ECOLOGY UNIT:
* Describing Ecosystems*
Layers of the Atmosphere
Biosphere: part of the planet including water, land
and air where LIFE exists
Atmosphere: layer of gases that surrounds earth.
Ex: H2O, CO2, O2, O3
Lithosphere: Earth’s solid outer layer, including
crust, mantle. Extends 100 km down from surface
and includes soil
Hydrosphere: all the water on Earth. 97% is salt
water in earth’s oceans. 3% is freshwater in lakes
and streams.
What is an Ecosystem?
A set of complex interactions between living and nonliving things within a certain physical environment of
the biosphere.
WHAT DO ECOSYSTEMS
CONSIST OF?
•BIOTIC factors
•ABIOTIC factors
BIOTIC FACTORS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“living” components of ecosystems
Have the 5 characteristics of Life
For ex:
Plants
Animals
Fungi
Bacteria
Viruses
BIOTIC COMPONENTS
1) AUTOTROPHS (also known as
PRODUCERS)
–Organisms that get their
energy from nonliving sources
(sun, organic matter)
–can make their own food.
–Plants, some types of bacteria
BIOTIC COMPONENTS
continued…
2)HETEROTROPHS
(also known as
CONSUMERS)
–Organisms that
get their energy
from other living
things
–Animals, insects,
fungi, bacteria
FIVE main Types of Consumers:
Scavenger
EXAMPLES OF CONSUMERS
• Carnivore: An organism that only eats
other ANIMALS
• Omnivore: An organism that eats plants
AND animals.
• Herbivore: An organism that only eats
only PLANTS.
• Scavenger:An organism that feeds on
dead prey killed by other animals.
• Decomposer: An organism that breaks
down decaying organisms or wastes
from organisms into elements such as
carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.
ABIOTIC FACTORS
never living factors
examples:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
rocks
water
air
sunlight
nutrients
weather patterns
temperature
soil
humidity
salt concentration
YOUR TASK!
• Draw a VENN DIAGRAM
• In one circle list abiotic factors
and in the other list biotic
factors
ITEMS for your VENN DIAGRAM
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Snail
Steak
Pork Chops
Salad
Bread
Plant
Hair
Matter
Finger Nails
Pipe
Cotton Fabric
Wool
Gold
Plastic
Grapes
Air
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Whale
Digital Clock
Energy
Water
Fish
Paper
Glass
Aluminum
Wooden Ruler
Sand
Clouds
Corpse
Molecules and Atoms
ITEMS for your VENN DIAGRAM
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Snail B
Steak B
Pork Chops B
Salad B
Bread B
Plant B
Hair B
Matter BOTH
Finger Nails B
Pipe AB
Cotton Fabric B
Wool B
Gold AB
Plastic AB
Grapes B
Air AB
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Whale B
Digital Clock AB
Energy AB
Water AB
Fish B
Paper B
Glass AB
Aluminum AB
Wooden Ruler B
Sand AB
Clouds AB
Corpse B
Molecules and Atoms
BOTH
ECOLOGICAL
ORGANIZATION
1. Individual/organism
2.Species
3.Population
4.Community
5.Ecosystem
6.Biome
1) Individual/Organism:
- Anything that can independently carry out life
processes (Ex: a flower, a person, a dog, etc)
2) Species:
- A group of SIMILAR organisms in an ecosystem
that can reproduce with each other AND their
offspring can reproduce
Ex: grey squirrels mate can not mate with red
squirrels
3) Population:
A group of members of the same species
that live in the same
physical environment or habitat
Ex: A group of grey squirrels living in the
same forest
4) Community:
A group of populations of different
species that live and interact in an area.
Ex: A park contains populations of
squirrels, robins, trees and shrubs
5) Ecosystem:
The interactions of different populations
with the non-living factors in the
environment.
Ex: A park contains squirrels, robins, trees,
shrubs, sunlight, air, a pond
What are examples of Ecosystems?
Swamps
Forests
Mountain Valleys
Ecosystem in a Jar
6) BIOMES
• A large geographic area that contains MANY
similar types of ecosystems.
• Biomes are usually known by the types of
vegetation that grows in them.
• There are two types of biomes:
• 1. TERRESTRIAL on land; there are 5 in
Canada
• 2. AQUATIC  in water; there are 2 in Canada
Terrestrial Biomes
1) Deciduous forests: made up of trees that
lose their leaves in winter.
- Found mostly in Eastern and Central Canada
Terrestrial Biomes
2) Boreal forests: Biomes that are dominated by
conifers (trees with needle-shaped leaves, ex: pine
trees).
-Found in every province and make up about 80% of
the forested areas of Canada
Terrestrial Biomes
3) Grasslands: areas that are covered with
different grasses, they have a rich, fertile soil.
- Extends from eastern Manitoba to the Rocky
mountains
Terrestrial Biomes
4) Tundra: a biome that has no trees, only small
shrubs, grass, moss and lichen.
- Tundras exist in northern Canada
Terrestrial Biomes
5) Temperate coniferous
forests:
- In most temperate
coniferous forests,
evergreen conifers
predominate
- There are some that
have a mix of conifers and
evergreen and/or
deciduous trees
Aquatic Biomes
1) Marine: found in oceans.
Ex: Coral reefs, ocean floor, open ocean
Aquatic Biomes
2) Freshwater: are areas that
have lakes, rivers or streams.