ECOLOGY UNIT: * Describing Ecosystems*

1
ECOLOGY UNIT Describing Ecosystems
2
Layers of the Atmosphere

• Biosphere part of the planet including water,
  land and air where LIFE exists
•  
• Atmosphere layer of gases that surrounds earth.
  Ex H2O, CO2, O2, O3
• Lithosphere Earths solid outer layer, including
  crust, mantle. Extends 100 km down from surface
  and includes soil
• Hydrosphere all the water on Earth. 97 is salt
  water in earths oceans. 3 is freshwater in
  lakes and streams.

3

• What is an Ecosystem?
• A set of complex interactions between living and
  non-living things within a certain physical
  environment of the biosphere.

4

• WHAT DO ECOSYSTEMS CONSIST OF?
•  
• BIOTIC factors
• ABIOTIC factors

5
BIOTIC FACTORS

• living components of ecosystems
• Have the 5 characteristics of Life
• For ex
• Plants
• Animals
• Fungi
• Bacteria
• Viruses

6
BIOTIC COMPONENTS

• 1) AUTOTROPHS (also known as PRODUCERS)
• Organisms that get their energy from nonliving
  sources (sun, organic matter)
• can make their own food.
• Plants, some types of bacteria

7
BIOTIC COMPONENTS continued

• 2)HETEROTROPHS (also known as CONSUMERS)
• Organisms that get their energy from other living
  things
• Animals, insects, fungi, bacteria

8
FIVE main Types of Consumers
Scavenger
9
EXAMPLES OF CONSUMERS

• Carnivore An organism that only eats other
  ANIMALS
• Omnivore An organism that eats plants AND
  animals.
• Herbivore An organism that only eats only
  PLANTS.
• ScavengerAn organism that feeds on dead prey
  killed by other animals.
• Decomposer An organism that breaks down
  decaying organisms or wastes from organisms into
  elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.

10
ABIOTIC FACTORS

• never living factors examples
• rocks
• water
• air
• sunlight
• nutrients
• weather patterns
• temperature
• soil
• humidity
• salt concentration

11
YOUR TASK!

• Draw a VENN DIAGRAM
• In one circle list abiotic factors and in the
  other list biotic factors

12
ITEMS for your VENN DIAGRAM

• Snail
• Steak
• Pork Chops
• Salad
• Bread
• Plant
• Hair
• Matter
• Finger Nails
• Pipe
• Cotton Fabric
• Wool
• Gold
• Plastic
• Grapes
• Air

• Whale
• Digital Clock
• Energy
• Water
• Fish
• Paper
• Glass
• Aluminum
• Wooden Ruler
• Sand
• Clouds
• Corpse
• Molecules and Atoms

13
ITEMS for your VENN DIAGRAM

• Whale B
• Digital Clock AB
• Energy AB
• Water AB
• Fish B
• Paper B
• Glass AB
• Aluminum AB
• Wooden Ruler B
• Sand AB
• Clouds AB
• Corpse B
• Molecules and Atoms BOTH

• Snail B
• Steak B
• Pork Chops B
• Salad B
• Bread B
• Plant B
• Hair B
• Matter BOTH
• Finger Nails B
• Pipe AB
• Cotton Fabric B
• Wool B
• Gold AB
• Plastic AB
• Grapes B
• Air AB

14

• ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
• Individual/organism
• Species
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Biome

15
1) Individual/Organism - Anything that can
independently carry out life processes (Ex a
flower, a person, a dog, etc) 2) Species - A
group of SIMILAR organisms in an ecosystem that
can reproduce with each other AND their offspring
can reproduce Ex grey squirrels mate can not
mate with red squirrels
16
3) Population A group of members of the same
species that live in the same physical
environment or habitat Ex A group of grey
squirrels living in the same forest
17
4) Community A group of populations of
different species that live and interact in an
area. Ex A park contains populations of
squirrels, robins, trees and shrubs
18
5) Ecosystem The interactions of different
populations with the non-living factors in the
environment. Ex A park contains squirrels,
robins, trees, shrubs, sunlight, air, a pond
19
What are examples of Ecosystems?
Swamps
20
Forests
21
Mountain Valleys
22
Ecosystem in a Jar
23
6) BIOMES

• A large geographic area that contains MANY
  similar types of ecosystems.
• Biomes are usually known by the types of
  vegetation that grows in them.
• There are two types of biomes
• 1. TERRESTRIAL? on land there are 5 in Canada
• 2. AQUATIC ? in water there are 2 in Canada

24
Terrestrial Biomes
1) Deciduous forests made up of trees that lose
their leaves in winter. - Found mostly in Eastern
and Central Canada
25
Terrestrial Biomes
2) Boreal forests Biomes that are dominated by
conifers (trees with needle-shaped leaves, ex
pine trees). -Found in every province and make up
about 80 of the forested areas of Canada
26
Terrestrial Biomes
3) Grasslands areas that are covered with
different grasses, they have a rich, fertile
soil. - Extends from eastern Manitoba to the
Rocky mountains
27
Terrestrial Biomes
4) Tundra a biome that has no trees, only small
shrubs, grass, moss and lichen. - Tundras exist
in northern Canada
28
Terrestrial Biomes
5) Temperate coniferous forests - In most
temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers
predominate - There are some that have a mix of
conifers and evergreen and/or deciduous trees
29
Aquatic Biomes

• Marine found in oceans.
• Ex Coral reefs, ocean floor, open ocean

30
Aquatic Biomes
2) Freshwater are areas that have lakes, rivers
or streams.