Professional Documents
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MANAGING ECOSYSTEMS
Background
The Werribee River starts as a small river in the Wombat State Forest and flows south-east through Ballan
and Bacchus Marsh, where it meets the Lerderderg River. The River continues until its waters are held back
by the Exford Weir creating the Melton Reservoir. The River becomes tidal at the Werribee Park Mansion,
continuing to flow gently to Port Philip Bay. This completes a journey of some 110 kilometres.
Significant flora and fauna species exist within the catchment, however many of the species are threatened
by weed invasion, predation by vermin, pollution and over-grazing. Many of the fauna species that were
once found in the region are now classified as endangered or extinct. Werribee River is one of the few
rivers in Melbourne to contain a population of platypus.
Land use varies along the length of the river. It flows through agricultural land including market gardens,
urban areas, industrial areas, and recreational sites. In the past, Werribee River has been used as a
dumping ground for rubbish and as a source of river sand. Litter traps have been placed over some
stormwater drains that flow into the River.
Aim
Your aim is to:
Determine the health of the Werribee River at several sites
Examine the effects of human influences on the river
Design management strategies to manage and improve the sites
What you will need
Clipboard, Ecolinc worksheet, pencil, Star rating meter
What to do
(a) Conduct habitat surveys at two sites along the Werribee River.
(b) Assess the human impact and determine management strategies to manage the sites.
(c) Conduct water quality tests and biological sampling to assess the health of the river.
Time: _____am/pm
Wetland
River
Drain
Creek
Irrigation channel
Estuary
Middle
Low
Upper
STAR RATING
OVERALL
SCORE
Overcast
!
!
Bank
vegetation
Verge
vegetation
Bank erosion
and stability
Riffles, pools
and bends
SITE
In-stream
cover
Clear/sunny
!
!
Weather now
Past 24 hours
Habitat rating
Type of land
use
Litter present
Rain (heavy)
!
!
Management
strategies
currently in
place
! Paper
! Plastic
! Glass
! Metal
! Food
Other: _______
! Paper
! Plastic
! Glass
! Metal
! Food
Other: _______
5.
Rain (steady)
!
!
What conclusions can you make about the quality of the Werribee River according to the star rating of
each site?
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6.
Human settlement has an impact on nearby rivers. Identify three impacts explaining why they cause
problems and outline one management strategy that could remove or reduce the problem.
Impact problem
Management strategy
Water
strider
10
Backswimmer
10
Very sensitive
larva
Shrimp
nymph
Snail
larva
mite
nymph
Leech
Tolerant
Amphipod
Sensitive
Water
boatman
Dragonfly
nymph
Cyclops
Water
flea
Seed
shrimp
Mosquito
larva
Worm
Screech
beetle larva
Very Tolerant
Flatworm
Diving beetle
larva
Tolerant
Soldier fly
larva
Diving
beetle
1. Add up the pollution sensitivity for the macroinvertebrates present. This is the pollution index. Pollution index = __________________________________
Pollution
Index
Tolerance
Tick when
identified
Animal
Pollution
Index
Name
Tolerance
Tick when
identified
Animal
beetle
Predict.
a. Which water sample will be the highest quality and why? ___________________________________
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b. Which water sample will be the lowest quality and why? ____________________________________
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TESTING
Conductivity
pH
(S/cm)
Turbidity
(N.T.U.)
Nitrate
(mg/l)
Phosphate
ppm
(mg/l)
Overall
Rating
Result
Rating
Class Results
Excellent = 5
Good = 4
Fair = 3
Poor = 2
Degraded = 1
2.
Using your results, the rest of the classes and the rating guidelines, rate the quality of each sample and
record in the table above. Copy the overall water quality rating for the other water samples into the
Class Results table.
3.
4.
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Printed on 100% recycled paper
CONCLUSION
1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
If the water temperature is altered, what are the effects on living organisms?
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6.
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7.
Explain why macroinvertebrates could be used in management plans for the river ecosystem.
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8.
Explain why biological and chemical testing should be conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding
of the wetlands condition.
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