WHAT MAKES UP AN ECOSYSTEM?
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Imagine yourself on a camping trip. You are lying in your sleeping bag staring at
the stars and listening to the sounds of nature around you. One of the most
recognizable sounds is that of the mysterious owl. You wonder to yourself, “Why
don’t I ever hear owls during the day? What is it about the owl and its habitat that
makes its presence known during the night?” Owls, as with any organisms, interact
with their environment in many ways. Everything that surrounds a living thing
makes up its environment. Living things are affected by their environment and
living things also have an affect on their environment as well. The study of living things and their
environments is the science of ecology. Ecologists study relationships among living and nonliving
things in their environments. In this investigation, you will identify living and nonliving parts of an
environment and how they interact to create an ecosystem.
Objective
When you have completed this investigation, you should be able to
1.
identify factors in an environment in order to explain how they interact within an ecosystem.
Activity A: What Do You Think?
1.
Reread the introduction and highlight the definition for ecology.
2.
Explain how ecology is important to your study of the owl. Use prior knowledge to help with
your explanation.
Ecology is important in our study of owls because we need to know how
they interact with their environment.
Activity B: Identifying Biotic and Abiotic Factors of an Ecosystem.
3.
Read pages 6 – 11 in Prentice Hall Science Explorer: Environmental Science.
4.
Complete the outline “Living Things and Their Environment” as you read pages 6 – 11.
Activity C: Check for Understanding
5.
Identify each of the following as either a biotic or an abiotic factor. Use information from the text
to help identify each factor.
_______ a. tree
________ b. rocks
________ c. carbon dioxide
_______ d. water
6.
________ e. frogs
________ d. butterfly
Identify the following as a habitat, population, or community.
___________________ a.
Owls seek food, water, and shelter within the forest.
___________________ b.
The forest is home to owls, voles, and mice.
___________________ c.
Within the forest there are thousands of mice.
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Analysis
1.
Read “Interactions in an Ecosystem”
INTERACTIONS IN AN ECOSYSTEM
In a meadow ecosystem, sunlight falls on the leaves of a plant as roots absorb rainwater
from the soil. Structures in the leaves of the plant capture the sunlight’s energy and use it
and the water to make food in a process called photosynthesis. At the same time, an aphid, a
tiny insect, crawls along the leaves of the plant and begins to suck up the plant’s rich sap.
Suddenly, a hungry ant scurries along the leaf toward the aphid. Is the aphid doomed to end
up as the ant’s lunch? No! When the ant reaches the aphid, the ant begins to stroke the
smaller insect with its feelers. The aphid responds by releasing a drop of a sugary substance
called honeydew. The ant eats the honeydew. Then, the ant gently picks up the aphid in its
jaws and carries it to another leaf.
Adapted from Prentice Hall Science: Ecology: Earth’s Living Resources
2.
Identify an abiotic factor from the reading and explain how the removal of that factor would affect
other biotic and/or abiotic factors in the ecosystem. Provided evidence from your investigation to
support your response.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
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Journal Entry: Write a poem that describes the relationship between the owl
and four factors in its ecosystem. Be sure to include both biotic and abiotic
factors in your poem.
Tree
Soil
snakes
Mice
wood
temperature
Chipmunks
nest
sunlight
Water
other owls
Air
fish
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LIVING THINGS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
I. Ecosystem
A. Definition: all living and nonliving things that interact in a
particular area
II. Habitat
A. Definition: the place where an organism lives that provides
food, water, shelter, and other needs
B. Examples
1. forest floor
2. tropical rain forest
3. tree trunks
5. damp soil
4. rocky ocean shore
III. Biotic Factors
A. Definition: the living parts of an ecosystem
B. Examples
1. animals
3. plants
2. fungi
4. bacteria
C. Importance to ecosystem
1. provide food and nutrients
2. breaks down dead matter and keeps the soil rich
THE BACK!
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IV. Abiotic Factors
A. Definition: nonliving parts of an ecosystem
B. Types of abiotic factors
1. temperature
2. oxygen
3. sunlight
4. soil
5. water
V. Populations
A. Definition: all the members of one species in a particular
area
B. Examples
1. pigeons in New York City
2. daisies in a field
3. prairie dogs in Texas
4. alligators in Florida
VI. Communities
A. Definition: all of the different populations that live together
in an area
B. Examples
1. prairie dogs, burrowing owls and black-footed ferrets living
in the tunnels and surrounding areas
2. pond community
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