Ecosystem Study Guide
Predators depend on other living animals (prey) for food
Herbivores eat only plants; examples include rabbits and deer
Carnivores eat other animals/meat; an example is a lion
Omnivores eat plants and animals; an example is a bear
Energy within an Ecosystem
Decomposers break down dead plants and animals; the material that is broken down makes the soil
more fertile (bacteria, fungi, earthworms, etc)
Producers get their energy from the Sun; without the Sun they wouldn’t be able to provide energy to
other organisms
Some examples of producers include flowers, trees, bushes, fruit, etc
Primary consumers eat producers (cows, horses, etc)
Secondary consumers eat primary consumers
Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers
Food chain- one way organisms get energy from other organisms
Food web- shows how food chains in an ecosystem are connected
Types of Ecosystems
Terrestrial (Land) Ecosystems include Grasslands, Forests, Rainforests, Taiga, Tundra, and Deserts
Grassland- only grass; fertile soil; varying temperatures depending on its location; coyotes, eagles,
bobcats, sunflower, clover, etc
Forest- lots of trees; adequate rainfall; diverse animals like bears, squirrels, deer, owls
Rainforest- lots of rainfall; many trees and plants; medicine and most of the world’s oxygen come from
here; monkeys, macaws, toucans, etc
Taiga- located just below the tundra; warmer than the tundra but still very cold; spruce, fir and pine
trees; bison, porcupine, fox, etc
Tundra- very cold; permafrost on the ground; very small amount of plants; arctic fox, wolves, polar
bears, lichen, moss, etc
Desert- hot and dry; very little rain; cacti, snakes, etc
Aquatic (Water) Ecosystems include Lakes, Ponds, Oceans, Estuaries and Salt Marshes
Lake- fresh water surrounded by land; plant roots CAN’T reach the bottom; temperature difference
between the top and bottom
Pond- fresh water surrounded by land; plant roots CAN reach the bottom; temperature the same from
the top to the bottom
Ocean- covers most of the world; salt water
Estuary- where fresh water and salt water meet; life is influenced by the rise and fall of tides; fish,
shellfish, etc
Salt Marsh- salt water; found near an estuary; crabs, fish, shrimp, etc
Factors Impacting Other Organisms
If one part of the food chain is dying out, it can impact other organisms. For example if a predator starts
to decline, the prey it typically eats will start to increase because they are not being eaten
Another example of this is if the population of a primary consumer starts decreasing, the producers it
eats will increase
If the producers in an ecosystem start to decline, it will impact the entire ecosystem because all of the
energy in the food chain goes back to the producers; primary consumers won’t have anything to eat and
then that impacts secondary consumers