ENV100 Week 1 Individual Assignment Balancing
Ecosystems

Resource: Gamescape Episode 1 and Ch. 5 and 6 of Visualizing Environmental
Science.

Complete Episode 1: “Balancing Ecosystems” of Gamescape.

Write a 350- to 700-word letter to the City Council in neighboring
Glimmerville. In your letter, explain the situation with the Grass Carp and
some of the challenges faced in restoring balance to Sparksville’s aquatic
ecosystem. Since Glimmerville is experiencing a similar situation, provide
advice on how to restore their lake ecosystem. Include the following points in
your letter:

·
What is ecosystem
balance? Which reduction factors and which growth factors impacted ecosystem
balance in Episode 1? Describe two ways in which the invasive species and
native species impact ecosystem balance.

·
Based on Episode 1 and
the assigned readings, describe how native and invasive species might affect
succession. How might an invasive
species impact the natural selection of the native species within a habitat?
Describe how native and invasive species affect the flow of energy in an
ecosystem?

·
Describe four possible
solutions to the Grass Carp invasion problem. Describe one advantage and one
disadvantage for each solution.

·
As you learned in
Chapters 5 and 6 of Environmental Science, the flow of energy, species
interactions, and natural selection change over time. Since ecosystems and
species are in flux, why should humans strive to restore and maintain ecosystem
balance? Use one example from Episode 1 and one example from the assigned
reading materials to support your points. Why is sustainability important to
these environmental concerns?

ENV/100 Week 1