YEAR 9 SCIENCE ECOLOGY -

ECOSYSTEMS

PRACTICAL

Soil invertebrates play important roles in soil communities. Some directly consume
detritus, others consume detritivores, whereas others are higher-level carnivores that
can indirectly control decomposition by their effects on lower levels of the food web. Soil
invertebrates are clearly affecting litter decomposition rates, soil aeration, nutrient
mineralization, primary production, and other ecosystem services related to soil
ecosystem function and agroecological conservation. With interest in global climate
change has come the realization that soil biota may strongly affect soil CO2
sequestration and release, which is a critical variable in climate change models.
Agroscientists and restoration ecologists have found that soil biota play critical roles in
toxic chemical and metal mobility and remediation; they directly affect disturbed
ecosystem recovery/ ecological restorations that occur after fire, UV-B exposure, posturbanization, and herbicide-stressed soils. Bioprospectors carry out the search for novel
antibiotics and other drugs among the billions of soil microorganisms. Soil invertebrates
are also recognized for their role in mediating or determining belowground interactions
among plants. Because they are often prey for vertebrates such as birds and mammals,
they have vital roles in the food chains that include those animals.
Visit /http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/dont-bag-it/chapter-1-the-decompositionprocess/
To understand more about Decomposition

AIM

To investigate, identify and determine the relationships between organisms in a decomposer ecosystem.

HYPOTHESIS That the relative number of different species of organisms can be used to determine their relationships
in a food chain or food web based on the biomass/number pyramid.
MATERIALS

Plastic collection bottles, capture colander, plastic garbage bags, tweezers, magnifying lens,

METHOD

Separate contents of compost Bin into 4 garbage bags.

Each class then counts and collects invertebrates and sorts according to type using a field guide or key
Each species is sketched and identified with some information researched about species characteristics,
feeding habits, reproductive cycle etc.
Results are graphed (frequency vs species) and combined with other class results.
Arrange specie types according to frequency and if possible infer feeding relationships (most of these
will be tertiary feeders as the micro organisms are the primary decomposers)
Construct three possible food chains based on what organisms you found
Construct a possible food web composed of organisms you found

DISCUSSION

What do all food chains start with?

1. To add organisms to the soil. This is not just limited to bacteria, but includes fungi, protozoa, nematodes and
often micro arthropods. If it is made correctly, compost will increase immunity to a host of diseases.
2. To add foods to feed existing bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and micro arthropods.
3. To add structure to the soil. Many types of compost contain physical structure components like coir
(coconut fibre), clay, fiber, and chunks of wood. These impart physical structure that allows oxygen to move
through the material. It is extremely important that air passageways are maintained in the compost.
What is different about this type of ecosystem and the food chains in this ecosystem?
Food chain: Smaller insects feed on green plants, and bigger animals feed on smaller
ones and so on. This feeding relationship is an ecosystem is called a food chain.
Ecosystem: Everything in the natural world is connected. An ecosystem is a community of
living and non-living things that work together. Ecosystems have no particular size. An ecosystem
can be as large as a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle. If you have a terrarium, that
is an artificial ecosystem. The water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work
together. If there isn't enough light or water or if the soil doesn't have the right nutrients, the
plants will die. If the plants die, animals that depend on them will die. If the animals that depend
on the plants die, any animals that depend on those animals will die. Ecosystems in nature work
the same way.

How many different types of organisms were you able to identify?

The amount of organisms that we found were eight. These were one Centipede, four Earthworms, two
Earwigs and one Spider.

Would there be others likely to be there that you were unable to identify? Why?
Perhaps they were tough to catch or we could not see. There were many organisms we saw but in other
areas.
What have you learnt about decomposer/compost ecosystems?
I learnt that decomposers are very important for any ecosystem. If they weren't in the ecosystem,
the plants would not get essential nutrients, and dead matter and waste would pile up.
What I learnt about compost is that it is a natural process that turns organic material into a dark rich
substance. This substance, called compost or humus, is a wonderful conditioner for your soil.
What shortcomings were there in this experiment?
I expected to find more insects or organisms in our group since there was a special prize for anybody
who had the most. It also would have been nice to google the description of a different organism.
CONCLUSION
State whether you have achieved your aim.
I think that my group has achieved our aim since we counted our organism and wrote our description.
What are your findings in this experiment?
I found out about compost and decomposer ecosystems as well as the lifestyles of Centipedes, Spiders,
Earwigs and Earthworms