DIRECTIONS: Living things occupy certain regions of the world called ecosystems. The plants and animals in one ecosystem live together and depend on each other for food and shelter. If certain factors change, such as weather or the introduction of predators, the ecosystem will not support the same number of organisms. In this exercise, the number of sunfish in a pond ecosystem are charted for a 12 year period. Graph the number of sunfish on the vertical axis and the year on the horizontal axis. Label both axes and give your graph a name. Then, answer the questions below using the graph.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS USING THE GRAPH: 1.
5. In order for algae to grow in water ecosystems, the element phosphorus is needed. Even though sunfish do not eat algae,why would the sunfish population decrease in a year when phosphorus waslimited?
