Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics
Available from Term 3, 2024
A study day for Year 11 Biology students to explore ecosystem dynamics in the ocean. Students will get their hands wet and discover life below the waves as they collect and analyse water samples from the museum’s wharf. The skills and content covered in the day make it a perfect depth study!
Program structure
The program consists of a pre-visit activity, three workshops at the museum, and an optional post-visit activity.
Pre-visit Activity
Use secondary sources of information to familiarise yourself with the study site and to learn how human activity has impacted marine ecology in the area.
Workshops
1. Plastic pollution
Classify and quantify types of plastic pollution caught by Seabins. Learn how data collection and analysis can inform decisions about environmental management.
2. Marine biodiversity
Use digital microscopes to identify plankton and analyse underwater drone footage to classify marine organisms. Piece together your observations to draw a simple marine food web of the harbour.
3. Water quality
Collect water samples from the museum’s wharf and measure a range of abiotic factors that affect the health of ocean ecosystems.
Post-visit Activity
Use drone footage to identify marine species in an underwater transect at the museum. Discuss what factors could account for the species distribution.
Booking information
Make a booking enquiry
Duration: 5 hours (3 x 80-minute workshops and a lunch break)
Cost: Minimum price of $650 for groups of 25 students or less, otherwise $25 per student for groups greater than 25. Maximum capacity of 60 students. Teachers / supervisors are FREE.
Ratio: A supervisor to student ratio of 1:20. Students may be divided into smaller groups on the day, depending on the total number of students.
Availability: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Accessibility: The workshops will be conducted in the museum’s learning centre, venue spaces and in the outdoor wharf precinct. All internal spaces are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair users can access the pontoon area, where water sampling will take place, with assistance. To ensure all students and supervisors have a positive experience at the museum, please indicate if anyone in your group has additional support needs at the time of booking. More information on accessibility at the museum can be found here.
Safety considerations: Some parts of the workshops are conducted outside. Sun protection (hats, long sleeve shirts and sunscreen) is highly recommended. There will be short demonstrations on pontoons near deep water, and some sections of the wharf have uneven surfaces. Please refer to Risk Assessment for more details. Visitors must wear flat, closed-toe shoes.
Wet weather alternative: In the event of rain, the excursion will still go ahead indoors. Water samples may be collected in advance by museum staff. For more information on preparing for your visit, please see Plan Your School Visit.
Post-visit Activity Resource
Use the video to complete the activity in the booklet.
Curriculum Links
NSW Curriculum – Year 11 Biology
Working Scientifically Skills
- Questioning and predicting: A student develops and evaluates questions and hypotheses for scientific investigation (BIO11/12-1).
- Conducting investigations: A student conducts investigations to collect valid and reliable primary and secondary data and information (BIO11/12-3).
- Processing data and information: A student selects and processes appropriate qualitative and quantitative data and information using a range of appropriate media (BIO11/12-4).
- Analysing data and information: A student analyses and evaluates primary and secondary data and information (BIO11/12-5).
- Problem solving: A student solves scientific problems using primary and secondary data, critical thinking skills and scientific processes (BIO11/12-6).
- Communicating: A student communicates scientific understanding using suitable language and terminology for a specific audience or purpose (BIO11/12-7).
Knowledge and Understanding
Module 3: Biological Diversity
- A student describes biological diversity by explaining the relationships between a range of organisms in terms of specialisation for selected habitats and evolution of species (BIO11-10).
Module 4: Ecosystem Dynamics
- A student analyses ecosystem dynamics and the interrelationships of organisms within the ecosystem (BIO11-11).
The Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics program satisfies the NESA requirements of a year 11 Depth Study by addressing:
- The two Working Scientifically outcomes of Questioning and Predicting and Communicating.
- Four additional Working Scientifically outcomes for Conducting Investigations, Processing Data and Information, Analysing Data and Information and Problem Solving.
- Further development of multiple Knowledge and Understanding outcomes in Module 3 (Biological Diversity) and Module 4 (Ecosystem Dynamics).
Australian Curriculum – Year 11 Biology
Unit 1: Biodiversity and the interconnectedness of life
Science Inquiry Skills
- Identify, research and construct questions for investigation; propose hypotheses; and predict possible outcomes (ACSBL001).
- Conduct investigations, including using ecosystem surveying techniques, safely, competently and methodically for the collection of valid and reliable data (ACSBL003).
- Represent data in meaningful and useful ways; organise and analyse data to identify trends, patterns and relationships; qualitatively describe sources of measurement error, and uncertainty and limitations in data; and select, synthesise and use evidence to make and justify conclusions (ACSBL004).
- Select, construct and use appropriate representations, including classification keys, food webs and biomass pyramids, to communicate conceptual understanding, solve problems and make predictions (ACSBL006).
Science Understanding
Describing Biodiversity
- Ecosystems are diverse, composed of varied habitats and can be described in terms of their component species, species interactions and the abiotic factors that make up the environment (ACSBL019).
- Relationships and interactions between species in ecosystems include predation, competition, symbiosis and disease (ACSBL020).
- In addition to biotic factors, abiotic factors including climate and substrate can be used to describe and classify environments (ACSBL021).
Ecosystem Dynamics
- The biotic components of an ecosystem transfer and transform energy originating primarily from the sun to produce biomass, and interact with abiotic components to facilitate biogeochemical cycling, including carbon and nitrogen cycling; these interactions can be represented using food webs, biomass pyramids, water and nutrient cycles (ACSBL022).
- Species or populations, including those of microorganisms, fill specific ecological niches; the competitive exclusion principle postulates that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same environment for an extended period of time (ACSBL023).
- Keystone species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of the community; the impact of a reduction in numbers or the disappearance of keystone species on an ecosystem is greater than would be expected based on their relative abundance or total biomass (ACSBL024).
- Ecosystems have carrying capacities that limit the number of organisms (within populations) they support, and can be impacted by changes to abiotic and biotic factors, including climatic events (ACSBL025).