Ecosystems
of the
World
Desert
Desert
Landscape: rocky and sandy
Climate: hot and dry
Dominant plant life: cactus, small shrubs
Dominant animal life: reptiles, birds, rodents, sheep
Main feature: dry
Tundra
TUNDRA
Landscape: treeless plain
Climate: extremely cold and dry
Dominant plant life: small grasses, shrubs
Dominant animal life: caribou, birds, fox, owls, lemmings
Main feature: frozen soil most of the year
Temperate
Deciduous
Forest
Temperate Deciduous forest
Landscape: deciduous trees
Climate: wet and moderate temperature
Dominant plant life: deciduous trees, ferns, mosses
Dominant animal life: squirrels, birds, deer, fox, raccoon, insects
TROPICAL
Rain Forest
Tropical rain forest
Landscape: trees – near equator
Climate: hot and very wet
Dominant plant life: large trees, vines
Dominant animal life: monkeys, insects, mammals,
frogs, birds, reptiles
Chaparral
chaparral
Landscape: dirt, shrubs
Climate: dry, hot summers, cool, wet winters
Dominant plant life: shrubs, small grasses
Dominant animal life: owls, chipmunks, lizards
grassland
grassland
Landscape: plains
Climate: dry, warm
Dominant plant life: grasses
Dominant animal life: grazing animals
(cows, antelope, bison), coyotes, squirrels, snakes
Temperate
rain
forest
Temperate rain forest
Landscape: forest
Climate: very wet, moderate temperatures
Dominant plant life: conifer trees, ferns, mosses
Dominant animal life: salmon, deer, arachnids
Taiga
taiga
Landscape: coniferous forest
Climate: long, cold winters, short summers
Dominant plant life: evergreen trees
Dominant animal life: deer, elk, caribou, mountain lions,
wolves, bears, chipmunks, beavers
Wetlands
wetlands
Landscape: shorelines, lagoons, and marshes
Climate: wet, varying temperatures
Dominant plant life: sea grasses, phytoplankton, algae
Dominant animal life: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, insects
Aquatic:
freshwater
Aquatic: freshwater
Feature: fresh (non-salty) water
Dominant plant life: algae, aquatic plants, grasses
Dominant animal life: insects, fish, snails, beaver, birds
Aquatic:
Marine
Aquatic: Marine
Feature: saltwater
Dominant plant life: seaweed, algae, phytoplankton
Dominant animal life: zooplankton, crustaceans, sea creatures, fish
Some things to
know about
ecosystems . . .
An ECOSYSTEM is the
total community of living
organisms in a particular area
plus the nonliving factors of
the environment.
A BIOME includes any ecosystems
found in a regional area. (For
example, one geographic area may
contain a freshwater pond, as well
as wetland swamps, and a
deciduous forest, that all interact
in the given region making up a
biome.)
BIOTIC factors of an ecosystem
are all of its living components.
ABIOTIC factors are the
nonliving components of the
ecosystem.
A TROPHIC LEVEL is the particular place
an organism maintains in a food chain.
A FOOD CHAIN is a simple representation
of the trophic levels in order from producers
through all levels of consumers, then
decomposers.
A FOOD WEB is an illustration of the
complex interrelationships between all
trophic levels where a particular organism
may function in more than one trophic level.
PRODUCERS are the organisms in an
ecosystem that harness energy (usually from
the sun) and make it available as food to . . .
PRIMARY CONSUMERS who get energy by
feeding on producers. They then become a
food source for . . .
SECONDARY CONSUMERS, etc.
DECOMPOSERS break down dead plant and
animal material making the raw materials
available for producers to reuse.
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES function to recycle
nutrients throughout the ecosystem.
Some examples. . .
Plants use Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis and
produce Oxygen. The oxygen is used in animal
respiration and Carbon Dioxide is produced.
Water cycles throughout ecosystems via evaporation,
rain, runoff, etc.
Nitrogen and Carbon are released from dead
organisms by decomposers so that they may be reused
by producers and cycle throughout the food web.
A NICHE is the function a particular
organism performs in a given
ecosystem.
Ecosystems
of the
World
Quiz
Which of the following would NOT be
considered to be a biotic factor of a taiga
ecosystem?
A: bacterial decomposers
B: deer and elk
C: coniferous trees
D: short summers
In an aquatic marine ecosystem a killer whale
feeds on krill (primary consumers), birds (thirdlevel consumers), and penguins (fourth-level
consumers). What would be the best way to
illustrate these relationships?
A: food web
B: food chain
C: photographs
D: phylogenetic tree
Which of the following would not
commonly be found in a desert ecosystem?
A: snake
B: bacteria
C: deciduous tree
D: cactus
A food chain shows
A: the order of trophic levels of a particular
ecosystem from producer to decomposer
B: the complex web of interrelationships
between many trophic levels
C: the development of plants from seed to
adult
D: the organisms that are not found in a
given ecosystem
A trophic level is
A: an organism's place in the food web.
B: an organism's dwelling place in an
ecosystem.
C: an organism's niche in an ecosystem.
D: an aquatic organism's place in the water
column
In which ecosystem would you be most
likely to find a coniferous tree?
A: temperate rain forest
B: tundra
C: aquatic marine
D: desert
Which of the following most accurately describes the
carbon dioxide/oxygen cycle in terrestrial biomes?
A: plants produce oxygen and carbon dioxide that
are used by animals in respiration
B: plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen,
while animals use oxygen and produce carbon
dioxide
C: animals produce carbon dioxide and oxygen
which are used by plants in photosynthesis
D: plants produce carbon dioxide and use oxygen,
while animals produce oxygen and use carbon
dioxide
One abiotic factor of a tropical rain forest
is
A: large vines
B: parrots
C: abundant rain
D: monkeys
One important function of bacteria in an
ecosystem is to
A: build habitats for larger animals
B: kill lethal viruses
C: recycle nitrogen from dead organisms
back into the food web
D: keep populations of large animals in
check
Which of the following would be a
producer in a temperate deciduous forest
ecosystem?
A: snails
B: large deciduous trees
C: insects (such as bees)
D: nutrient-rich soil