Ecosystems What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is very similar to an environment An environment is all the living and nonliving things that SURROUND you

Ecosystem Eco means life System means parts working together

An ecosystem is… All of the living and non living things in one area (so you are part of an ecosystem – it doesn’t just surround you!)

What does it mean to be living? To be nonliving?

When we are talking ecosystems… We call LIVING things BIOTIC Examples: Plants and animals We call NONLIVING things ABIOTIC Examples: Water, air, soil, rocks

Review What do we call living things in an ecosystem? What do we call nonliving things in an ecosystem?

An ecosystem can be small If you lift up a rock you will find a small ecosystem. It has bugs, insects and small plants.

Ecosystems can be large An ecosystem can be as large as a forest. It may include hundreds of kinds of plants and animals.

EVERY ecosystem has: Living parts (biotic features) Nonliving parts (abiotic features) Climate (weather and temperature)

Let’s look for the features of these ecosystems What are the biotic features? What are the abiotic features? What is the climate?

Here is a desert ecosystem

Here is a tropical ecosystem

Here is a mountainous ecosystem

Here is a jungle ecosystem

Individuals and Populations When we talk about the biotic features of an ecosystem, they come as individuals or as a population

What does individual mean? What does population mean?

Individual ONE plant is an individual

Population A population is all the members of one species living in one place

And all of these living things make up a COMMUNITY A community is made of all of the different populations living together.

Ecosystems have food webs….

They all have: Producers Consumers Omnivores Herbivores Carnivores Decomposers

All ecosystems are balanced…

Review! What is an ecosystem?

All of the living and nonliving things in one area

What is the difference between biotic and abiotic?

Biotic = alive/living Abiotic = not alive/nonliving

What is the difference between an individual and a population?

Individual is ONE organisms Population is more than one type of the SAME organism

What is a community?

Lots of populations in the same place!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/habitats.shtml

Assignment Draw a picture of an ecosystem It must have: Four plants Four animals Four nonliving components (water, mountains, rocks, soil, etc.) It must be labeled!