Interactions in Ecosystems Mrs. Campogni

Vocabulary Ecosystem Habitat Community Population Niche Energy pyramid Cycle

Definition: All the living Characteristics: meets What is an ecosystem? Definition: All the living and nonliving things in an area. Characteristics: meets the needs of living things Ecosystem Examples: Tundra Coral reef Tropical rainforest Wetlands Non-examples: Community Population Habitat

Relationship of vocabulary words: general to specific ECOSYSTEM COMMUNITY POPULATION HABITAT NICHE

ECOSYSTEM An ecosystem includes all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in a given area.

The community is all of the living things in the ecosystem.

The population is the members of a species within the community.

An organism’s habitat is the place where it lives, which is a small part of the ecosystem.

A habitat is made up of the soil, air and water, as well as the plants of the area.

A niche is an organism’s role within the ecosystem. An owl’s role is that of a hunter. A butterfly’s role is that of a pollinator. A plant’s role is that of a producer.

Energy Pyramids An energy pyramid is a graphical model of energy flow in a community. The different levels represent different groups of organisms that might compose a food chain. From the bottom-up, they are as follows: Producers — bring energy from nonliving sources into the community Primary consumers — eat the producers, which makes them herbivores in most communities Secondary consumers — eat the primary consumers, which makes them carnivores Tertiary consumers — eat the secondary consumers

In some food chains, there is a fourth consumer level, and rarely, a fifth. Have you ever wondered why there are limits to the lengths of food chains? Each feeding (trophic) level passes @10% of its stored energy to the next level. Therefore, if the producers had 10,000 units (calories) of available energy, the herbivores would receive 1000 units, the primary carnivores 100 units and the secondary carnivores 10 units.

The mouse receives energy from the food it eats. The mouse’s cells extract the food’s energy so it can be used for the mouse’s survival needs (e.g., growth, acquiring good, escaping enemies). The process is not 100% efficient and a lot of energy is lost as heat. The mouse can use this heat to help keep its body temperature at a normal level during cold weather. Some of the energy that is in the food is lost in the mouse’s waste (feces). The remaining energy is stored in the mouse’s body and is available to the organism that preys on it. About 90% of the energy acquired in the mouse’s food is used or lost by the mouse and only 10% is available to predators.

What is a biome? Biologists have divided the world into regions called biomes. A biome is a large ecosystem with generally the same climate and organisms.

Are you ready for lift off? We will now travel through several biomes.

Rainforests

Deciduous Forests Deciduous is an adjective which means: shedding its leaves annually (once a year).

Taiga

Tundra

Deserts

Grasslands

Freshwater Ecosystems Only 3% of the world's water is fresh. And 99% of this is either frozen in glaciers and pack ice or is buried in aquifers. The remainder is found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

Rivers and Streams

Ponds and Lakes

Wetlands

Marine Ecosystems Marine ecosystems are a part of the largest aquatic system on the planet, covering over 70% of the Earth's surface. The habitats that make up this vast system range from the productive near shore regions to the barren ocean floor.

Shorelines

Temperate Oceans

Tropical Oceans

References http://www.eelsinc.org/id64.html http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwepecosystems.htm http://www.mbgnet.net/ Microsoft Office Clip Art Scott Foresman