Year 7 Science students investigated the grassland ecosystem at Werribee Open Range Zoo

Grasslands are an amazing resource with a diverse range of species that interact together.

On 8th June our year 7 science students went on an exciting excursion to the Open Range Werribee Zoo.

The objectives of the field research were to provide students with an opportunity to:

• identify and describe relationships between organisms within an ecosystem
• consider the factors that affect the distribution and abundance of organisms within grasslands
• determine the flow of energy, inputs and outputs of the system
• identify the natural and human factors that have caused a change to the grassland ecosystem over time
• determine the role population dynamics plays in managing a recovery program for a threatened species

Students were guided through activities that involved observation. They discovered the diverse array of living and non living things that interact within the grassland ecosystem. The role humans have had to play in causing the dramatic changes in this ecosystem over time and the impact this has had on wildlife was explored. Students learned about a Recovery Program we have for a locally threatened grassland species and the role we can all play in helping to fight its extinction. The student’s challenge at the Zoo was to find examples of the positive ways in which humans and animals co-exist in grasslands of the world. The Safari Tour was the most exciting part of this excursion and students explored the Sahara ecosystem. Also, it was a great team work from the teachers accompanied.