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| OBJECTIVES: After doing this assignment, you will be able to:a) Trace the pathway of the flow of energy in a portion of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.
b) Use a symbolic model to represent energy flow in your own ecosystem. c) Discuss the contributions of the Odum brothers to the science of Ecology. |
| PROCEDURE:1.Energy Flow in the Ecosystems of Race Rocks can be partially represented by the figure1.Click on any of the boxes to see the organism which is part of the energy flow and the food web of the Islands. |
2. You will have seen that some of the links, especially for the top level consumers have videos and slide shows of energy flow in action involving the predators at Race Rocks. Some of these images have been submitted by viewers using the remote camera 5 . Your challenge is to come up with a picture or a set of pictures which show energy flow in action. Watch the seabirds on the island, especially in the summer during nesting season as they deliver food to chicks. At low tide, you can often see shorebirds like the Black oyster-catcher as it hammers away at intertidal invertebrates for food. Use the OceanQuest GIS sighting report process to add your observation to the records.3. Use this blank template to construct an energy flow model for your observation.( For further information on the definition of the symbols, see #4 below. You can eliminate most of the boxes, just include ones for which you have direct evidence.4. This is a link to a resource which outlines the theory of modelling energy flow with odum symbols. You may also use it for further ideas that will help you in the construction of an energy flow diagram your own ecosystem.
5. Extension material: Investigate the work of the Odum brothers, in material linked at the bottom of the reference in #4. Write a paragraph on the significance of their work for the modern understanding of Ecology. 6..Extension Material: Investigate the application of the Odum Energy Flow Models in the reference below on the Ebro Watershed. |
| Figure 1: Energy Flow at Race Rocks…click on the symbols below |
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For Further Reference on the application of this model: External Link: Models of Energy Flow for Rural Planning in the Ebro River Watershed