Download 5.4 Rhododendrons competition - science

Animals compete for;
•Water
•Territory
•Mates
•Food
Plants compete for;
•Water
•LIGHT
COMPETITION AMONGST ORGANISMS
•MINERALS
ANIMALS
WHICH ANIMALS
COMPETE WITH THEIR
OWN/ OTHER SPECIES?
COMPETITION AMONGST animals
SOME COMPETE WITH
THEIR OWN SPECIES FOR
FOOD/MATES. When
animals eat a variety
of food then they
have a better chance
of surviving as they
are more adaptable.
Take the koala.
It only eats
eucalyptus
leaves! So if they
go there is no
food!
Silk worms
They only live in
eucalypt trees so
when they are
cut down!
There is a disease
that wipes out
communities!
This is the case
with silk worms
and panda’s.
Panda bears
Take the peacock.
The spectacular display of a
male peacock attracts the
attention of the female.
Whilst MANY other male animals
will fight to compete for a
mate, the peacock will not fight
risking harm. They will display
their plume.
Overcrowding (competition for space –
water, minerals) can lead to overall
reduction in growth when compared to
plants not overcrowded
Plants compete for;
•Water
•LIGHT
•MINERALS
Coping with competition
Some plants flower, set/release seeds and die back
very early before the rest of the trees grow their
leaves back.
Why?
bluebells
anemones
snowdrops
dandelion seeds can
float on wind
currents. Others
produce fruit light
enough to float. Eg
sycamore. Why?
Coconut seeds can float for
weeks/months. They travel
far from the parent plant.
Others tempt animals to
eat them or attach to them
as they run pass. Why?
Competition in plants
B1b 5.5
Why are rhododendrons a
problem?
Successful plants;
•Get their roots into the
soil first to get the most
available water and
minerals
•Open their leaves faster to
photosynthesise with all
available light
Rhododendrons have reached BeddGelert! This beautiful Welsh valley
is popular with climbers, walkers and families out for a day in the
countryside. (BeddGelert also has Snowdonia’s best ice cream shop!).
Rhododendrons are not native plants in the UK but they are
particularly well adapted to harvest light for photosynthesis. This
makes them very successful - and that’s the problem.
Click here to play video
By clearing the rhododendrons, the seedlings of the woodland
trees get a chance to grow and the natural beauty of the valley
can be conserved for generations to come.
Mark each of these true or false.
Click on answers to see how many you got right.
1
2
3
4
5
Rhododendrons are adapted to cope with low light
conditions - down to about 4% of a normal sunny day!
Rhododendrons are cut down because sheep eat them and
the leaves are poisonous.
Conservationists never destroy part of the living
environment.
Photosynthesis produces oxygen.
Rhododendrons can smother fully grown trees.
1
2
3
4
5
Rhododendrons are adapted to cope with low light conditions down to about 4% of a normal sunny day!
TRUE, this is what makes the rhododendron such a good competitor
Rhododendrons are cut down because sheep eat them and the
leaves are poisonous.
FALSE, the leaves are not particularly poisonous (though the
BeddGelert ice cream tastes better!) and sheep don’t really eat them!
Conservationists never destroy part of the living environment.
FALSE, conservationists often cut back one species to promote a
wider range of species overall.
Photosynthesis produces oxygen.
TRUE, it uses up carbon dioxide and water to make sugar and
oxygen.
Rhododendrons can smother fully grown trees.
FALSE, rhododendrons do damage to growing seedlings by blocking
the light they need to grow. Fully grown trees have leaves that are
borne above the rhododendron canopy.
Use page 91 of your
text and answer
question c in your
workbook