Ecosystems and Field Study
Learn about the ecological community of interdependent organisms in an aquatic ecosystem. What are the adaptations, features and living needs of the organisms within the ecosystem? How do they interact together and with us? How are they classified? How does the energy flow through these systems? Investigate with fieldwork to collect and analyse data. Get your students involved in a hands-on, outdoor learning experience where students discover the aquatic, bird, animal and plant life.
About the Program
Learn about the ecological community of interdependent organisms in an aquatic ecosystem. What are the adaptations, features and living needs of the organisms within the ecosystem? How do they interact together and with us? How are they classified? How does the energy flow through these systems? Investigate with fieldwork to collect and analyse data. Get your students involved in a hands-on, outdoor learning experience where students discover the aquatic, bird, animal and plant life.
Further Infomation
We start with a quick lesson on food webs and energy flow, which relate directly to Herdsman Lake’s ecosystem, to create a common understanding. We finish with some time in the Wildlife Centre where students can explore our displays.
Objectives
By the end of this learning experience, students will have:
Conducted an independent or group investigation of aquatic life at Herdsman Lake
Identified some freshwater macro-invertebrates and discussed their lifecycles, their importance in the wetland food web and described the adaptations that help them survive in their habitat
Explored a Food Chain and learnt about how things depend upon each other to survive
Learnt some ecological terms and concepts
Thought about how their own actions might impact upon this and other wetlands
Had some fun exploring, learning as students experience nature first hand