Ecosystems
and
Biomes
Science Block A
Ecosystem
 An
ecosystem is all the living and non
living things in an environment.
 2 main types
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Terrestrial ecosystems- land-based
ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystem – water-based
ecosystem
Ecosystem
 They
contain living things that interact
with each other.
 This includes how the plants and animals
interact with their non-living environment.
 Ecosystems can be large like the Pacific
Ocean or as small as a Puddle.
Biomes
 Biomes
are large areas that have similar
plants, animals, and other organisms.
 Organisms are living things that can work
independently.
 Biomes are large ecosystems where
plants, animals, people, and insects live in
a certain type of climate.
Types of Biomes
 There
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are two types of Biomes:
Land
Water
Let’s Review
 http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjam
s/jams/science/ecosystems/biomes.htm
Deserts
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An area where little or no life exists because
of a lack of water.
soil and air are dry
little rain
sun shines most of the time
temperature hot in day and can be freezing
at night
few plants: cactus and bushes
snakes, lizards, few mammals like rabbits
Desert
 Deserts
are the driest places on Earth.
 Plants that are in the desert have to
survive on very little rain.
 Example:
Cactus
 https://jr.brainpop.com/science/habitats/des
ert/
Grasslands
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Grasslands are areas that are covered with
grass and very few tress.
They are also known as prairies (North
America) Savannah (Africa)
Hot summers
Very cold winters.
Have some rain, but not enough for trees to
grow.
Usually flat, with gently rolling hills.
Plants have long slender leaves to allow little
water loss.
Grasslands
Grasslands
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/eart
hsystem/savanna/
Taiga
 Taiga
or Boreal Forest
 Largest terrestrial biome
 evergreen trees: firs and pines
 long winters
 floor has dead dry needles and mosses
 animals: mostly birds, insects, bears, lynx
 hold water to create a bog(swamp)
Taiga
Taiga
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/eart
hsystem/taiga/preview.weml
Tundra
 low
temperatures
 long winters
 no trees
 permafrost: layer of permanently frozen
soil
 strong winds
 few small plants grow: lichens and moss
 animals: birds, caribou, ox
Tundra
Tundra
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/eart
hsystem/tundra/preview.weml
Aquatic Biomes
 All
aquatic ecosystems include large
amounts of fresh water or salt water.
 Oceans
 Lakes
 Ponds
 Rivers
 Oceans
 estuaries
Aquatic Biomes
 http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjam
s/jams/science/ecosystems/aquaticecosystems.htm
Ponds
 Ponds
are smaller bodies of freshwater
that are surrounded by land.
 Ponds are shallower than lakes.
 Plants and algae grow along the edges
where the water is the shallowest.
 Home to: snails, frogs, turtles, ducks,
beavers and fish.
Lakes
 Large
bodies of freshwater surrounded by
land.
 Lake Norman
 Fish such as catfish, bass and trout.
Oceans
 Large
body of salt water.
 Divided by continents.
 Most organisms live near the shore where
the water is shallow.
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/eart
hsystem/oceans/
Estuary
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Body of water in which freshwater from rivers
meets and mixes with salt water from oceans.
Is affected by tides.
Tide= rise or fall of ocean water.
A high tide causes more salt water to flow into an
estuary.
Low tide causes salt water to flow out.
Animals must be able to live in different amounts
of salt throughout the day.
The freshwater that mixes with the salt water is full
of nutrients.
The water is Brackish= mix of salt and fresh water.
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
 Biotic
factors are all of the living organisms
in an ecosystem.

Examples: plants, animals, fungi, etc.
 Abiotic
factors are all of the nonliving
organisms in an ecosystem.
 Biotic and Abiotic factors depend on
each other for survival in an ecosystem.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
 http://study.com/academy/lesson/abioti
c-factors-of-an-ecosystem-definitionexamples-quiz.html
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
 http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/l
sps07_int_ecosystem/
Producers
A
Producer is a living thing that makes its
own food.
 Plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees are
examples of producers.
 Other examples include algae and
bacteria.
 Plants use the energy in sunlight to make
or produce their own food.
Consumers
 Animals
and people can’t produce their
own food.
 A Consumer is a living thing that gets
energy by eating other living things.
 All animals are consumers.
Consumers
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There are three types of consumers
Herbivores: consumers that eat only or mostly
plants.
