Ecosystems Homework Practice
| # | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and with nonliving factors such as water, soil, and sunlight. Robots are useful because they can collect data in places that are difficult, dangerous, or time-consuming for humans to study. |
| 2 | Two environmental conditions a robot might measure are temperature and humidity. Other valid examples include pH, light levels, soil moisture, salinity, or water quality. |
| 3 | An autonomous robot can collect data continuously over long periods without fatigue, allowing more consistent monitoring and reducing the need for repeated human presence. |
| 4 | A camera or multispectral sensor can measure plant color and reflectance, which helps estimate plant health. A soil moisture sensor can measure the amount of water in the soil, which affects plant growth. |
| 5 | A wetland has soft, muddy, and uneven terrain, so the robot may need tracks, wide wheels, waterproofing, or legged movement to avoid sinking and to move safely across the area. |
| 6 | Sensor data such as images, audio, or motion patterns can show which species are present and how often they appear. By comparing data over time, scientists can detect increases or decreases in species diversity. |
| 7 | The average temperature is 14.8°C. Add the values to get 74°C, then divide by 5. |
| 8 | Two good design choices are using soft or guarded contact surfaces and programming the robot to move slowly with obstacle detection. Keeping the robot lightweight and setting safe distance limits would also help. |
| 9 | A teleoperated robot is controlled directly by a human operator in real time, while an autonomous robot makes some or all decisions on its own using sensors and software. In ecosystem research, teleoperated robots allow precise control, while autonomous robots are better for repeated or remote monitoring. |
| 10 | The average is 20 sightings per hour. Divide 120 by 6. |
| 11 | A suitable strategy is to use a GPS-guided autonomous robot that follows a planned grid or waypoint path. It should collect images at regular intervals, store location data, and possibly use computer vision to detect invasive plant patches. |
| 12 | One ethical concern is disturbing wildlife or damaging habitats. This can be addressed by limiting speed, reducing noise, using non-invasive sensors, and testing the robot in controlled conditions before field deployment. |
| 13 | The mean salinity is 10 ppt. This information matters because salinity affects which organisms can survive and helps scientists understand water mixing, tidal influence, and habitat conditions. |
| 14 | The robot could use remote cameras, thermal sensors, or acoustic sensors placed at a distance or mounted on a quiet mobile platform. It would record movement, timing, and interactions without approaching too closely, allowing scientists to analyze behavior patterns non-invasively. |
| 15 | The robot could use a water-quality sensor package that measures pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, along with a camera for species identification. It could navigate using GPS for open areas and local obstacle avoidance for dense vegetation. To conserve power, it could move at scheduled intervals, enter low-power mode between samples, and prioritize essential sensors. The collected data would be used to map habitat conditions, track species presence, and identify areas needing conservation action. |