Lesson 4 – What is a predator?
This lesson covers the role of predators.
Learning activities:
Explain what predators are.
Research and discussion on the role of sharks in reef systems.
This lesson is provided by Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd was founded in 1977 and is a marine conservation organisation working to protect the oceans and marine wildlife. Sea Shepherd works globally on a range of issues impacting the oceans, running numerous direct action campaigns each year.
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Slide 2 - Tekstslide
During the lesson we will use these icons to identify the learning actions.
Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.
What is a predator?
Slide 3 - Tekstslide
There is one level of the food chain we have not discussed – predators. Ask students “What a predator is?”
Illegal Fishing
Illegal fishing means that the fishermen enter the territorial waters of a country or regulated marine zone without permission or without a license for the fish they intend to catch.
They are stealing from these waters.
PREDATORS
Predators are the fourth level of consumers. They are the apex species at the top of the food chain
Slide 4 - Tekstslide
Predators are the fourth level of consumers. They are the apex species at the top of the food chain. They are carnivores, animals that naturally prey on other animals, but have no natural predator in their habitat/ecosystem above them. They kill and eat other animals – like sea lions, leopard seals and orcas.
Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.
Why are predators important to an ecosystem?
Slide 5 - Tekstslide
Ask students ‘Why do you think predators are important to an ecosystem?’
Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.
What happens when predators are removed from the food web?
Slide 6 - Tekstslide
What would happen if predators are removed from the food web? Prey (consumers) becomes abundant with no natural control over them. Producer population will decrease as the first and second level consumers become more abundant.
Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.
What happens when predator numbers grow too quickly?
Slide 7 - Tekstslide
What do you think might happen if predator numbers grow too quickly? Too many predators will result that prey (consumers) will become scarce. The balance in the ecosystem will be lost.
Introduction to IUU fishing and the impact of overfishing.
What happens when prey disappear?
Slide 8 - Tekstslide
But what happens if prey disappears? The predators will start to go hungry and might look for other food sources or they might become weak and sick and die. Which means their numbers will decrease.