A native bush ecosystem

A native bush ecosystem

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about relationships between living and non-living things in a forest.

Question Change answer

A drawing of an area of native bush has been started for you. What other living and non living things might you find there?
a) Draw and label as many ideas as you can think of to add to the drawing below.

Question 1Change answer

b) A relationship is a connection between 2 things. An example of a relationship in the picture could be: The weta hides under the log.
From your picture describe a relationship between 2 things that are in the bush.

Question 1Change answer

c)  Describe some ways in which human activity can change relationships in native bush.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or by drawing online.
Copyright: 
Graphics: copyright NZCER.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Science, Participating and contributing, Living World
Keywords: 
interdependence, relationships, native bush, drawing, ecosystems
Description of task: 
Task: Complete a drawing of things found in an area of native bush and describe relationships between them. Assessment focus: interdependence in a native bush environment.
Curriculum Links: 
Science capabilities
The capabilities focus is brought about by the conversations you have and the questions you ask.
 
Capability: Engage with science
This resource provides opportunities to discuss the direct impact to organisms when there is a change to their environment.
 
 
Capabilitiy: Use evidence
This resource provides opportunities to discuss using logical reasoning and developing science understandings to present science ideas about food chains and/or food webs.
Science capabilities: 
Engage with science, Use evidence
Answers/responses: 
a) Check for the following points.

  • Are there plants and animals?
  • Are there native and introduced species of plants and animals? (See Diagnostic and formative information.)
  • Are there living and non living elements?
  • Are there elements under, in, and above trees?
  • Are there elements related to human activity?
  • If the students have been studying a particular area of native bush, are the elements relevant to that area?
  • Do students include any systems that may impact on the bush, e.g., elements of the water cycle/weather? 
b)
Check that the relationship described is correct. For example, are the descriptions of feeding relationships accurate?
c) Can accurately describe an element that may be affected by a human action. This may be at 1 of 2 levels:

  • Can accurately describe a simple cause and effect relationship.
  • Can describe a more complex cause and effect relationship involving a chain of events.

For more details go to Thinking about systems.
Diagnostic and formative information: 

NOTE: This resource was designed to provide an alternative context for exploring interactions in an ecosystem, and has not been trialled with students. Go to What lives in our waterways? for diagnostic and formative information relating to the waterways (which was the context of the original resource) as a guide for what to look for.
Students may draw and/or label both exotic and native plants. They may have included these for one of the following reasons:

  • They may not be aware of which plants are natives and which are not; or
  • They may be aware that introduced plants are often seen in native bush, especially round the fringes. They may also be aware that some of these plants may have a negative impact on the native plants, and what depends on them for food.
If it is not clear, question them about their drawings to find out their reasons for including them.
Next steps: 
For Next steps refer to 
The games in the following resources provide models that can be adapted to address relationships in the garden:

The following Level 4 resources address various native bush relationships:

A useful website listing flora and fauna found in the New Zealand bush is http://www.kiwiretreat.co.nz/wildlife.htm Note that this relates to the Coromandel area – bush in different areas have different types of flora and fauna.

Ministry of Education (2001). Building Science Concepts Book 7, The bush. Wellington: Learning Media. This book provides some activities for investigating the types of plants that may grow in the bush, although it does not deal with the concept of interdependence.