Source of energy in food web:
The source of energy in the food web would be the sun. The sun gives the perennial grass energy.
How might fluctuations in the numbers of each organism affect the other?
If the number of a certain organism rises, the number of its predators would also rise and the number of its prey would drop because they're are more organisms hunting it. Also, if the number of a certain organism drops, the number of its predators would drop with it because their food supply is dropping and the number of its prey would rise.
Factors that could limit population growth in the food web above.
In order for the population to grow, there would need to be a growth in the amount of perennial grass (the primary producer). If the amount of perennial grass stay the same, the population will stay the same. Also, if the amount of perennial grass drops, the population will drop with it.
Invasive species affects?
If an invasive species, in this case a mosquito that is not native to the temperate grasslands, comes into the ecosystem it can cause major damage.
Lets say this mosquito is carrying a disease that the temperature grasslands have never seen before. The mosquito will feed off of the other organisms in this ecosystem, infecting them with the disease. Since the mosquito is invasive and the other organisms haven't ever been around the disease it carries before, they aren't immune to it. The organisms infected will spread around the disease. The disease will kill many of the organisms because they aren't immune to it. The temperate grasslands could lose a lot of life and possibly become barren. |