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Trophic Cascades HHMI Interactive Directions: Part A Tab: 2. What Caused The Differences Between The Two Islands?

The document provides instructions for an interactive activity about trophic cascades, which are indirect impacts that organisms can have on others in their food web. Learners are directed to a website to read about and view examples of trophic cascades in different ecosystems, including how the removal of sea otters or bass impacted kelp forests or plankton populations. Questions assess the learner's understanding of direct and indirect effects in food webs and how top-down or bottom-up forces can control ecosystem dynamics.

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92 views6 pages

Trophic Cascades HHMI Interactive Directions: Part A Tab: 2. What Caused The Differences Between The Two Islands?

The document provides instructions for an interactive activity about trophic cascades, which are indirect impacts that organisms can have on others in their food web. Learners are directed to a website to read about and view examples of trophic cascades in different ecosystems, including how the removal of sea otters or bass impacted kelp forests or plankton populations. Questions assess the learner's understanding of direct and indirect effects in food webs and how top-down or bottom-up forces can control ecosystem dynamics.

Uploaded by

JJGgsg
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: ______________________________________________

Trophic Cascades HHMI Interactive

Directions:​ Open the following link ​https://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/trophiccascades/​.

Part A​: Click on the tab

Directions: Read the introduction and then complete ​Part A​ by watching the video and viewing
the graphic.

1. Describe the differences between the two islands:

 
2. What caused the differences between the two islands? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Define trophic cascades and explain when they occur.
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Throughout most of the 1800s, sea otters were hunted to near-extinction all along the
Pacific coast of North America. How did this impact those ecosystems?
5. How did the loss of kelp forests affect other species? Write the name of the affected
organism on the line and a brief description of the effect below.

6. What is the difference between a direct and indirect effect? Use a named example of two
organisms when contrasting the two situations.
Part B) Click on​

Directions: Read the text and complete ​Part B​ by watching the videos and completing the
questions as you go.

Explain what the following represent:


Solid line

Dashed line

Plus sign +
​

Negative sign ​ -

Part C​: Click on


Complete ​Part C​ by reading the text, watching the videos, and answering the questions as you
go for all four of the ​Case Studies​.

Arctic Tundra:
7. How does each factor affect the other?

Organisms Effect

Fox->Seabirds ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

Seabirds->Soil ❏ Positive
nutrients ❏ Negative

Soil nutrients-> Grass ❏ Positive


❏ Negative
8. Which landscape illustrates the addition of arctic foxes (​Alopex lagopus​) to the system? Check
one.
❏ Left picture ❏ Right picture

9. Explain the overall effect that the introduction of foxes had to the landscape and ecosystem.

Midwestern Lake

10.How does each factor affect the next factor?


Relationship Effect

Bass->Minnows ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

Minnows ->Zooplankton ❏ Positive


❏ Negative

Zooplankton->Phytoplankton ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

Phytoplankton->Carbon Influx ❏ Positive


❏ Negative

11. Which lake illustrates the removal of bass? Check one.


❏ Left picture ❏ Right picture

12. Explain how an organism can alter the physical and chemical environment using the bass as
an example.
African Savanna

13. How does each organism affect the next factor?


Relationship Effect

Rinderpest->Wildebeest ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

Wildebeest ->Vegetation ❏ Positive


❏ Negative

Vegetation->Fire ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

14.Circle the graph that illustrates the eradication of rinderpest:

15. Explain how even microbes can result in a trophic cascade shaping their community, by using
the rinderpest virus and how it changed the savanna as an example.
Venezuelan Jungle

16. How does each organism affect the next factor?


Relationship Effect

Predators->Herbivores ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

Herbivores ->Vegetation ❏ Positive


❏ Negative

Vegetation->Fire ❏ Positive
❏ Negative

17.What did the dam project in Venezuela do?

18. Which landscape lacks predators? Check one.


❏ Left picture ❏ Right picture

19. Explain how the change in predators affected the vegetation community.

20. Explain how the ecosystems you learned about in this activity are controlled (top-down or
bottom-up).

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