So if plants contain food and are a food source to animals, how can it be that the trout are being affected if trout don't consume plants in the first place?
Through a reading, students uncovered that trout's food sources can be affected because of the size of the trout, the location of where they live, and the temperature in which they live. Realizing the complicated set of relationships in an ecosystem, not every relationship between organisms is a direct one. Many indirect relationships can affect a population's ability to survive, too. We built an actual food web, consisting of many smaller food chains, and are slowly seeing how both direct and indirect relationships between the organisms in the Great Lakes food web could have possibly affected the trout. Great thinking!
Through a reading, students uncovered that trout's food sources can be affected because of the size of the trout, the location of where they live, and the temperature in which they live. Realizing the complicated set of relationships in an ecosystem, not every relationship between organisms is a direct one. Many indirect relationships can affect a population's ability to survive, too. We built an actual food web, consisting of many smaller food chains, and are slowly seeing how both direct and indirect relationships between the organisms in the Great Lakes food web could have possibly affected the trout. Great thinking!