Ecosystem dynamics excursion | 2025 syllabus | Stage 6 Biology | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	DoE school $27 per student – GST free Non-gov school $37 per student – GST free, minimum charge $750 per class Program costs may change. Bookings are charged at the cost confirmed when you book.
Classes	Maximum 8 classes per day with up to 30 students per class - maximum 4 classes per location.
Risk assessment	Access the risk assessment for your excursion location. Blackman Park risk assessment Buffalo Creek Reserve risk assessment Field of Mars Reserve risk assessment
Activities	Activities may change to suit student needs, the selected site and weather conditions.
Bring	View Preparing for your excursion. Bring worksheet, writing equipment, clipboard, medications, low-waste food, water bottles, sunblock, hat and raincoat in a backpack. Sports uniform recommended.
Welfare	Rugged bushwalking, not wheelchair accessible. May not suit recently unwell participants. For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program.
Extreme or wet weather	Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.
Booking policy	Confirm student numbers and classes 7 days in advance.
Cancellation and rescheduling	Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 30 school days’ notice before the booking date – $650 Cancellation with less than 14 school days’ notice before the booking date – full program cost Cancellation due to unsafe weather or fire danger – $0

Fieldwork activities

Plant adaptations

Students are introduced to the diversity of plants found in the Sydney sandstone forest ecosystem. Using field guides and scientific tools, they identify and examine the structural features of select native plant species. Students use observations and measurements to inform inferences about how these features enable plants to survive in response to selective pressures present in the Sydney sandstone forest ecosystem.

Ecological relationships

Students explore the interconnected nature of the Sydney sandstone forest ecosystem by observing and recording ecological interactions using field journaling techniques. Students use their observations to identify relationships such as predation, competition, mutualism, commensalism, allelopathy and parasitism.

Tree distribution and abundance

Students use transect sampling to investigate the distribution and abundance of trees and habitat features. They consider whether large, climbable trees are available throughout the site to provide basking, shelter, feeding and movement opportunities for lace monitors.

Biotic and abiotic habitat survey

Students use fieldwork instruments to measure environmental variables and habitat features associated with lace monitor habitat suitability. Data collected may include tree height, leaf litter cover, animal diversity, termite nests, logs, tree hollows, rock availability, aspect, temperature, light intensity, soil moisture and soil pH. Students use this data to assess habitat suitability and identify factors that may influence species distribution.

Worksheet and supporting resources

Worksheet	Worksheet coming soon. Schools are responsible for printing student worksheets.
Supporting resources	Fieldwork techniques Fact sheets - information about local plants, animals and environments Additional supporting resources coming soon. Resources may include pre-fieldwork learning activities, species and ecosystem information, and data-processing templates.

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Ecosystem dynamics excursion to support ecological sampling, habitat suitability and lace monitor case study investigations.

• ⁠Reptiles fact sheet – Learn about reptile groups, including monitors, and their adaptations, habitats and ecosystem roles.
• ⁠Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet – Explore the forest ecosystem students investigate when comparing habitat suitability.
• ⁠Rock and log habitats fact sheet – Learn how rocks, logs, crevices and dead wood provide shelter, basking sites and food-web habitat.
• ⁠Tree habitats fact sheet – Discover how trees provide climbing routes, hollows, shelter, prey habitat and nesting places.
• ⁠Invertebrate fact sheets – Explore small animals that form part of food webs and help indicate habitat conditions.
• ⁠Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet – Learn about the reserve environment used for ecosystem dynamics fieldwork and habitat comparison.

Suggested timetable

Time	Activities
9.45 - 10.15	Introduction and fieldwork preparation Food break and toilets
10.15 - 11.45	Fieldwork activity 1 and 2
11.45 - 12.15	Food break and toilets
12.15 - 1.45	Fieldwork activity 3 and 4
1.45 - 2.00	Conclusion
2.00 - 2.15	Pack up and depart

Syllabus outcomes and content

Biology 11–12 Syllabus (2025)

Evolution and ecosystems

Outcomes

A student:

• BI-11WS-03 conducts scientific investigations to collect data and information
• BI-11WS-04 selects and processes qualitative and quantitative data and information
• BI-11WS-05 analyses and evaluates primary and secondary data and information
• BI-11WS-07 communicates scientific arguments using evidence, scientific language and terminology for a specific audience
• BI-11-03 analyses the relationships between organisms and their environment using the theory of evolution by natural selection

Content

Natural selection

• Use examples to demonstrate how abiotic and biotic factors exert selective pressures on populations

Evolution and adaptations

• Use plant and animal examples to explain how structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations shaped by evolution enable survival in their environment

Ecosystem dynamics

• Conduct a practical investigation to collect and analyse abiotic and biotic data, to discuss the features of an ecosystem
• Explain how abiotic and biotic factors influence the abundance, distribution and diversity of species in an ecosystem
• Conduct a practical investigation to examine the distribution and abundance of a plant or animal using belt transect, line transect or quadrat sampling techniques
• Use examples to determine relationships between organisms, including predation, competition, mutualism, commensalism, allelopathy and parasitism
• Evaluate the validity, reliability and accuracy of ecological sampling data when drawing conclusions about ecosystem dynamics

Biology 11–12 Syllabus© NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.