The takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is an endangered species and classed as nationally vulnerable under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. The takahē is a flightless bird found only in New Zealand. It was presumed extinct in 1898 but rediscovered by Dr Geoffrey Orbell and his team in a remote valley in the Murchison Mountains in 1948. The takahē and its habitat have been widely researched, which is key to supporting the recovery of the population.
Identifying abiotic and biotic factors and exploring the interrelationships between them provides important data for the Takahē Recovery Programme.
In this activity, students identify the abiotic and biotic factors associated with the Murchison Mountains environment and the wild takahē population.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- identify abiotic and biotic factors
- group the biotic factors into four categories – producers, consumers, decomposers and environment.
Download the Word file (see link below).
