Wildlife Biology Class 1 Exercise: Exploring an Ecosystem
NAME: MASTER NOTES
DEFINE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Biome- a collection of ecosystems that have similar characteristics, including biotic and abiotic features.
2. Ecosystem- the communities of all living species in an environment and includes the physical environment that
surrounds it (biotic and abiotic features).
What is the difference between an ecosystem and biome? A biome is a collection of ecosystems. Ecosystems can
be geographically different but share similar characteristics of one biome.
3. Community- all the living animals, plants, and wildlife in an ecosystem.
4. Species- one of a basic type of individual in a population (Example: Grey squirrels are a species of squirrel).
5. Species Richness- The number of species in a community (how many species of deer, foxes, squirrels, rabbits,
etc. that you have).
6. Population- All of the individuals of a particular species in a given area (example, 15 cotton tail rabbits).
7. Species Diversity- the number of species in an area and how they are spread out (Example: There are two
species of rabbits found mostly on the Contee Farm, one species of fox found along the shores of the Rhode
River, and 15 species of amphibians found by the Beaver pond at SERC).
USE THE VOCABULARY ABOVE AND WRITE THE WORD THAT IS DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE:
A. I have 10 ground squirrels living in my neighborhood: This is an example of : _______ (Population)
B. In the eastern deciduous forest of the Rhode River there are 5 species of rodent including chipmunks, grey
squirrels, meadow voles, field mice, and shrews: This is an example of : ____ (Species Richness)
C. At SERC the population of scarlet tanagers (a type of bird) are all located on the Java history trail, hooded
warblers are evenly distributed on the Java Trail and Discovery Trail, and Bluebirds are mostly on the Contee
Farm: This is an example of : ________ (Species Diversity)
D. A wildlife biologist did a survey behind the Reed Education Center and currently there are 22 species of
deciduous trees, 5 species of evergreens, 20 species of grasses and herbaceous plants, 5 species of rodents, 20
species of birds, 3 species of carnivores, and 120 species of invertebrates. This is an example of :
______________ (a Community)
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR TERRESTRIAL BIOMES OF THE WORLD?
1.
Tropical Rain Forest
2.
Tropical Dry Forest
3.
Temperate Forest
4.
Tropical Savannah (Grassland)
5. Desert
6. Temperate Grassland
7. Temperate Woodland and Shrubland (West Coast Mtns.)
8.
Coniferous Forests
9.
Boreal Forests
10. Tundra
11. Ice Caps and Mountain Peaks