Ecosystems: Everything is
Connected
Dead leaf falls from a tree into a stream
Bacteria and fungi start to eat the leaf
Insects will start to physically break down the
leaf
Motion of stream will also break down the leaf
Caddisflies will catch and eat the pieces
Algae and river plants will also eat the leaf
Predator insects eat insects that ate the leaf
Birds will eat the predator insects
While nesting in trees, these birds excrete
droppings that provide nutrients that can be
used by the tree to form a new leaf.
What is an Ecosystem?
Def: all the organisms living in an area together
with their physical environment.
Examples
An Oak forest in NE Pennsylvania
A coral reef in the Pacific Ocean
Coral Reef
Oak Forest
Vacant Lot
Components of an
Ecosystem
Biotic and Abiotic factors
Organisms
Populations
Communities
Ecosytem
Def: All the living and nonliving things in an area
Biotic Factors
Biotic Factors:
The living parts & ONCE living parts of an
ecosytems
Includes all the Plants and animals
Biotic Factors
Include:
Dead Organisms
Dead parts of an organism
Leaves
An organism’s waste products
Abiotic Factors
Def: The non-living parts of an ecosystem
Includes:
Air
Water
Rocks
Sand
Light
Temperature
What’s in an Ecosystem?
All the living and nonliving things in an
ecosystem
Examples:
Garden
Log
Garden
Log
Rainforest
Rain
Rocks
Tree Frog
Monkey Poop
Human Tourist
Dead Toucan bird
Spider Monkey
Waterfall
Soil
Sunlight
Moist Air
Dead branch
Rainforest
Rain
Rocks
Tree Frog
Monkey Poop
Human Tourist
Dead Toucan bird
Spider Monkey
Waterfall
Soil
Sunlight
Moist Air
Dead branch
Desert
Sand
Urine
Cactus
Clouds
Gila Monster
Temperature
Mountain
Hair
Moonlight
Gravel
Dead Rattlesnakes
Desert
Sand
Urine
Cactus
Clouds
Gila Monster
Temperature
Mountain
Hair
Moonlight
Gravel
Dead Rattlesnakes
Activity
Pick two ecosystems to compare and contrast.
Find the similarities and differences between
abiotic and biotic factors in your two
ecosystems
Time: 4 minutes
Drill Time!
Complete Homework #5 on page 11
Independent, silent work
Time: 4 minutes
Biodiversity
Def: The variety of living things in an ecosystem
Types of Biodiversity
High Biodiversity
Low Biodiversity
• An ecosystem that has a
large variety of plants
and animals
• An ecosystem that has
very few different plants
and animals
• Think: Different
• Think: Same
High or Low Biodiversity?
Over 1,00 species of insects live in just one kind
of rainforest tree, and the rainforest contains
over 250,000 different kinds of plants
High or Low Biodiversity
Many plants and animals have difficulty
surviving in the scorching heat of the desert
High or Low Biodiversity
Wetlands support a wide variety of species.
Plant life flourishes in the wetlands
Drill Time
Complete Practice #6 and Homework #6
Low volume group work
Time: 4 minutes
Bill Nye the Science Guy
A short video (23 minutes) on biodiversity
Fill out video worksheet slip
Don’t forget your NAME!!