Answer:
See explanation below.
Step-by-step explanation:
1. Explain the difference in the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in the Everglades.
In the Everglades, producers would be all species of organisms that are autotrophs such as different species of plants. Consumers are categorized into three: primary, secondary and terciary consumers. Primary consumers feed on plants (e.g. insects), secondary consumers eat the primary consumers (e.g. mice or rats), while tertiary consumers are higher predators that eat the secondary consumers (e.g. racoons). Finally, decomposers are bacteria, archaeans, fungi, or worms that live in soil which decompose organic matter.
2. Based on your knowledge of how to classify living organisms, in what domain and kingdom do the producers, consumers, and decomposers belong?
In Biology, the three domains are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya; while there are six kingdoms: Archaebacteria, Eubacteria (true bacteria), Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
- Producers, that is plants, belong to the Domain Eukarya and the Kingdom Plantae.
- Primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers also belong to the Domain Eukarya and to the Kingdom Animalia as they are all animals and eukaryotes.
- Decomposers are classified into the three domains: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Bacteria belong to the domain Bacteria, archaeans belong to the domain Archaea, and worms and fungi belong to the domain Eukarya. On the other hand, decomposers are classified into Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista (oomycetes), Fungi, and Animalia (worms).
3. How did energy travel in the Everglades BEFORE the alligators were removed?
Aquatic plants (producers) <-- bass <-- bluegill <-- gar <-- alligator
Aquatic plants (producers) <-- zooplankton <-- bass/bluegill <-- wood stork <-- alligator
Plants (producers) <-- cattle <-- alligator
Plants (producers) <-- insects <-- rats <-- racoons <-- alligator
4. How did removing the alligators from the food web change how energy flowed in the Everglades?
Once the alligators were removed from the food web, the populations that were once in decline began to recover because of the lack of predators. Consequently, the lack of alligators led to the uncontrollable growth of racoons, wood stork, and gar, which could also cause an alteration as they consume ecologically and economically important fish species such as the bass and bluegill.
5. How did the problem begin, and what action(s) should Ranger Imani take to solve this issue?
The problem began when the populations of alligator, an apex predator that sits at the top of the food chain, grew at an accelerated pace. This led to the uncontrolled predation of other organisms that are also fundamental to maintain an ecological balance. Therefore, Ranger Imani decided to humanely euthanize the alligators, which were preying upon them. This led to a huge increase in wood stork, gar, and racoon populations.
Alligators should not be completely removed because they help to maintain an ecological balance. Instead, Ranger Imani should work on controlling populations by implementing Wildlife Population Management strategies, such as sustainable fishing, to prevent a certain species population from reaching a high number of individuals in order to keep a healthy ecosystem where all populations are stable because removing all apex predators is not the appropriate strategy as it significantly alters the ecosystem.