Throughout the biosphere, there are many types of ecosystems.

Amongst these are tundra, desert, coastal and savanna. The ecosystem
on which this report was based, was the savanna ecosystem; an
ecosystem being defined as a system that comprises both biotic factors
in an area as well as its abiotic factors associated with it, functioning
together as a unit (National Geographic, 2011). In this report, an
investigation was conducted to determine the dominant grass species
within an ecosystem, and how this affects the ecosystem in general.

The method by which this investigation was conducted is outlined as

follows; a 2mx2m plot was demarcated with string, whereupon it was
divided into 16 50cmx50cm sub-plots in which the number of plants were
counted. The number of each species was then totalled (quantitative
data) to determine both the variety in species and the dominant species
throughout the entire 2mx2m plot (qualitative data).
In order to conduct this investigation; equipment such as field guides,
reference books, string, measuring tape and a camera would be
required. And to conduct it safely, a hat and sunscreen should be worn
to minimize the effects of sun exposure, and closed shoes should be
worn to protect feet from snakes, scorpions and other such dangerous
animals.

In the 2mx2m plot, only one grass was species, was identified.
Therefore, the two dominant general plant species were instead
determined. The first of which was Pellaea calomelanos, the hard fern; a
plant indigenous to Southern Africa. It has thick, waxy cuticles; thus
minimizing the effects of transpiration. The second was Eragrostis
gummiflua, gum grass; an indigenous grass adapted to reproduction
with loose seeds that can be easily blown off of the plant. Refer to
appendix for diagrams of the above plants, tables demonstrating
population size, and food web.

A food web is a model that demonstrates the flow of energy through an

ecosystem. This begins with the sun; plants act as autotrophs; using
solar energy to photosynthesise. Herbivorous and omnivorous animals
then consume the plants, after which carnivorous animals consume the
herbivorous and omnivorous animals. This represents the flow of energy
in an ecosystem; at each trophic level, energy originates at the sun. It is
then passed to plants, and thereafter, to animals and decomposers. It is
important to note that due to energy loss because of respiration and
excretion at each level, the process whereby animals consume other
animals stops after roughly the fourth trophic level as there is inadequate
energy to be transferred to the next level.

While food webs do an excellent job of illustrating these interactions;

showing multiple feeding relationships at each trophic level, thus
depicting how various food chains interlink and relate to one another,
they do not show population size or amount of energy transmitted; which
is a disadvantage, as one cannot then know population size and amount
of energy for each different species. Another disadvantage of the food
web is that it also does not show symbiotic relationships between
organisms; like the parasitic relationship between a tick and a zebra in
this ecosystem, where the tick feeds on the zebra’s blood, but the zebra
doesn’t gain anything out of it.

In conclusion, the method followed in conducting this investigation,

whilst shedding some light on ecosystems, was not entirely reliable. The
investigation was conducted in a 2mx2m plot; a plot too small to be
representative of the entire ecosystem. Therefore, it is neither a reliable
illustration of dominant plant species nor is it a reliable representation of
how an ecosystem functions.