1. Ecosystems

2. What is Ecology?
Ecology is the study of relationships between living things and between living things and their environment.

3. What is an ecosystem?
Ecosystem is a system of living things that interact with each other and with the physical world.
A Biome is a collection of related ecosystems.

4. Main Ecosystems: Desert Rainforest Ocean Salt Marshes Estuaries
Grassland
Temperate Forrest

5. Oceans Water: Submerged Temperature: Varies Soil: None
Plants: Aquatic Plants (seaweed)
Animals: Fish, Shelled fish, invertebrates (animals with out backbones), select mammals.

6. Oceans

7. Rainforest Water: Very wet Temperature: Very warm
Soil: Poor, thin soil
Plants: Many plants (trees, flowers, shrubs, etc.)
Animals: Many animals (birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, etc.)

8. Rainforests

9. Grassland Water: Wet season, dry season
Temperature: Warm to hot (but often has a cold season)
Soil: Fertile soil
Plants: Grasses (few or no trees)
Animals: Many mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc.

10. Temperate Forest Water: Adequate
Temperature: Cool season and warm season
Soil: Fertile soil
Plants: Deciduous trees, shrubs, ground cover
Animals: Many mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, arachnids, etc.

11. Temperate Forest

12. Desert Water: Dry (almost none)
Temperature: Hot or Cold (one or the other)
Soil: Poor (sandy)
Plants: Sparse - succulents (like cactus), sage brush
Animals: Sparse - insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds (often nocturnal)

13. Desert

14. Ponds Water: freshwater Temperature: Varies Soil: Varies
Plants: Floating plants (water lilies, pondweed, duckweed, phytoplankton,
Animals: Fish, Zooplankton, sometimes turtles or ducks

15. Ponds

16. Salt Marshes/Estuaries
Water: mix of freshwater and saltwater
Temperature: Varies
Soil: Varies
Plants: diversity of grasses, shrubs and flowering plants (salt tolerant plants that adapt to the tide)
Animals: Mollusks like snails, oysters and conch as well as crustaceans like crabs, shrimp and hermits meander back and forth between marsh water and land. Aquatic birds and alligators.

17. Salt Marshes

18. Grassland Taiga Tundra Temperate Forrest Desert White: Ocean
What type of ecosystem is most prominent in the world?
Grassland Taiga Tundra Temperate Forrest Desert White: Ocean

19. However…
An ecosystem can be as large as the Sahara Desert, or as small as a puddle!!!
Ecosystems are more than just the organisms they contain. Geography, weather, climate and geologic factors also influence the interactions within an ecosystem.

20. nonliving physical factors of an environment.
Abiotic Factors
nonliving physical factors of an environment.
Abiotic Factors include amount of water and oxygen, temperature, amount of sunlight and water pressure.

21. Can you list some more examples of Abiotic Factors?
Now You Try!
Can you list some more examples of Abiotic Factors?

22. Biotic Factors Are the living, physical factors of an environment.
Examples of Biotic Factors are parasitism,
disease and predation.

23. Balance Ecosystems will fail if they do not remain in balance.
No community can carry more organisms than its food, water and shelter can accommodate.

24. How do they stay balanced?
To succeed in an ecosystem, plants and animals have special structures and behaviors called adaptations.
Ex) Chameleon
Polar Bear
Can you think of more examples of adaptation?