Ecosystem (Essay Sample)

Instructions:

Select an ecosystem, such as a temperate forest, desert biome, or the Everglades. You can choose any other ecosystem if you like.
Create a diagram in which you illustrate the energy flow among organisms of a food chain in a particular ecosystem. See Ch. 20 of the text for details and examples. You can refer to the "Energy Flow" Ecosystems section of chapter 20. There are several diagrams, use the one that best suits your ecosystem. Put details about the energy flow within the diagram. Make sure that you use the correct citation for the diagram. You can also use one online as long as you have referenced it correctly.
In your diagram you need to represent the following : You can use text boxes to include the following within your diagram
1.Explain interdependency of the organisms using your diagram, which is nothing but a food web diagram.
2. List the organisms that can be found in your ecosystem. Include organisms at all trophic levels within your diagram of the food web, use text boxes for this
3. Label major organisms that live in your selected ecosystem: P for producers, C for consumers and D for decomposers. This should be within your diagram
4. Your food web diagram should show clearly depict the following
Name of the plant or animal
What it eats
What eats it
How it adapts to the ecosystem (this can be the part of the paragraph, please see below)
Following the diagram please write a short paragraph 350-750 words which should include the following
1. Identify the structure and function of the main organs in at least two organisms, and indicate why they are suited for that environment: Choose any two organisms from the diagram and explain briefly one of the organ system of each organism to show its adaptation to the ecosystem.
2. Describe the ecosystem's population growth and regulation through community interactions: This should be with respect to the trophic levels, how do organisms live as a community and influence each other
3. Evaluate potential hazards caused by humans that might affect your ecosystem's stability, such as environmental pollution. This should be with relevance to your ecosystem
Everything should be in a word document, this will include your diagram and the paragraphs as mentioned above. Format your diagram consistent with APA guidelines. Use in text citation for the diagram and the rest of the report. Make sure to list your references in APA format at the end.

source..

Content:

Ecosystem
Name
Institutional Affiliation
A trophic level is each separate level within a food web (Gore, p.15). Below is a schematic diagram representing a food web that has six trophic levels. At every trophic level is an energy gain and loss. Directly below all of the consumersâ€™ level is what they feed upon. So for example, the 1st level carnivorous consumers feed upon the herbivorous consumers, similar to how the herbivorous consumers feed upon the primary producers(Gore, p.19).
Additionally, as you move upwards, it is noticeable that there are fewer organisms in each subsequent trophic level. Furthermore, when trying to understand the movement of toxins, food webs are also useful. The highest levels of toxins of low biodegradability can bio-accumulate up the trophic levels in a food web affecting the top predators. Evidently, for depicting understanding ecosystem stability and relationships between organisms, food webs are useful(Gore, p.27).
In water, fish breathe oxygen using gills. The water goes in the mouth then passes over the gills before exiting the body through a special opening.As the water passes over the gills, they absorb oxygen from the water. Fish have a streamlined body, long and narrow; that reduces the water resistance as they swim. The several fins of a fish are for swimming. Some of the fins are used to steer the body as they swim and others to propel themselves through the water.
Fish also contain a system of muscles used for movement. In waves from head to tail, muscle contractions ripple through the body. These contractions enable the tail to whip against the water thus propelling the fish through the water (Micheals, p.7).
The lowest level of a water body, including the some sub-surface layers and sediment surface, is the ecological region namely, the benthic zone. Organisms that live in this zone are called benthos and usually, are different from that elsewhere in the water column. Benthos are adapted to live in the substrate.
They are often a source of prey for carcarhinidae such as the lemon shark, but they can be considered as dominant creatures in their habitats. According to Micheals, organisms adapted to deep-water pressure are unable to survive in the upper parts of the water body since the pressure difference can be very significant (p.12). The energy source for the benthic ecosystem is often organic matter that drifts down to the depths from...

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Ecosystem (Essay Sample)

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