Use the ppt to answer the following questions.
1. What do we mean by a niche in an ecosystem?
2. Give an example of one animal’s / plant’s niche in an urban ecosystem.
3. What niches are available on this piece of wasteland for plants to occupy? Put labels around the picture.
4. How can humans change urban ecosystems?
5. How might each of these factors influence whether vegetation succession take place?
 Slope:
 Moisture availability:
 Aspect:
 Porosity:
 Surface roughness:
 Pollution levels:

6. Define each of these terms;

 Conservation:
 Ecology:
 Sustainable development:
 Substrate:
 Primary succession:
 Secondary succession:
Structure of an Urban ecosystem – Just as in any system there are Inputs, Processes and
Outputs. Sort the features on slide 8 of the ppt into the correct column.
Inputs Ecostructure Outputs
The Colonisation Of Wastelands
What type of succession is this?
Tasks:
1. Find a photo of Industrial wasteland on the Internet (try this link) http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=8520703
2. Label the surfaces available for colonisation by species.
3. Use the FSC website to describe and explain succession on an abandoned industrial site.
Link here http://www.field-studies-council.org/urbaneco/urbaneco/wasteland/carpark.htm
Use these headings to help you
Stage 1-The Pioneers
Stage 2 -Oxford Ragwort / grasses and flowering plants
Stage 3 -tall herbs / perennials.
Stage 4 –woody plants
Stage 5 – scrub woodland / trees