Transcript Ecosystems and Habitats - St. John Fisher College

What is an ecosystem?
• An ecosystem is a dynamic interaction
between plants, animals, microorganisms
and their environment working together
as a functional unit.
• The largest ecosystems are called
biomes.
What makes up an Ecosystem?
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
Non-living
Living
Sunlight
Plants
Temperature
Animals
Precipitation
Water or moisture
Soil
The Six Major Ecosystems; also known as Biomes
These Ecosystems can vary from place to place!
(click on the buttons to learn about each ecosystem)
Temperate Forest
Tropical Rainforest
Desert
Grassland
Tundra
Ocean/Marine
After learning about all of the different ecosystems…take the quiz!
check answers!
Temperate Forest
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Found all over the world
Mainly in the middle latitudes of the Earth
Very seasonal
Can be broken into two different types of forests:
-Deciduous forests: has trees that lose their leaves
-Coniferous forests: mostly pine trees
Click to go back to ecosystems page!
Tropical Rainforest
o Rain forests get 80 inches of rain a year (a lot more
compared to the rest of the world)
o The temperature almost never changes-always warm
and muggy
o Consists of mostly tall trees that block out the sun
and keep other plants from going below them
o The rainforest has different levels where different
animals live. Click here to learn more!
o Thousands of species of plants and animals live in the
rain forest:
-mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, and primates
Click to go back to ecosystems page!
Levels of the Rainforest
o Emergent: giant trees that are much taller than the
average canopy height. Houses many birds and
insects.
o Canopy: The upper parts of trees. The leafy
environment is full of life, including insects, birds,
reptiles, mammals, and more!
o Understory: A dark, cool environment under the
leaves but not on the ground.
o Forest Floor: Lots of animal life, especially insects.
The largest animals in the rainforest usually live here.
Click here to go
back to rainforests
page!
Desert
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Very hot and dry
Get very little rain each year
Made of sand and rocks
Very few clouds over deserts, which makes it very
hot during the day and cold at night
o What can you find in the desert?
Plants, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects
Click here to go back to ecosystems page!
Grasslands
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Fields of grass
Many types of grass
Grasslands make up a lot of the world
Grasslands receive from 10 to 30 inches of rain a
year
o Different types of grasslands
click here to learn about the three types of grasslands
o Many different animals live in grasslands
click here to find out what animals live in grasslands
Click to go back to ecosystems page!
Types of North American Grasslands
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Tall Grass Prairie
-mainly in the eastern portion of the Midwest
-grasses often grow to be 5 feet tall
-average amount of rain is 30 inches
Mixed Grass Prairie
-mainly in the middle part of the Midwest
-grasses grow to be 2 to 3 feet tall
-15 to 25 inches of rain a year
-buffalo used to roam this type of prairie
Short Grass Prairie
-mainly in the western part of the Midwest (near the edges of the
desert)
-the grasses grow no more than 2 feet tall
-close to 10 inches of rain per year
-prairie dogs are common in these grasslands
Click here to go back to grasslands page!
Animals of the Grasslands
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Elephants
Bison
Black rhinoceros
Black-footed ferret
Brown hyena
Giraffe
Greater prairie chicken
Lion
Ostrich
Prairie dog
Pronghorn
Warthog
Click to go back to grasslands page!
Tundra
o Mostly in the artic
o The ground is frozen for most of the year, but the
sun does thaw the top of the ground in the summer
o Soil is frozen and trees do not grow
o Many animals go to the tundra in the summer and
some stay through the winter
o The tundra is separated into two types
click here to learn more about the two types
Click to go back to ecosystems page!
Types of Tundra
o Alpine (located on mountains throughout the world at high
elevations)
-dwarf trees
-tussock grasses
-small-leafed shrubs
-heaths
o Arctic (located in the northern hemisphere around the north
pole)
-low shrubs
-sedges
-liverworts
-grasses
-varieties of flowers
Click here to go back to tundra page!
Oceans
o Most of the Earth is covered with water
o Oceans play an important role in the water cycle
click here to learn about the water cycle!
o Oceans are salty
o Four major oceans:
Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian
o What lives in the ocean?
click here to find out!
Click to go back to ecosystems page!
Water Cycle
oWater starts in the clouds,
falls as rain, travels to the
ocean, where it evaporates
into the sky and forms clouds
and then repeats itself
Evaporation: when water changes
from a liquid to a gas
Click here to go back to oceans page!
Ocean Life
o There are many animals that live in the ocean
o Different types of mammals, invertebrates and fish
all live in the ocean
-whales, dolphins, otters, manatees, and seals are
examples of mammals
-eels, sharks, and rays are examples of fish
-crabs, worms, and mollusks are examples of
invertebrates
Click here to go back to oceans page!