Essential+Questions

c) Question- Many scientists believe that global warming is raising the temperature (abiotic factor) of the Earth. How would this affect your ecosystem?

Answer- To start, global warming would affect the Petrified Forest because it is a canyon, and a forest. Many plants could not grow in the Petrified Forest if the climate was way too hot, and global warming would make the temperature much hotter than it is right now. (Happening right now) This would affect our ecosystem because some plants would die out from the heat. What would the results be? The primary-consumers that eat the plant could die, if that were the only thing they eat. Then the secondary consumer would lose food and even die of starvation without the primary-consumer. In addition, the organisms in the ecosystem practically have to rely on each other for food. It is all about balance. With on organism gone, it can affect the WHOLE ecosystem. That is how important an organism can be to their ecosystem and environment. The same thing goes for the desert. Cactus's and other plants live in the canyon, and the sand would get too hot from the heat and die out and animals live in the canyon.

b) Q- Pretend your ecosystem is in a completely different climate but all of the other abiotic factors were the same. How would this affect your ecosystem?

The organisms living in the ecosystem would be different. They are different because their body could change due to the different climate. They would be unhealthy and not strong because they would not have the nutrients to stay healthy. The food-like plants are alive so they are still counted as biotic beings. The ecosystem would change because of the animals could die and the food web would be totally different due to lack of food for the higher ranked organisms.

Human Impact: Question: Describe one way in which a population in your ecosystem is affected by both of your human impacts

a) Answer: A population in the Petrified Forest ecosystem is the collared lizards. The impact is negative on them. It is negative because their homes are on rocky paths. They are seen scurrying along there and the human trails built there are ruining their homes. Another way the collared lizards are affected is because of the people living near Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. The Indian sites along the rivers are destroying their homes because there are rocky paths near the river. That is how the collared lizards (population) are affected by human impacts.

b)An anonymous person has donated 10 million dollars to help conserve your ecosystem. What plan would you take to help this cause? How would you break down your funds to save your ecosystem?

Answer: We would use some of the money for building a better visitation area. So the tourist would be educated about the national park's geography. Also, we would use some of the money to create a better museum. This new museum will hold logical objects from Anasazi, Mogollon, and Sinagua sites, ethnological objects related to Hopi and Navajo cultures would be shown also. Triassic invertebrate and vertebrate fossils from the Chinle Formation, representative geological specimens from the Chinle Formation, a photographic archive, and biological objects would be a good way to teach the tourist about the Petrified Forest history.

c) Let's say that humans never came to your ecosystem. How would this change your ecosystem? Explain in detail how this would affect a population and an ecosystem.

Answer: If humans never came to Petrified Forest, there would be no trails. The ecosystem would change because organisms like the collared lizards would thrive because there would be no Indian sites that have destroyed their homes. Since the collared lizards would thrive, their prey would become lowered and the third consumers would thrive also. The whole ecosystem would change and become balanced or unbalanced depending on what would happen. That is what would happen if humans would have never come to the ecosystem.

b) Find a list of endangered or extincted species in your ecosystem. Include the date when they were listed extict or endangered. Explain what could have caused them to be that way. If they are endangered, explain what can be done to ensure they do not go extinct.

Answer: Endangered species Animals- Pronghorn Swift Fox Bobcat Townsend's big-eared bat Antelope squirrel Deer mouse Tiger salamander Collared lizard

Plants: Goldenflower century plant Parry's agave Tapertip onion Painted Desert Buckhorn Cholla Spiny Hedgehog cactus Rusby's primrose

Birds: Rufous humming bird Olive-sided flycatcher House wren Loggerhead shrike Chestnut collared longspur

Humans are the main reason of these endangered organisms. Tourist are bringing odd non-native animals and plants like the Tasmarisk and Russian thistle. Also, humans steal Petrified wood in order to sell on the black market which is called looting. The way we can make sure these species do not become extinct is to take better care of the ecosystem. We need to stop the looting at the Petrified forest. (Russian Thistle) Extinct: Dinosaurs- Revueltosaurus Chindesaurus bryansmalli (basal Saurischian) Coelophysis sp. (Ceratosauria)

(Revueltosaurus)



(Chindesaurus bryansmalli)