Investigating A

Real Food Web

A Web-Based Inquiry Project in Community Ecology

Created by Mary U. Manner

 

Scenario

A serious disease of the red fox has been identified in Grand Traverse County. A vaccine exists which will protect uninfected foxes but it is expensive to use. At a Peninsula Township meeting some residents suggested the Township should pay to vaccinate all the foxes on the peninsula, but another group of people offered a counter-suggestion. They argued that the Township should eliminate the foxes so that the disease can’t spread and possibly be transmitted to people. As specialists in community ecology you and your team have been hired as consultants to advise the township. Your job is to provide the township with an ecological impact statement that will help the supervisor decide whether to vaccinate or eliminate the fox.

Task

Your team decides the best plan of action is to create a food web that will help you and the township understand the relationships which exist among the plants and animals present in the woodlot. Once the food web is completed you can begin to evaluate what will happen if the fox is eliminated. To collect the data for the food web you decide to use the woodlot at the Outdoor Education Laboratory at Old Mission School. And of course, as a professionals, your data set will be as complete as possible! Leave no stone unturned, no log unrolled (but be sure to put them back!).

Essential Question:

Construct a food web that might exist in the Outdoor Education Laboratory with the red fox as top predator. Predict how this food web might change if the fox is eliminated?

Foundation Questions:

What is a food web?
What is a predator?
What are prey?
What animals exist in our Outdoor Education Laboratory?

What prey are available for the fox to eat?

What happens to the fox's body after it dies?

How does energy enter the food web?

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Resources

The Balance of Nature: Food Webs and Chains

http://www.cas.psu.edu/DOCS/WEBCOURSE/WETLAND/WET1/balnat.html

This web site explains what a food web is, defines relationships within it, and answers many of the questions about the components of a food web. You can also find out how many organisms can be in a food chain.

The red fox eats a mouse that ate grain seeds.

http://alienexplorer.com/ecology/e43.html

This web site contains information about the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and its diet, predator-prey relationships, food webs and food chains.

What Causes Biodiversity?

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/e/k/ekr109/biodiversity.html

This web site contains information about the components of food webs, and energy flow and nutrient cycles in the ecosystem. Beware of the first sentence; it’s not exactly correct! After reading the second sentence can you explain the mistake?  This site also includes several good illustrations and an example of a food web.

Encarta: Food Web

http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=0177C000

This site contains information on the structure of food webs and how energy flows through them. It also describes several typical webs and the plants and animals that might be found in them. There are links to other useful sites.

The Food Chain from Planet Pals

http://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

This web site contains basic information about food webs, or food chains, with colorful graphics and links to more information about ecology.

Hamilton Harbour Ecosystem

http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Harbour/ECOSYST/BIOTIC.HTM

This site contains information and simple drawings that explain the components of food webs.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/explore/fox.html

This web site is small but packed with general information about the biology of the red fox.  The scientific name of the red fox is Vulpes vulpes.  Using the scientific name eliminates confusion about exactly which species is being discussed because scientists all over the world have agreed to use them.

E-Britannica: Community Ecology

http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,127612+4+117280,00.html

These articles are part of a larger entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Community Ecology."  Read the sections on "Food chains and food webs," and "Keystone species."  then go to the section "Trophic pyramids and the flow of energy" to read about how energy enters food webs and is transferred from one component to another.

Gary Larsen’s Food Chain Comic

http://bio.bio.rpi.edu/ecology/lectures/cpt6/food%20chain.jpg

Hilarious!  Print this page and color the top predator in this food chain red.
 

 

Product

Part I: Food Web

Working as a group, create a diagram of the food web your team identified. The diagram will be displayed on our woodlot site map and used to help township residents understand the relationships that exist among the plants and animals in the OEL.

Keep an up-to-date field journal in which you log your activities in the OEL, and other pertinent information.

Part II: Recommendation to the supervisor

Should the foxes be vaccinated or eliminated? This should be a written opinion by your team with support for your conclusion. Each team will also prepare a brief oral presentation based on the written report to share with the other field teams.

Part III (extra credit): 3-Dimensional Model
Using materials of your choice build a model that illustrates a food web.

Assessments

 

PROCESS SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Advanced

3 pts.

Intermediate

2 pts.

Beginner

1 pt.

No Attempt

0 pts.

Weight

Factor

Score
Use of on-line resources
Student uses on-line resources appropriately to find relevant information.
Student uses on-line resources  inconsistently.
Student uses on-line resources inappropriately or needs help to find information.
Student did not attempt to use on-line resources.
X3
Answers to foundation questions and sub-questions
Student uses multiple sources of on-line information; crosschecks information; answers all questions thoroughly and completely.
Student uses several sources of on-line information; answers all questions correctly.
Student use one or two sources of on-line information; questions are incompletely answered.
Student did not attempt to answer questions.
X10
Keeps an up-to-date field journal
Student makes daily entries; data entries are complete and contain accurate information about organisms and relationships observed.
Student makes daily entries; data entries are incomplete or inconsistent.
Student makes few daily entries; data entries are incomplete.
Student makes no attempt to keep a field journal.
X10
Contributes to team effort
Student makes positive contributions to team effort; demonstrates leadership skills; completes work on time.
Student makes positive contributions to team effort; completes most work on time.
Student makes some contributions to team effort; completes some work on time.
Student makes no attempt to work cooperatively with team.
X3


 

FOOD WEB DIAGRAM

Advanced

 3 pts.

Intermediate

 2 pts.

Beginner

 1 pt.

No Attempt

0 pts.

Weight Factor

Team Score
Diagram is an accurate representation of a food web.
Team produced original and scientifically correct diagram; food web shows many complex relationships among components.
Team produced diagram that shows relationships among major components.
Team produced diagram that shows simple relationships among some components.
Team made no attempt to create food web diagram.
X10
Diagram contains accurate information based on data collected in the OEL.
Team accurately displayed more than twenty-five organisms and their inter-relationships found in the OEL.
Team accurately displayed at least fifteen organisms and their inter-relationships found in the OEL.
Team accurately displayed at least ten organisms and their inter-relationships found in the OEL.
Team made no attempt to display organisms found in the OEL.
 X10
Diagram is visually appealing.
Diagram is neat, and creatively designed; information is easy to read; relationships are easily interpreted.
Diagram is neat; all information is easy to read.
Diagram contains minimum information.
No attempt.
 X5

 
 

Recommendation Assessment

Advanced

3 pts.

Intermediate

2 pts.

Beginner

1 pt.

No Attempt

0 pts.

Weight Factor

Score
The written report must contain a specific recommendation that is supported by data from the real food web.
The report contains a complete explanation of the real food web and the relationships that would be affected if the red fox were eliminated. The recommendation is well thought out and the data are used to support it.
The report defines the real food web and makes a reasonable recommendation.
The report makes a recommendation without support or explanation.
No report was prepared.
 X10
Written report is professionally prepared with no spelling or grammar errors.
The report contains no errors of fact, spelling or grammar.
The report contains some errors of spelling or grammar but is factually correct.
The report contains errors of fact.
 X10
Oral report is concise, convincing and supported by the facts.
The oral report is explains the issue and gives convincing reasons for the recommendation.Visual aids are used to help the audience understand the issue.
The oral report makes the recommendation and gives some reasoning for it.
The oral report makes a recommendation but does not support it with factual information.
No report is given.
 X5


  
Copyright 2000.  All rights reserved by M. U. Manner
Old Mission Peninsula School, Traverse City, MI
Contact the Author
Addresses Michigan MGOSE Science Standards I.1, III.2, III.5