The ecosystem

In the FFS farmers learn about the ecosystem:

Tritrophic interactions

What is an ecosystem?

  • Farmers make drawing of ecosystem

Elements of ecosystem

  • Physical
  • Biological

The agro-ecosystem

  • Discuss about agro-ecosystem as preparation for AESA
  • Weather
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Plant / crop
  • Pests
  • Insects
  • Diseases
  • Weeds
  • Natural enemies
  • Predators
  • Parasitoids
  • Pathogens

Balanced ecosystem

  • Population growth
  • Population dynamics
  • Interactions between species
  • Interdependence
  • Food webs
  • Interaction between pests and defenders
  • Resurgence mechanisms
  • Intercropping
  • Value of weeds
  • Bio-diversity

Damselfly

Energy flow in 3 (or 4) feeding levels

  • Plant
  • Herbivore
  • Predator / parasitoid
  • (Hyper-parasitoid)