Transcript Ecosystems
Ecosystems Do you know what an ecosystem is? There are eight ecosystems in the world. They are called temperate forest, tropical rain forest, desert, grassland, tundra, taiga, chaparral and ocean. Each one is very different from the others. What makes them so different? Well, how much sunlight and rainfall they get makes them different. So does the temperature! Also, each one has special plants and animals that live there. Tropical Rain Forests • Have you ever been to a rain forest? Rain forests have very different trees than the ones you might climb in your yard. Thousands of species of plants and animals live in the rain forests of the world. But what makes them so different? • Rain forests get 80 inches of rain a year! That is a lot compared to the rest of the world. The temperature almost never changes. It is always warm and muggy! • You have probably seen a movie where people are walking through the jungle. There are all kinds of plants in the way. But in the real rain forests, tall trees take up most of the space. They block out the Sun, so other plants can't grow below them. • Where are Tropical Rain Forests? The dark green areas on the map show the locations of tropical rain forests. Insects of the Rain Forest • There are many species of insect in the rain forest. Some of the prettiest butterflies you will ever see are found here. This image shows a postman butterfly. Isn't it pretty? • Tarantulas also live in the rain forest. Tarantulas are a type of spider. Did you know that spiders are arachnids, not insects? Tarantulas are very creepy because they are bigger than other spiders. Some have strong poison that can kill a person! • There are many other little creatures in the rain forest. Caterpillars and centipedes are always found eating the leaves of the trees! Toucans are also very colorful birds. They have large beaks that they use to reach fruit they can't get to. Scientists estimate there are 33 species of toucan in the rain forest. • The birds of the rain forest are the most beautiful in the world. A wide range of colors can be seen flying through the trees. Many species of tropical birds are kept as pets because of their looks. • Birds aren't the only creatures that fly through the rain forests! Several species of flying mammals live in the jungle. From the harmless fruit bat to the unique flying squirrel, the tropical rain forests are full of surprises! • The tropical rain forests of the world are full of reptiles. Reptiles are cold blooded, which means their body temperature depends on their environment. So, it is important for them to stay in warm climates. • Snakes are reptiles, and there are plenty of them in the rain forests! The Desert Ecosystem • The desert ecosystem is one full of interesting questions. How can anything survive in a place with hardly any water? Why is it so dry to begin with? • You can find at least one desert on every continent except Europe and Antarctica. Each desert is different in some way, but they all have one thing in common. In order for an area of land to be considered a desert, it must receive less than 10 inches of water a year. • How come deserts get such little water? There are few clouds in these regions, and we all know that without clouds, there can't be rain or any other precipitation! But clouds also serve another purpose - they block out some of the Sun. The desert gets mighty hot during the day because the Sun beats down on the sand. At night, the desert gets very cold, because there aren't clouds around to keep the heat from escaping to the atmosphere. • There are plenty of differences between the deserts of the world. Some deserts are made of very fine, red sand, others consists of sand mixed with pebbles and rocks. The desert sand started out as rock, but years of weathering by wind and water has created dunes in the deserts. These sands are mostly minerals, and sometimes oil can be found hidden deep within the rocks Desert Plants • Surprisingly, there are many species of plants that survive in the desert. Most of them are succulents, which means they store water. Others have seeds that lay in the sand until rain comes. Regardless, these plants find a way to get water and protect themselves from the heat. • The most famous desert plant is the cactus. There are many species of cacti. The saguaro cactus is the tall, pole shaped cactus you see on television. The saguaro can grow up to 40 feet tall. It can hold several tons of water inside its soft tissue. Like all cacti, the saguaro has a thick, waxy layer that protects it from the Sun. • You can find insects almost anywhere in the world. So it should be of no surprise that there are plenty of insects in the desert. One of the most recognizable is the scorpion.