Outdoor and Environmental Studies
Unit 2 Outcome 1 SAC 1
Name:___________________
Respond to the following 2 questions in relation to the stimulus material below.
A
B
C
D
E
F
Question 1
Identify the different type of outdoor environments shown in the images above. 3 marks
a
b
c
d
e
f
Question 2
List one unique biotic and one unique abiotic component of each identified outdoor environment. 12 marks
Biotic component
Abiotic component
Environment A
Environment B
Environment C
Environment D
Environment E
Environment F
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Question 3
a.There are 3 factors that affect outdoor environments. Describe these factors. 3 marks
Geology:
Climate:
Position and aspect:
b.Complete the table below comparing the geology, climate and position and aspect for 3 chosen environments.
9 marks
Name the type
Geology
Climate
Position and aspect
of Environment
1
2
3
Question 4
List 2 characteristic native plants and 2 characteristic native animals for the following environments (6 marks)
(They must all be different)
Ecosystem nominated
Animals x2
Plants x2
Wet forest
Arid environment
Alpine environment
List one feral (or pest) animal and plant for the following environments (6 marks)
(They must all be different)
Ecosystem nominated
Pest Animal
Pest Plant
Dry forest
Arid environment
Alpine environment
Question 5
a.Complete two food chains, one for a grassland and one for a wetland ecosystem. (10 marks)
Trophic levels
grassland
wetland
producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary Consumer
Quartenary consumer
b.What is the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore? (1mark)
c.Design a food web for an ocean or a forest environment (a minimum of 15 species need to be identified) 5
marks
Question 5
Fill the glossary term for the correct definition (7 marks)
decomposer --.autotroph -- canopy -- predator -- producer --.riparian – phytoplankton
Organism which hunts and eats other organisms. This includes both carnivores, which
eat animals, and herbivores, which eat plants
Any organism which brings energy into an ecosystem from inorganic sources. Most
plants are producers
Having to do with the edges of streams or rivers
Layer of vegetation elevated above the ground, usually of tree braches and epiphytes.
Tiny, free-floating, photosynthetic organisms in aquatic systems
An organism that breaks down the tissue and/or structures of dead organisms
Any organism that is able to manufacture its own food.
Question 6
a.How is predation and competition from feral animals a risk for native animals in the same forest? 2 marks
b.What is habitat fragmentation? 1 mark
c.State two ways exotic pasture differs from native grasslands: 2 marks
Question 7
Threats to Victorian ecosystems
(17 marks)
For each of the descriptions place the most likely ecosystem. Choose from:
Alpine, Grasslands, Arid, Dry Forests, Wet Forests, Rainforests, Inland Waters, Coastal or Marine.
1 _________________ characterised by granite and sandstone peaks with rounded mountain tops and plateaus.
The highest mountain areas support a rich mosaic of heathland, grassland and alpine bog communities.
At slightly lower altitudes these ‘treeless islands’ give way to subalpine woodlands comprising small, multi-stemmed,
snow gums usually less than 10m tall.
2 __________________ Soils have extremely low levels of nutrients. Dominated by tough, hard leaved plants and
terrestrial orchids - many are rare or threatened in the state
3 _________________ are dominated by perennial, mostly tufted or tussock-forming grasses and occur on the vast,
undulating western volcanic plains, the northern alluvial plains and in Gippsland
4 _________________ are characterised by dense, low shrubs with scattered, twisted trees – a function of the harshness
of the environment where they occur
5 _________________ They frequently lie over heavy soils which become waterlogged in winter but dry and crack in
summer.
6 _________________ Aboriginal people used fire to maintain the open nature of these to stimulate the growth of useful
plants and attract animals for hunting
7 _________________ European settlers found that these provided good grazing and were easy to convert to cropping
and improved pasture.
8 _________________ Occur across the drier northern slopes of the Great Divide, as well as in Victorian foothills, coasts
and plains.
9_________________ The cool mountains and gullies of ranges in southern, central and north-eastern Victoria as well as
areas at lower elevations
10_________________ While trees and shrubs are only occasionally present, they are floristically rich, not only in
grasses but also in colourful plants from the orchid, daisy, pea and lily families that flower in spring and early summer.
11__________________ inland and estuarine aquatic environments, including flowing waters such as creeks, streams
and rivers; and standing waters such as lakes and wetlands. These waters can be permanent or ephemeral, such as
intermittently flooded wetlands and red gum floodplains.
12_________________ A mere 0.5 per cent of Australia is truly ‘treeless’. Climatic conditions are harsh, with
environmental extremes – low temperatures, high winds, snow cover for long periods and seasonal inundation
13_________________ Kangaroo grass is dominant south of the divide, wallaby grass and spear grass abundant in the
north
14_________________ Low, unreliable rainfall, high summer temperatures and poor fertility of the sandy soils are a key
characteristic – leading some parts to be called ‘deserts’. Surprisingly diverse flora and fauna including many species of
reptiles
15__________________ forests have Victoria’s tallest trees including the world’s largest flowering plant, the Mountain
Ash which reaches up to 100 metres in height and 15 metres in circumference
16____________________ Possums (such as the rare Leadbeater’s Possum), gliders, bats, owls, bats, and many bird
species require tree hollows or standing dead trees for nesting or roosting or both
17_____________________ coupled with the surrounding land, support natural processes that purify water while cycling
nutrients and sediments