Blue Planet Prize Story

Professor Carpenter has been studying ecosystems and methods to reverse pollution in lakes for over 40 years. He is especially known for his work on trophic cascades, which he validated by intentionally controlling the actual ecosystems in lakes. The method can be applied to other lakes.

In addition, he expanded his research from lakes to the phosphorus cycle, which is related to lake pollution. The planetary boundaries, which have gained global attention, show the limits and current state of the Earth, and among the nine indicators used there, the part related to the phosphorus cycle is based on the research achievements of Professor Carpenter's group. Planetary boundaries show that the current state of the phosphorus cycle is critical.

The consumer-resource relationship of organisms is fundamental to the broader ecological system, which includes humans. Learning about trophic cascades will increase students' awareness about the relationship between organisms in ecosystems.

Find the Relationship Between Organisms!

This section allows students to explore the life around them and learn that all life exists in the consumer-resource relationship.

1. Ask students to choose one place that they are familiar with and to list the living organisms that they have observed there. The place may be a lake, a pond, a forest, a school yard, etc.

2. Ask students to look up what the living organisms they listed eat, using the encyclopedia and the internet.

3. While they look up what food the organism they listed eats, guide them in discovering the consumer-resource relationship they share. Ask them to write about the relationship, or create a food web diagram. Looking for organisms to fill in the blanks in the diagram is also an opportunity for them to learn about new life forms.

4. If possible, extend the study using trophic cascades concept to help students consider how the number of individual types of life may change when the other organisms in the diagram increase or decrease.