Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 6-A - Thunderbolt Kids

REVISION:
1. Provide a definition for an ecosystem.
2. Why do you think the feeding relationships between plants
and animals in an ecosystem is called afood web?
3. What is the term given to animals which break down dead
plant and animal material?
4. Read this blog entry made by a Gr 6pupil in Limpopo
province reporting on their environment.
“Ilive in the Waterberg area in north Limpopo province. This is
the first area in South Africa to be named a biosphere
reserve. During the Stone Age indigenous people lived in this
area. They brought in cattle that overgrazed the grasslands
and caused aterrible outbreak of tsetse flies. Then in the
1900s Dutch farmers brought in more cattle. All the cattle,
goats and sheep of the Dutch farmers and the indigenous
people almost destroyed the natural bushveld vegetation.
Luckily the people realised the problems in time and started
to re-introduce and protect original species of animals and
plants in the area. White rhino, girae, hippopotamuses and
dierent species of antelope and smaller buck returned.
Eco-tourism is now very popular and farmers try really hard to
stop soil erosion, and to introduce original grass species.
Farmers also started to take away fences between their farms
to allow animals to walk free.”
Chapter 5. Ecosystems and food webs
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