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Whakapapa Ecosystem Presentations

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Whakapapa Ecosystem Presentations

Use the ngahere (forest) case study and food-web map below to plan a short presentation. Explain how living things depend on one another and on their environment. Whakapapa is a Māori way of understanding relationships and connections among people, the natural world and the wider environment. Follow your teacher’s guidance when discussing mātauranga Māori; do not treat it as a substitute for scientific evidence.

Case study: Te Awa ngahere

A forest beside a stream in Aotearoa New Zealand is home to rimu trees, kawakawa plants, insects, tūī, kererū and native geckos. Rimu and kawakawa use sunlight to grow. Insects eat leaves and nectar; tūī feed on nectar and insects; kererū eat fruit and spread seeds in their droppings. Geckos eat insects. Fungi and other decomposers break down dead plants and animals, returning nutrients to the soil. Sunlight, water, temperature and soil conditions also affect which organisms can thrive. After heavy rain, a muddy stream can carry soil into the water. This may make it harder for aquatic life to survive. People help care for the forest by controlling invasive predators, planting native species and keeping stream edges covered in vegetation.

Rimu fruit → kererū

Kawakawa leaves → insects

Nectar and insects → tūī

Insects → native gecko

Dead plants and animals → fungi and other decomposers

Investigate the connections

Read the case study and use the food-web links to answer each question. Then use your answers to shape a short presentation.

1.Which organism in the case study is a producer? Choose the best answer.
  • A tūī
  • A rimu tree
  • A native gecko
  • A fungus
2.Complete the chain using the case study: kawakawa leaves → → native gecko.
3.Match each organism to its role in this forest ecosystem.
  • Rimu
  • Native gecko
  • Fungi
  • Decomposer
  • Producer
  • Consumer that eats insects
4.A long dry spell reduces nectar and fruit. Explain one likely effect on tūī or kererū, and one possible flow-on effect in the food web.
5.True or false: decomposers help return nutrients from dead material to the soil.
TrueFalse
6.After heavy rain, bare soil washes into the stream. Name one environmental change described in the case study and explain how it could affect living things.
7.Whakapapa can help people think about relationships and connections among living things and the environment. Give one example from Te Awa ngahere that shows organisms are connected.
8.Which action from the case study would help reduce soil washing into the stream? Choose the best answer.
  • Remove all plants beside the stream
  • Keep stream edges covered in vegetation
  • Encourage more bare soil near the water
  • Stop fungi breaking down dead material
9.Suggest one practical action people could take to care for biodiversity in this ngahere. Explain how it could help.
10.Plan a two-sentence presentation conclusion. Include one food-web connection and one reason the ecosystem should be cared for.

3 printable pages

  • Whakapapa Ecosystem Presentations, page 1 of 3: Case study: Te Awa ngahere, Investigate the connections

    Page 1

  • Whakapapa Ecosystem Presentations, page 2 of 3: 3. Match each organism to its role in this forest ecosystem.

    Page 2

  • Whakapapa Ecosystem Presentations, page 3 of 3: 9. Suggest one practical action people could take to care for biodiversity in this…

    Page 3

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