2 Species
Listen to the following audio and then explore the carousel of images below.
Transcript: Audio 1
The diversity of plant species on a floodplain meadow is particularly high and therefore floodplains are a focus for biodiversity conservation. Each species may have to share this space with other plants and compete with them for resources. On a floodplain meadow up to 40 separate species of plant may be in direct competition with one another. A range of these species is showing in this carousel of photos.
This very high plant diversity in a floodplain meadow supports an equivalently diverse community of invertebrates (we have found nearly 200 different species in a single survey). This diversity supplies pollination services to surrounding areas and supports a broad range of other animals: birds, bats, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
You can explore some of these in the following carousel of images.
Activity 1
Using at least three of the species shown in the carousel above, sketch a food chain to illustrate how energy might flow through a meadow ecosystem.
Answer
Here is an example answer:
Scabious –> moth –> yellow wagtail