Examine the relationship between wildlife and ecosystems.

Indicators for this outcome
(a) Explain how wildlife can be used as a barometer of overall environmental health.
(b) Examine the role biodiversity has in determining the health of an ecosystem.
(c) Discuss reasons for differences in the diversity of wildlife in Saskatchewan, such as adaptation, environmental changes, biotic and abiotic factors and human influences.
(d) Explore how animals seek shelter in various landscapes (e.g., digging into snow and hiding under bushes).
(e)

Explain the interactions of selected wildlife with other species and the environment, including:

  • predator and prey relationships;
  • keystone and indicator species;
  • food chains and webs; and,
  • symbiosis (e.g., parasitism, commensalism and mutualism).
(f)

Identify regulating factors for wildlife species within selected ecoregions of Saskatchewan, such as:

  • food and water;
  • habitat;
  • predators,
  • carrying capacity;
  • species competition; and,
  • disease and parasites.
(g)

Explore how species have adapted to habitat changes, such as:

  • introduction of racoons and white-tailed deer to the prairies; and,
  • range of moose expanding from forest to agriculture ecosystems.
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