1. Werribee Open Range Zoo
This Thursday we will be visiting Werribee Open range Zoo to:
Investigating Ecosystems
Investigate the ecosystem at the Zoo (Unit 2, AOS 2, Outcome 2)
Learn how to sample from an ecosystem
Reproduction
Learn about the behavioural and structural adaptations of various animals that lead to reproduction (Unit 2, AOS 1, Outcome 1)

2. About Werribee Open Range Zoo..
Werribee Open Range Zoo represents an Savanna neither typically Australian or African in;
Temperature
Vegetation
Wildlife – native and introduced
They are also running some conservation initiatives e.g. Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Golden Sun Moth

3. What we will need to know before we go for Investigating Ecosystems?
What are abiotic and biotic factors?
What are producers?
What are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers?
What is succession?
What do the terms indigenous, native and introduced mean?
What is an adaptation?
How are ecosystems sampled?

4. 1. Abiotic & Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors – non living
Biotic Factors - Living

5. Living or Biotic
Animals
Plants
Insects
Birds
Fungi
Bacteria

6. Non living or Abiotic Temperature Sunlight Soil pH Wind Rock Chemicals
Water
Topography
Clouds
Altitude
Ice
etc

7. 2. What are producers?

8. 3. What are Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Consumers?

9. 4. What is succession?

10. Succession Succession is the change in an ecosystem over time
There are two types of succession:
Primary
Secondary

11. Primary Succession
Primary succession is when an area is colonized that was bare or devoid of life e.g. newly created land from volcanic eruption

12. Secondary Succession
Secondary succession is when an area is recolonised or changes after an event.
This may happen after fire or cultivation of an area.

13. Climax Community
A climax community is when an ecosystem is stable in composition and species abundance.
This means a stable ecosystem exists and there is little change, this rarely occurs.

14. 5. What do the terms indigenous, native and introduced mean?

15. 6. Adaptations
An adaptation is a change, a structure, behaviour or a function that allows an organisms to survive.
There are 3 types
Physiological
Behavioural
Structural

16. 6. Adaptations
Physiological – the function allows for a greater chance of survival
Behavioural – a behaviour that increases the chance of survival
Structural – a structure on the organism that increases the chance of survival.

17. 7. Sampling of Ecosystems
Ecosystems can be sampled through
Quadrats
Transects
Mark & recapture

18. Sampling of Ecosystems
Quadrats – measure organisms w/in a square plot
Then calculated the population based on the sampling
Must decide:
Size of quadrat
Number of quadrats
Placement of quadrats
Will not work for highly mobile organisms

19. Sampling of Ecosystems
Useful for surveying changing ecosystems or changes between ecosystems
Mark a line, identify and count the organisms present

20. Sampling of Ecosystems
Capture, mark, later recapture and use the marked individuals to help estimate population

21. African Savanna

22. Savanna Characteristics
Also known as tropical grasslands
Grassland with scattered trees and shrubs
Canopy is not closed
Consist of mainly C4 grasses (Adaptation)
Seasonal water availability
Often seen as a transitional zone
Occur between tropical rainforest and desert biomes

23. Found
Wide band on either side of the equator near tropical rainforests

24. Temperature
Warm climate
Dry winter
Wet summer – monsoon

25. African Savanna Animals
Herds of grazing and browsing hoofed animals and carnivores
Each has a specialised eating habit (Adaptation)
different food type or height
reduced competition

26. African Savanna Animals
African savannas have the greatest diversity of fauna that only reside in a savanna
over 40 species hoofed animals
Up to 16 species of browsers and grazers can coexist in one area

27. Plants Specialised to cope with their conditions Adaptations
Long tap root – drought resistant
Thick bark – fire resistant
Trunk water storage – drought resistant
Deciduous trees – drought resistant
Defence compounds – herbivory resistant
Storage organs e.g. corms and bulbs – drought resistant

28. Problems Good grazing land for cattle
Native species lose land to farmers
Over grazing by cattle leads to desert formation