3.9 Python Impact NC

A. Balance: The One Foot Challenge

Now it’s time to see what happens to an ecosystem when a species like a python invades. Are you ready?

The One Foot Challenge
 How long can you stand on one foot?

The one foot challenge. Use the timer below and see how long you can stand on one foot. Can you stand for 30 seconds? One minute?

If you aren’t able to stand on one foot, try to balance a pen or pencil on your finger or nose and see how long you can hold still.

Check – See how long the average person can balance – bar graph.

How did you do?:

Check to see how long the average person can stand on one foot.

Standing Time

The average 5 year old can stand on one foot for 10 seconds. Did you beat the average 5 year old?

Check your time

B. Ecosystem Balance

An ecosystem can be balanced or unbalanced.

A balanced ecosystem means things are in a good, healthy mix. There is just enough food, water, air, and shelter for the living things that live there.

  • There are enough plants for small animals to eat.
  • There are enough small animals for predators to eat.
  • There are not too many predators, so small animals still have a chance to survive.

When an ecosystem becomes unbalanced, something is off. One group may grow too large or too small, and that can cause problems, sometimes a very big problem.

Think About It:

What do you think?

 

Did the Burmese pythons help the Everglades become more balanced or more unbalanced?

Pythons = Unbalanced

Burmese pythons are an invasive species. They caused big problems in the Everglades and made the ecosystem unbalanced.

Check Your Answer

C. Python Invasion: Graphs and Charts

One way to see changes in an ecosystem over time are to use graphs that show how things in that ecosystem have changed.

 

Here’s a graph of the Burmese python population in the Florida Everglades. What do you notice about the line? Is it mostly flat? Is it falling? Is it rising?

This graph shows estimated Burmese python population growth. Scientists cannot count every python, so these numbers are informed estimates based on research and field data.

Think About It:

Look at the Burmese Python population chart above. When did the population start to really grow? 

  • Between 1980 and 1990 
  • Between 1990 and 2000

Pythons = Unbalanced

The first python was found in 1979 but the population really started to grow in the 1990s. So the answer is between 1990 and 2000.

Check Your Answer

D. Python Impact

Invasive species often have a negative impact on the other animals or plants in an ecosystem. Check out the graph that shows the raccoon population in the Florida Everglades. What do you notice about the direction of the line?

This graph shows the estimated growth of the raccoon population. Scientists cannot count every raccoon, so these numbers are informed estimates based on research and field data.

Think About It:

The raccoon population graph is falling or going down. Does that mean the number of raccoons in the Everglades is increasing or decreasing? 

Fewer Raccoons Over Time

The raccoon popultion has been going down every year. The line going down to the right means the population is getting smaller.

Check Your Answer
Invasive species often have a negative impact on the other animals or plants in an ecosystem. Check out the graph that shows the raccoon population in the Florida Everglades. What do you notice about the direction of the line?

Think About It:

Why are the number of raccoons going down as the number of pythons is going up?

Pythons vs. Raccoons

The Burmese pythons eat raccoons.

More pythons means more pythons eating raccoons.

Check Your Answer

D. Balanced Past

Raccoons Before Pythons

Raccoons After Pythons

Think About It:

Both of these graphs show raccoons in the Everglades. Which one shows a balanced ecosystem?

Which is balanced?

The Balanced ecosystem is graph 1, before the pythons.

See how the line is mostly flat? That means the number of raccoons didn't change that much from year to year.

When the pythons arrived, the ecosystem got out of balance.

Check Your Answer
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