Ecosystems 5-2.2 Kellen Rich

What we need to know: An ecosystem contains all of the living organisms and their non-living surrounding environment that contribute to the functioning of the ecosystem. The LIVING parts of the ecosystems are called biotic factors, including: populations and communities. The nonliving parts of ecosystems are called abiotic factors, including: temperature, water, soil, air, and sunlight.

Let’s name some! Biotic Abiotic

Living organisms can be grouped 2 ways:

Population All members of one kind of organism that live in a particular area. Some examples of a population may be all of the white-tailed deer in a forest, all rainbow trout in a stream, or all of the bald cypress trees in the swamp. Micro-ogranisms are living things that can be single-celled or multi-celled organism that is too small to be seen without a magnifying glass.

Community A group of different populations of organisms. Some examples of communities are: All of the squirrels, acorn trees, and grass in a park. All of the students, teachers, and plants in a classroom. All of the cacti, snakes, and scorpions in the dessert.