Ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
• An ecosystem is made up of all the living and
the nonliving things in an area and how those
living and nonliving things interact with each
other.
• Ecosystems come in a variety of sizes. They
can be as small as a puddle or as large as a
continent.
• Ecosystems are ever-changing and
interdependent.
So what are living and nonliving
things?
• Ecosystems are made up of both living and
nonliving factors.
• Living factors are called biotic factors and
include animals, plants, fungi, protists and
bacteria.
• Nonliving factors are called abiotic factors.
Abiotic factors are water, minerals, sunlight,
air, climate, and soil.
So what do biotic and abiotic factors
mean to an ecosystem?
• Biotic and abiotic factors define what an
ecosystem will look like, feel like, and what
kinds of organisms can live there.
• Organisms rely on the factors for survival.
• Light, temperature, water, soil, space for
shelter, reproduction, food sources will all
determine what kinds of organisms can live in
an ecosystem. All organisms rely on these
factors for survival.
We all gotta eat.
• It’s a fact of life that all living things need energy to survive.
• Some organisms eat plants to obtain the energy their bodies need
to survive. These organisms are called herbivores. Search on the
internet and find twenty types of herbivores.
• Some living things hunt other living things to survive. These
creatures are called carnivores. Search on the internet and find
twenty types of carnivores.
• Some eat both plants and other animals and are called omnivores.
Search on the internet and find twenty types of omnivores.
• Some living things feed off the remains of dead plants and animals.
These are called scavengers. Find twenty types of plant or animal
scavengers on the internet.
• Turn the four lists in to your drawer.
Producers, Consumers, and
Decomposers
• Producers are organisms such as plants that convert
the sun’s energy to supply the fuel the organism needs
to survive. Producers convert the energy from the sun
to energy for themselves through photosynthesis.
• Consumers are organisms that eat plants and/or other
animals for survival.
• Decomposers are organisms that break down dead
plants and animals. These organisms cycle carbon
from organic matter back into the soil. This makes the
soil more have more nutrients for the producers.
Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
Game
• Go to http://sciencebitz.com/?page_id=1202
and read about producers, consumers and
decomposers. Take notes in your notebook.
• Go to
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/a
nimals/kidscorner/games/producersconsumer
sgame.htm
• Play the game a few times until you get them
all correct.
So, how do these producers, consumers,
and decomposers work together?
• Producers, consumers and decomposers work
rely on each other for survival. They form a
chain which links them together. If one part of
the chain is broken, the whole system is
interrupted.
• We call this system a food chain and it is made
up of producers, consumers and decomposers
– the abiotic factors in an environment.
How does the food chain actually
work?
• A food chain is the path of energy in food from one
organism to another.
• The producers (mostly plants) grow and become food
for the consumers. The consumers eat the producers
and some consumers eat other consumers. The
decomposers break down dead matter (plant and
animal) and return nutrients to the soil which helps the
producers grow. Those worms in your yard have a very
important job!
• All food can be traced back to plants!
• If one part of this chain is broken, the whole chain is
disrupted.
Food Webs
• A food web is overlapping food chains.
Competition for food causes food chains to
overlap. It shows how one population can be
part of more than one food chain and how
each population in a community relates to all
the other populations.
It’s always changing
• Remember that ecosystems are always
changing. Some changes are good for some
organisms and bad for other organisms.
• When physical factors (light, temperature,
water, soil, shelter space, food source)
changes some organisms survive, others move
to new locations, others move in to the
transformed (changed) environment, and
some die.
Think about it.
• On a sheet of paper, describe what would
happen if there was a drought and there was a
decrease in the population of the producers.
Be sure to explain what would happen to both
the consumers and the decomposers.
• If plants or prey (hunted animals) become
scarce, their predators may move to a new
area. What will happen to the ecosystem the
predators move into?
Food Chain Game
• Go to
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/f
rogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm and play the
game.
• Take notes of what you learn about food
chains in your notebook.
