How does energy flow in an ecosystem?
Producers → Primary Consumers → Secondary Consumers → Tertiary Consumers → Decomposers. Only 10% energy transferred per level.
Name two important nutrient cycles and their role.
Carbon Cycle (regulates climate and supports life), Nitrogen Cycle (essential for plant growth and protein formation).
What is dynamic equilibrium?
(steady state)
The ability of an ecosystem to self-regulate and maintain balance through natural processes.
Give an example of a positive and negative feedback loop.
You feel stressed, so you stay up late on your phone to distract yourself → this leads to less sleep → which causes more stress the next day → leading to more phone use at night → and so on.
✅ The output (stress) makes the input (phone use + less sleep) worse — cycle grows.
You feel overheated after training, so your body sweats to cool you down → once you cool off, the sweating stops. (negative is actually postive)
Name the four key ecological (enviromental) relationships with examples.
Mutualism (bees & flowers), Parasitism (ticks on dogs), Competition (lions & hyenas), Predation (foxes & rabbits).
List three types of ecosystem value and examples.
Ecological (water filtration, climate regulation), Economic (fisheries, timber, tourism), Cultural (Indigenous land practices, spiritual sites).
What makes an ecosystem vulnerable?
Low biodiversity, habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, climate change.
What increases resilience?
High biodiversity, genetic diversity, adaptive species, ecological restoration.
Name two key threats to biodiversity.
Deforestation, Climate Change.
What is a shifting baseline?
A shifting baseline means that each generation sees the environment as “normal” based on what they grew up with, even if it’s already been damaged compared to the past.
So, as ecosystems slowly get worse, people don’t always notice — because their idea of “normal” keeps shifting lower.The gradual normalization of environmental degradation over generations due to lack of historical reference.
What is a tipping point in ecosystems?
A threshold where small environmental changes lead to irreversible damage (e.g., coral bleaching).
Give an example of a global conservation program and its impact.
Paris Agreement (targets carbon emissions to reduce climate change effects).
What is an example of a local conservation effort?
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) manages marine protected areas and monitors reef health.
Cultural burning (fire-stick farming) – low-intensity fires to manage land, prevent wildfires, and support biodiversity
Seasonal knowledge – using ecological signs (not calendars) to guide land use and harvesting
Totems and taboos – spiritual links to plants/animals that guide protection and sustainable use
Fish traps – e.g. Brewarrina fish traps for sustainable fishing and ecosystem protection
Name an Indigenous land management practice and its benefits.
Indigenous Land Management Practices & Benefits
Cultural Burning – Prevents wildfires, helps native plants grow, improves soil.
Fish Traps – Sustainable fishing, protects young fish, shows ecological knowledge.
Soil & Water Management – Prevents erosion, keeps water clean, supports crops.
Agroforestry – Grows food/medicine, protects ecosystems, provides animal habitats.
Seasonal Hunting & Gathering – Prevents overhunting, ensures sustainability, protects nature.
What is a case study of Indigenous conservation?
Kakadu National Park (Bininj/Mungguy people use traditional burning and land management).
Why is the Great Barrier Reef important?
Largest coral reef system, supports high biodiversity, major economic & ecological value.
What are two threats to the reef?
Coral bleaching (caused by rising sea temperatures), Overfishing (disrupts food chains).
Name two conservation strategies for the reef.
No-take marine zones, Coral restoration projects (e.g., artificial reefs, coral gardening). Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) – Sustainable fishing, seasonal harvesting, habitat protection.
Indigenous Ranger Programs – Reef monitoring, species control, conservation enforcement.
Sea Country Management Plans – Cultural and environmental protection strategies.
Fire Management – Coastal burning to support biodiversity.
Indigenous-Led Research – Monitoring coral, water quality, and marine life.v
What role does climate change play in reef degradation?
Increases ocean temperature, causes acidification, disrupts marine life.
What makes the Amazon Rainforest significant?
Covers 5.5 million km², stores carbon, produces oxygen, home to 10% of Earth’s species.
What are two threats to the Amazon?
Deforestation (logging, agriculture), Infrastructure development (roads, dams).
Name two conservation efforts in the Amazon.
Indigenous land rights (protects traditional practices), Reforestation projects (planting native trees).
How does deforestation impact the global climate?
Releases CO₂, reduces carbon sequestration, alters rainfall patterns.
biological integrity
The ability of an ecosystem to support and maintain a balanced, diverse, and adaptive community of organisms.
