1. Ecosystems
Chapter 3, Lesson 2 pp

2. Vocabulary Climate: pattern of weather in a place over a long time.
Soil: made of bits of rock and humus (broken-down plant and animal material)
Desert: an ecosystem that has a dry climate
Forest: an ecosystem that has many trees.
Ocean: a large body of salt water
Wetland: an ecosystem where water covers the soil for most of the year.

3. Ecosystems
Ecosystem: the living and nonliving things that live in an area and interact.
Earth has many different ecosystems.
Ecosystems are put into groups by:
Climate
Soil
Plants
Animals

4. Classified by climate
Climate: weather patterns
Warm
Wet
Cold
Dry

5. Soil
Soil has rocks
Soil has humus (broken-down plant and animal material)
Soil has nutrients.
Soil soaks up rainwater.
Lots of humus = soaks up lots of rainwater and nutrients = better for plants

6. Desert Climate: Soil Plants Animals Dry
Less than 25 cm of rainwater
Temperatures change a lot between day and night
Soil
Mostly sand
A little humus to soak up rainwater
Rainwater falls through sand deeper than most plants’ roots can reach.
Plants
Grow far apart
Animals
Find shady spots
Hunt at night
Jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, and cactus wrens

7. Forest Tropical Rain Forests Climate: Soil: Plants: Animals:
Hot (all year long)
Damp (twice as much rain as the two rainiest U.S. states together, Hawaii and Louisiana)
Soil:
Not very rich in nutrients because the many plants take the nutrients quickly
Plants:
More types of living things than any other land environment
Many trees
Animals:
Monkeys, brightly colored birds, insects, and reptiles

8. Forest Temperate Forests In North America, Europe, and Asia Climate:
Weather changes from season to season
Summers: warm and wet
Winters: cold and dry
Less than half as much rain as tropical rain forests but still enough for large trees
Soil:
Rich in humus
Lots of nutrients
Soaks up lots of water
Plants:
Large trees
Animals:
Bears, deer, foxes, and many other animals

9. Ocean Large body of salt water Climate: Soil: Plants and Animals:
Google Search Marine Worms
Coral Reef
Coral reefs can only form in shallow, tropical waters. WHY?
Shallow waters are warmed by the _________.
Tropical waters are warm because they are close to the equator.
Fish hunt other sea animals in coral reefs
Animals in the Coral Reef:
Fish, sea stars, sponges, coral (
Large body of salt water
Earth’s five oceans are all connected
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean (largest, covers 1/3 of the planet)
Indian Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Southern Ocean
Climate:
Warm in shallow areas (close to Sun)
Cold in deep and dark waters
Soil:
Plants and Animals:
Contains BILLIONS of living things
Almost all live close to the surface (less than 100 meters deep) where the Sun warms the water
Few organisms can survive in the deep, dark, and cold parts of the ocean.

10. Wetland Prevent land from flooding by collecting water.
Climate:
Soil:
Fresh or salt water covers the soil most of the year
Full of minerals, which helps plants grow
Plants:
Many plants because of mineral rich soils
Clean dirty water
Animals:
Alligators, fish, snakes, frogs, turtles, etc.

11. Let’s go on an imaginary safari!
Choose one type of ecosystem (see below). Imagine that you are hiking, boating, or swimming through that environment. Describe what you see, hear, and feel.
THINK  DRAFT in Science Notebook  REVISE: read to table buddy and fix what sounds funny (missing words?)  EDIT (fix capitals, end marks, and spelling)  PUBLISH: write neatly on lined paper, glue to construction paper backing, and draw a colorful picture on construction paper.
Cheetahs: desert
Pandas: rain forest
Sea Otters: temperate forest
Lions: ocean
Tigers: wetland