Plastic Dinner Stage 3 Comp - Comprehension Pack.pdf

Plastic Dinner STAGE 3 Unit focus: Animal Food Chains Text focus: Explanation Text Food webs are very delicately balanced. Extinction, loss of habitat and introducing new species can...

Plastic Dinner STAGE 3 Unit focus: Animal Food Chains Text focus: Explanation Text Food webs are very delicately balanced. Extinction, loss of habitat and introducing new species can have serious consequences for a food web. If a predator becomes extinct then its prey can reproduce more. This might mean that their prey are over-hunted. Rabbits are not native to Australia. They were introduced by humans in 1859. Within 50 years they had spread over the whole country and seriously damaged many food webs. They are still a pest. These aren’t the only ways humans impact on food webs. Lots of human activities introduce harmful things into food chains. These all have a serious impact. Perhaps the most concerning of all is plastic. Most plastic ends up in the ocean after it has been thrown away. Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of the damage. Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Plas c is thrown into landfills Over me, plas c breaks down. Microplas cs are very damaging. Fish are prey food. They are eaten or blows into rivers. Eventually The pieces get smaller as they Sea life including fish mistake by larger fish, sharks, whales, it makes its way to the oceans. are broken apart. They eventually them for food and eat them. turtles and sea birds. All of these Plas c isn’t biodegradable. This become small enough to be called Some microplas cs are so small animals are now consuming the means that it won’t turn back into microplas cs. These are smaller that the fish eat them without microplas cs as well. a natural material. than 5mm. even realising. The fish we eat as humans comes Microplas cs are very good at The gills of fish can also be from the sea. Lots of fish we eat accumula ng pollu on. These affected by microplas cs. today contains microplas cs and chemicals s ck to the plas cs. the pollu on that has stuck to them. all resources ©2019 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com  INFERENCE FOCUS 1. Why are food webs delicately balanced? 2. Why might rabbits have damaged food chains? 3. How does the author feel about human impact on food webs? What makes you think this? 4. How might microplastics affect the gills of fish? 5. Why are larger predators eating plastic? VIPERS QUESTIONS R When were rabbits introduced into Australia? V Which word means an effect or result of something? S Summarise how plastic ends up in our dinner. P At which stage of the cycle would it be easiest for humans to prevent the damage? Why not later? V Which part of the word tells you that microplastics are small?