Mice, rabbits, deer, and insects.
Carnivores: consumers that eat only or mostly
animals.
Sharks, walruses, cats, lions, foxes
Omnivores: consumers that eat both plants and
animals.
Pigs, bears, raccoons, and humans.
Decomposers
 Living
things give off waste material.
 A decomposer is a living thing that gets
energy by breaking down wastes and
dead plants and animals.
 Decomposers break the material down
into simpler materials which become part
of the soil that helps plants grow.
 Examples: bacteria and fungi such as
mushrooms.
The Flow of Energy in
Ecosystems
 http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjam
s/jams/science/ecosystems/foodchains.htm
Food Chains
A
food chain is a model that shows the
path of energy from one living thing to the
next.
Food Chains
 If
one kind of organism is removed from
this food chain, all the other organisms in
the food chain will be affected.
Food Web
A
food chain shows the flow of energy
from one living thing to the next.
 Several food chains connect to form a
food web.
 http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjam
s/jams/science/ecosystems/foodwebs.htm
Energy Pyramids
 Energy
moves through ecosystems.
 It goes from small animals to big animals
to the biggest animals.
 As each animal eats it stores only the
energy it gets from the plant or animal it
eats.
 The bottom level always contains
producers and holds the most energy.
Energy Pyramid
 Each
higher level contains less energy
and fewer living things.
 The carnivores are at the top of the
energy pyramid and contain least
amount of energy.
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/ener
gy/energypyramid/preview.weml
Energy Pyramids
Each level is reduced
by 10 %.
How do organisms compete
for and share resources?
Competition
 Competition=
contest among organisms
for resources.
 All organisms compete in a community for
the resources they need.
 Animals compete for food, water, and
shelter.
 Plants compete for food and sunlight.
Examples of Competition
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Animals may use camouflage to help them
sneak up on animals they hunt. This helps
them compete for the limited food resources.
Camouflage= body color or patterns to help
them blend in with their environment.
A cheetah’s speed allows it to hunt and
capture it’s prey.
Hunting in a pack helps animals compete
with other animals to get their food.
Competition helps animals survive in it’s
environment.
Symbiosis
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Symbiosis = a long term relationship between
two different organisms.
Symbiosis may benefit both organisms which is
called mutualism.
For example, a cleaner fish picks bits of food
out from shark’s teeth. The cleaner fish gets
food while the shark gets it’s teeth cleaned.
Another example is the relationship between
flowers and bees.
Flowers produces nectar that bees eat and
while the bees eat they pollinate the flowers.
Symbiosis
 https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecol
ogyandbehavior/symbiosis/preview.weml
 http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0776
202.html
Instinct and Learned Behaviors
Instinct
 An
instinct is a behavior that an organism
inherits.
 Examples of this include migration,
hibernation, building shelters, and hunting
prey.
 When Canada geese fly south for winter,
it is an instinct.
 Birds instinctively build nests.
Learned Behavior
 Learned
behaviors are behaviors that
they learn from their parents.
 These are not inherited.
 A dog learning to shake and roll over are
examples of learned behaviors.
Inherited Traits
A
trait is a quality or characteristics of a
living thing.
 A behavior is a way in which a living thing
acts or responds to its surroundings.
 You inherited you’re the color of your eyes
and hair, the shape of your nose and
having too arms.
 If you can roll your tongue you were born
with this trait.
Inherited Traits
 These
traits are passed from parents to
offspring.
 Plants inherit ways of responding to their
surrounding such as roots grow down and
toward water. Stems grow up toward the
sun.
Acquired Traits
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Not all traits are inherited.
An acquired trait is a characteristic that a
living thing gets during its lifetime.
Acquire=to get
A scar is a physical trait that is acquired.
Many acquired traits are learned behaviors.
Example: young chimpanzees learn to use
sticks as tools to get food.
You were not born knowing how to speak or
read a book.
Inherited Traits and Acquired
Traits
Inherited Traits
Acquired Traits
A girl has brown eyes.
A girl can speak Spanish.
A boy has long fingers.
A boy knows how to play
the piano.
A plant has red flowers.
A plant’s leaves have spots
from a disease.
A bird knows how to build a
nest.
A bird knows where to find a
feeder.
A tree has large, round
leaves.
A tree’s trunk is bent by the
wind.
A dog has curly fur.
A dog knows how to fetch
on command.