All biotic and abiotic things in one area Ecosystems All biotic and abiotic things in one area Ecosystems - All biotic and abiotic things in one area Biotic - All living components of an ecosystem i.e animals, bacteria, plants, fungi Abiotic - All nonliving components of an ecosystem i.e rocks, water, soil - briefly go over picture and describe the living and nonliving components

Benefits Of Living In Groups Animals Live In Groups Benefits Of Living In Groups Protection from predators Split up work and get more done Easier access to natural resources School of Dolphins - Explain the benefits and describe a real life example for each point e.g gazelles in savanna, dolphins herding schools of fish, elephants living near water hole

Animal Diorama Project When making your animal remember -Habitat -Food/Water -Population This is the beginning of the kids animal diorama project. During this project they will create an animal figurine made through their OWN designs and create a diorama with a background representing the animal’s habitat. During week 1 they will plan/draw out their animal and on the final week they will have to create a final diorama.

Formation of Fossils Trace fossil and body fossil are two type of fossil, Fossils form by being covered by sediment and pressure being applied. Mostly in sedimentary rocks Fossils are formed by an organism dying and being covered by sediment then the pressure of the sediment creating rocks and harding the bone or skeletal structure and over time rising to the surface. Trace fossil is like footprints, body fossil is like bones and like dinosaurs . Barely have any soft tissue or soft body organisms like jelly fish

Parts of a Fossil The most common type of part from organism is exoskeletal, or the Bones. soft tissue is rare. Easier for exoskeletal and for bones to fossilize because bacteria cannot decompose it quick enough and it is made from calcium. Soft tissue is rare when it comes to finding it fossilized, Soft tissue is organic and bacteria decompose it before it can fossilize.This is because the soft tissue is organic and bacteria decompose it before it can fossilize. This is because the soft tissue is organic and bacteria decompose it before it can fossilize. 1st picture is a trilobite, 2nd is a spider that was fossilized in a different way

What Type of Organism If the fossil found has a similar species it might have came from the same ancestor, could be characterized by size, location, and structure. Characterized by side because it can help relate to current species, what it did, ate, etc. Location so we know if it was dry land animal or marine animal. It can all relate us to an ancestor that the animals shared or came from. Structure so we know if it dug for living, if it flew. You can tell from the picture above that this animal is related to the elephant.

Fossils Tell us about the Past Fossils are evidence of past life on Earth. They tell us what type of environment the fossil lived in. Some environments formed more fossils than others because different organisms live in different places, which is called its paleoenvironment. discuss how the fossil in the picture represents how it is from an aquatic ecosystem and how you determined that → show examples of different fossils from different environments and relate it back to its paleoenvironment → bring in examples of shells and have kids match it with its environment

Types of Environments There are generally more fossils found in aquatic ecosystems because more sediment covers the dead animal. A terrestrial animal is less likely to fossilize because it is more dry and exposed to predators. picture on the LEFT is a terrestrial environment and picture on the RIGHT is an aquatic environment → have kids raise hands and give examples of different animals that can be found in each → explain how fossils on land can be eaten by predators because of low moisture content

Examples: Dinosaurs Most dinosaurs are found in river environments. Some fossils are found in lacustrine environments, which are around lakes. Barely any dinosaurs are found in desert environments because they are mostly dry and hot. can show pictures of each environment and of different dinosaurs from each → kids need to understand that different types of fossils come from different types of habitats → emphasize how different fossils determine where it was fossilized, such as under water or on land, etc

The Ocean Fish can live in the sea because they have gills. They also have fins to maneuver themselves in the water

Desert Camels are able to live in the desert because they have an extra eyelid to protect their eyes from the sand. They also have humps to store water and food for long periods of time.

Rainforest Gorillas primarily live in forests because it is a perfect food source. They are primarily herbivores. Gorillas also have a large structure that intimidates their enemy. They are also able to protect themselves from the cold with their fur.They will only bite and charge them as a last resort.

Changes in Our Ecosystems We experience many changes within our ecosystem due to things such as natural disasters, global warming, and drought natural disasters include volcanoes, massive meteors, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. natural disaster: a major adverse, natural phenomenon (examples listed above)

For Example, Dinosaurs! About 65 million years ago, there was a large meteorite hit Earth’s surface and covered the atmosphere with a thick layer of ash. The sun was not able to reach the surface, so many plants were not able to photosynthesize. This caused many plants and animals to go extinct. This is what we call a mass extinction. photosynthesis: the process where plants and some other organisms use sunlight to create foods from carbon dioxide and water. extinct: no longer in existence

What can we do to help? To help current organisms, we can conserve water to prevent drought. By doing this, we can help make our ecosystem a sustainable living space for everybody! conserve: to protect from harm or destruction sustainable: able to be maintained at a certain level or rate