Read the Unit Challenge Scenario below. Your local representative in the Michigan Legislature would like your help. The legislator recently attended a presentation by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that described how many ecosystems across Michigan may change due to the arrival of new species. Somehow these new species cause the numbers of some organisms to disappear while others stay the same or even increase! The DNR said these changes were due to a changing ecosystem, but the legislators do not really understand what that means. The legislator has asked you to explain to the other legislators on the Natural Resources Committee how different organisms fit into the ecosystem and how a changing ecosystem could cause the numbers of some organisms to decrease while some stay the same.

The DNR presentation also inspired the legislator to draft a bill to protect Michigan’s ecosystems. There is not enough money to manage all of the ecosystems the DNR talked about. The legislator would like your class to recommend an ecosystem in which managing new species should be a high priority, and the proposed management solution, with evidence and reasoning to support your argument.

In your own words, identify the problem(s) that you are being asked to address.