Chapter 21 Living Things and Their Environment
What is an Ecosystem?? What kinds of ecosystems do you know of??
Ecosystem An ecosystem is made up of all living and non-living things that interact in a particular area
Habitats The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs.
Habitats A single ecosystem can contain many habitats For Example: In a forest ecosystem, mushrooms grow in the damp soil, bears live on the forest floor and termites live in fallen tree trunks
Factors in an Ecosystem An ecosystem is made up of both living and non-living things
Living things in an Ecosystem The living parts of an ecosystem are called biotic factors Biotic factors can include 1.Trees 2.Grass 3.Animals
The non-living parts of an Ecosystem The non-living parts of an ecosystem are called abiotic factors
Abiotic Factors in an Ecosystem Abiotic Factors can include 1.Water 2.Sunlight 3.Oxygen 4.Temperature 5.Soil
Water All living things require water to carry out their life processes
Sunlight Because sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis, it is an important factor for plants, algae and other living things
Oxygen Most living things require oxygen to carry out their life processes
Temperature The temperatures that are typical of an area determine the types of organisms that can live there.
Soil Soil is a mixture of rock fragments, nutrients, air, water and decaying remains of living things.
Knowledge Check How do Abiotic factors differ from Biotic Factors?
Populations and Communities
Populations All members of one species in a particular area The area that a population lives can be as small as a single blade of grass or as large as the whole planet
Communities Most ecosystems contain more than one type of organism All different populations that live together in an area make up a community
So what is the difference between an organism, population and a community ??
Organism Population Community
Parts of an Ecosystem A single organism is the smallest unit An organism with other members of its species is a population This population belongs to a community of different species