Chapter 24 Section 1

Biosphere Biosphere: Biosphere includes: Part of Earth that supports Life Biosphere includes: Top portion of Earth’s crust All the water that covers Earth’s surface Atmosphere that surrounds Earth What are some different environments on our biosphere? Desert Tropical Rain Forest

Biosphere Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun The amount of energy that reaches Earth from the sun helps make the temperature just right for living here. Why can’t we live on other planets? Mercury = Too hot during the day & too cold at night Venus = High temperatures & a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere Mars = Much colder than Earth & a thin atmosphere

Ecosystems Ecosystem All of the organisms living in an area Includes the nonliving parts of the environment too Example: Bison, grass, birds, and insects are living organisms in a prairie ecosystem. Water, temperature, sunlight, soil, and air are the nonliving features. Ecology Study of interactions that occur among organisms and their environment.

Populations Population: Made up of all the organisms of the same species that live in an area at the same time. All the bison in a prairie ecosystem All the grasshoppers in the prairie ecosystem make up another population Do we ever study how these different populations interact together? Yes!

Populations Community: All the populations of all species living in an ecosystem Example: Prairie community is made of populations of bison, grasshoppers, cowbirds, and all other species in the prairie ecosystem. Arctic community: Populations of fish, seals that eat fish, and polar bears that hunt and eat seals.

Habitat Where does an organism live? Habitat Place in which an organism lives Example: A woodpeckers habitat is a tree Salamander’s habitat is the forest floor beneath fallen leaves and twigs. They don’t like sunlight – they prefer damp, dark places. This habitat provides the kinds of food and shelter, the temperature, and the amount of moisture the organism needs to survive.