Transcript Ecosystem Notes


Many subcategories… Which one are you
interested in?
› Animals, plants, insects
› Biomes (formations that exist over regions.. The
Arctic, the tropics, the desert)

Ways to study ecology:
› Field studies - very common
› Laboratory studies
› Computer Simulations
What possible environmental change in the future
could be studied?

Organisms environments include two
different properties:
› Abiotic: physical, non-living properties
 Sunlight, climate, soil, water, air
› Biotic: Biological, living properties
 Other organisms same or different species in
the same habitat

Wide range of levels – from smallest to
largest
› Individual level
› Population
› Community
› Ecosystem
› Biome
› Biosphere

Smallest unit – one organism
Two or more individuals of the same
species
 Occupy the same area
 Interact with one another

Two or more
populations of
different species
 Occupy the same
area
 Interact with one
another


Living and non-living (biotic and abiotic)
factors in an area interacting with each
other

Regions organized by climate (Arctic,
Grasslands, Tropic, Desert, etc.)
Terrestrial
 Tundra –
›
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Located between the ice-cap and timber line of North America, Europe
and Asia. Little rain, soil is frost, short plants, very cold
Taiga
›
Subartic coniferous forests, south of the tundra.
›
Forests. Moderate rain, fertile soil, 4 seasons.
›
Lands dominated by grasses. Fertile soil.
›
Hot, Dry, Poor soil, hot days/cold nights.
›
Hot year round, a lot of rain
›
Rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
›
Ocean, Salt lakes and seas. Largest amount of life.
Temperate
Grasslands
Deserts
Tropical Rain Forest
Aquatic
 Fresh Water

Salt Water
Collection of all ecosystems – The Earth!!
 The portion of the planet occupied by
living matter

Producers,
Consumers,
Decomposers
Its all about what you eat!
The three categories of the food
chain are…..
1)
2)
3)
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
They are all dependent on each other.
Producers Are
Producers get their
food and energy
from the sun.
(PLANTS)

They make their food
through a process called
photosynthesis…. Which
makes them autotrophs
(self feeding).
Consumers
Consumers need to
eat their food to get
energy. (ANIMALS or
Heterotrophs)

Types of consumers are

There are THREE
types of Consumers
 Carnivores
 Herbivores
 Omnivores.

Its still all about what
you eat!
Decomposers
Decomposers eat
dead things and turn
them back into dirt,
or soil. YUK!
 Examples:

 Mushrooms
 Worms
 Bugs
What would the world look like
without decomposers (bacteria and
fungi?
How they relate
.
Stop…Review…Check…
Turn to your partner and tell them the meaning of each
word. Also give two example of each.

Producers; Autotrophs:

Consumers; Heterotrophs:

Decomposers:
Energy Flows From the Sun
to….
Energy Flows from the
Producers; Autotrophs to the…..
Energy Flows from the Primary
Consumer to the….
What captures the most amount
of energy?
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