Ecosystems
Learning Intention:
• All living things are dependent on each
other and the environment around them
Success Criteria:
• Define biosphere, ecosystem, biotic,
abiotic, habitat, population and
community
• Describe an ecosystem as the interaction
between the abiotic conditions and the
biotic community
• Provide examples of abiotic factors of
various ecosystem
• Provide examples of biotic factors of
various ecosystem
Starter:
In your own words, write a definition
for an ecosystem. Share and discuss
your answer with a partner.
What is an ecosystem?
What
city is
this?
• A biological community of
interacting organisms and their
physical environment.
• A habitat is where the organism
lives.
• A community is many of the
same organisms within a habitat.
Task:
With a partner, discuss your habitat. How
does your habitat influence nearby
ecosystems?
Challenge:
What can we do within our habitat to
become more eco-friendly?
Abiotic Factors
• Non – living, physical factors that
can influence organisms and the
function of its ecosystem.
1. Task:
Make a list of as many abiotic
factors you can think of.
2. Challenge:
What effect can these have on
living organisms?
Abiotic factors
• Task:
Picking 3 of the following factors •
•
•
•
•
•
Fire
Light
Soil
Water
Temperature
Oxygen
• Describe how each of these have
an impact on a particular
ecosystem.
• Challenge:
• Picking 2 of the following
organisms:
•
•
•
•
Mosquito
Snake
shark
Polar bear
Compare how each are adapted to
their habitat and describe the impact
they have on their ecosystem.
Biotic Factors and types of Relationships
• Living things that shape an
ecosystem. Examples include
animals, plants, fungi and bacteria.
• Task:
List as many biotic factors which
can be found within your
community.
• Challenge:
Explain how these factors impact
its ecosystem.
Competition
• When organisms compete for
the same resource, which may
be in limited amounts.
• Can occur between different
species and members of the
same species.
• Task:
Discuss 1 example with a partner
of a form of competition in both
your ecosystem and a
contrasting one.
Predation
• When one organism kills and
eats another, the attacker is
called a predator and the one
being eaten is called the prey.
• Task:
List 3 ways in which a
predator/prey relationship can
affect a particular ecosystem.
Mutualism
• A relationship where two
organisms live closely together
and both benefit.
• Task:
Think of 1 example of how
mutualism may occur in both
your ecosystem and a
contrasting one.
Parasitism
• A relationship where one organism
benefits from the relationship and the
other is harmed.
• The parasite lives on or in another
organism, known as the host, and feeds
off it.
• Task:
Think of 1 example of how parasitism
may occur in both your ecosystem and a
contrasting one.
• Challenge:
Malaria is caused by a parasite called
plasmodium which is spread through
mosquitos. Explain how a person may
be diagnosed with malaria and how
could we prevent this?
Commensalism
• A relationship in which one
organism benefits and the other
is unaffected.
• An example of this is the
relationship between a whale
and the barnacles it carries.
• Task:
Explain how this image is an
example of commensalism.