Habitat Game
• In pairs, you will play the Habitat Game.
Think about it.
• On a sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
• Put these organisms in order in a food chain: frog, snake, algae, snail.
• What type of organism (producer, consumer, or decomposer) are most
plants?
• What type of organism cycles carbon from organic matter back into the
soil?
• In a forest ecosystem, a food chain might look like this. Green plants –
rabbits – coyotes – mountain lions If the green plants are destroyed in a
forest fire, what would be the effect on the organisms in the food chain?
• A grassland food chain might look like this:
grass – mouse – snake – hawk
If all the snakes are removed from the ecosystem, how will this affect the
populations of hawks and mice?
• A tropical rainforest supports a wide variety of plants. What does the
ecosystem gain by having a wide variety of producers?
Two Major Types
• There are two major types of ecosystems.
1. Terrestrial: Terrestrial ecosystems are land
based ecosystems.
2. Aquatic: Aquatic ecosystems are water
based ecosystems.
What are the different types of
ecosystems?
• Your world is divided into 6 major kinds of
terrestrial ecosystems. These 6 kinds of
ecosystems are called biomes.
1. Desert
2. Tundra
3. Grassland
4. Deciduous Forest
5. Taiga
6. Tropical Rain Forest
Desert: Land of Little Rain
Where are deserts located and how
much rain do they get?
• Of all the biomes in the world, the desert
biome has the driest climate.
• Desert biomes are found at middle latitudes.
• The largest deserts are found in North Africa,
southwestern North America, the Middle East,
and Australia.
• Rainfall in the desert often totals only a few
inches a year and in some regions, there is no
rainfall at all!
What is desert soil like?
• Desert soils are often salty because what little
rain that does fall is immediately evaporated,
leaving salt and other minerals behind.
Desert Plants
• Since rainfall is so scarce, plants in the desert
are drought-tolerant. This means they can
survive without water for long periods of time.
Desert plants usually have waxy leaves, large
root systems and water storage systems.
These adaptations help desert plants cope
with not having much water.
• Desert plants include cacti, yucca, bunch
grass, shrubs, and very few trees.
Desert Plants
Desert Animals
• The animals that live in the desert have special
adaptations too. These adaptations help them survive
with little or no readily available water. Many desert
animals are light-colored. The desert animals use this
light-coloring to help camouflage them from predators.
Desert animals are also more active at night and
around dawn and dusk. This allows them to escape the
scorching heat during the day. During the day, desert
animals often lay in burrows or under rocks.
• Desert animals include rodents, snakes, lizards,
tortoises, insects, and some birds. Camels, gazelles,
antelope, small foxes, gerbils, and kangaroo also live in
the desert.
Desert Animals
Desert Animals
Tundra: The Frozen Praire
Where are tundras located and what is
the climate like?
• Tundra biomes are found in the high northern
latitudes of the earth. They are found only in
the Antartic.
• A tundra biome has very cold, harsh, long
winters. Temperatures here often reach about
-50 degrees F!
• The summer in a tundra biome is very short
and the temperatures are cool.
What is the soil like in a tundra biome?
• Their soil is poor in nutrients. The top few
inches of soil are always frozen. This is called
permafrost.
Tundra Plants
• Because of the very cold conditions, it is
impossible for trees to grow in the tundra.
• Plants in the tundra are grasses, wildflowers,
mosses, and small shrubs.
Tundra Plants
Tundra Animals
• Even though it is so cold in the tundra, many
animals have adaptations to help them survive in
the cold climate.
• Animals in the tundra usually have very thick fur
to help keep them warm. Animals where the
land is covered with ice are often white. This
helps them to blend in with their surroundings so
they can hunt easier and hide from predators.
• Animals in the tundra include: caribou, artic
hare, mink, weasel, wolf, brown bear, reindeer,
hawks, polar bear, walrus, arctic fox.
Tundra Animals
Tundra Animals