“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”
-Lady Bird Johnson
Examples of topics and practicals that may be covered on a Day Visit or Earth Science Studies 1-3 night camp extracted from some of the syllabus topics.
- describe how biotic and abiotic characteristics of the spheres, such as organisms, temperature, surface water, substrate and available light, will vary with location
- explain how the unique nature of individual communities in the biosphere is dependent on the characteristics of the location
- discuss how communities are dynamic in nature and processes will allow communities to change as the characteristics of the spheres change.
- explain how human activities, including species removal, habitat destruction, pest introduction and dryland salinity, can affect ecosystems
- compare case studies of positive and negative human influences on ecosystem viability at local, regional and global scales.
- Collect and analyse data about the characteristics of a community by using a transect study (i.e. quadrats). If possible, a field study with an obvious plant succession would be ideal, but simulations can be used.