Download How does a keystone species impact the ecosystem

EQ: How does a keystone species impact the
ecosystem?
Key questions: After this web quest, you should be able to devise a creative and
informative answer for each of these questions.
1) How can you identify an organism being a keystone species in a particular
environment? By understanding the niche of an organism, scientist can
identify how one species can affect stability of an environment.
2) What does the Keystone Species Hypothesis state, who formulated this
hypothesis and why is it important today?
http://www.washington.edu/research/pathbreakers/1969g.html
3) What are some examples of keystone species and how does each affect their
surrounding environment?
4) What is the niche of each keystone species? Is it an herbivore, carnivore,
omnivore, predator or prey? Describe how it gains biomass?
5) Describe the fate of the Dodo bird. How did it become extinct? How did the
extinction affect the ecosystem one hundred years later? What does extirpate
mean?
Keystone Species affect on an Ecosystem
Objective:
You are a Park Ranger who just received a job at a National Park. You are
unfamiliar with the terrain (shape of the land). Also, you do not understand how the
organisms living within the park interact with each other. Scientists and tourists
coming to the National Park are going to be asking you questions like: Why is the
Prairie Dog important to Wind Cave National Park? You will need to do some
research to understand the species and how important these keystone species are to
the park.
Instruction:
Look up the following websites to examine the niche (role) an organism plays in an
ecosystem of that particular place. Some species may be extinct.
In addition, you may need to visit several sites to gain specialized information about
the demographics of that organism (please add the URL address of where you found
this information). Like you did with the barn owl, jot down important
characteristics about the organism that may help you to understand why it is
important in the ecosystem. You may want to search Google with something like:
Elephant as a keystone species in Kenya National Wildlife Preserve…
Keystone Species Data Collection Form
(Please place answers in a different readable color)
Species common name: Prairie Dog
http://www.prairiedogs.org/keystone.html
World status: _______________________________________________
Scientific Name:__________________________________________________
Physical Characteristics: ___________________________________________
Biome: ________________________________________________
K1: How does the Prairie Dog impact the ecosystem?
K2: What are some of the implications that would happen if the Prairie Dog was
extirpated from this environment?
K3. Insert a picture of the animal and a map of a national park where Prairie Dogs
are found? (resize to a thumb nail picture)
Species common name: Elephant
http://www.fieldtripearth.org/article.xml?id=754
World status: __________________________________
Scientific Name:___________________________________________________
Physical Characteristics: ___________________________________________
Biome: ________________________________________________
K1: How does the elephant impact the grassland ecosystem?
K2: What are some of the implications that would happen if the elephant was
extirpated from this environment?
K3. Insert a picture of the animal and a map of a national park where elephants are
found? (resize to a thumb nail picture)
Species common name: Dodo Bird
http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/spot_spkey.htm
World status:________________________________________
Scientific Name:___________________________________________________
Physical Characteristics: ___________________________________________
Biome: ________________________________________________
K1: How does the Dodo birdt impact the ecosystem?
K2: What are some of the implications that would happen when the Dodo was
extirpated from this environment?
K3. Insert map of where Dodo were found? (resize to a thumb nail picture)
Your turn: Find a keystone organism (can be a plant)
Species common name: ___________________________
URL: ____________________________________________
World status:________________________________________
Scientific Name:___________________________________________________
Physical Characteristics: ___________________________________________
Biome: ________________________________________________
K1: How does the __________________ impact the ecosystem?
K2: What are some of the implications that would happen if the
_________________was extirpated from this environment?
K3: What does extirpate mean?
K4. Insert map of a park where ________________________ are found? (resize to a
thumb nail picture)
Due: Please email or Print and give to me Friday Oct
23rd at the end of class.