The Sydney basin turtle and the snake-necked turtle both lay the eggs in the ground.  Birds also need the soil as it is the habitat for earthworms which they eat.

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2)  Sun > Plants > Insects > Blue Tongue Lizard > Kookaburra > Foxes

3)  Two types of biotic interactions which are seen the park is predation and parasitism.  Predation is where an organism consumes another living organism for energy.  This biotic interaction is only beneficial for one organism, the predator.  An example of predation is the grey-headed flying fox eating insects.  Parasitism is where an organism feeds off another organism.  This biotic interaction is beneficial for the parasite and harmful to the host.  An example of parasitism as seen in the Centennial Park ecosystem is the mistletoe ...

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