Desert and Tropical Ocean Ecosystems Cathryn Payne and Ricky Cooks A3

Desert Ecosystem Has plants or producers that don’t need so much water to survive. They hold it for a long time. If plants in the desert lived near the ocean or in the ocean, they would die due to too much water exposure. Extremely arid climate. Very warm at day, and very cold at night.

Desert Ecosystem Limiting Factors- not enough water, predation, and limited food. Abiotic Factors- rain, sunlight, sandstorms, physical geography. Predation- rattlesnakes eat rats. Mutualism- bees pollinating cacti. Competition- rattlesnakes compete for birds to eat.

Desert Ecosystem Adaptations Plants and animals store water, because they don’t need as much to survive. Animals hunt at night, so it’s cooler. They rest in the day. Predators get water from the bodies of their prey.

Tropical Ocean Ecosystem Most organisms are fish. Producers aren’t all plants; Phytoplankton are producers. Plants in the ecosystem need the moisture from the air and water or they won’t survive. One of the largest ecosystems, has the most organisms, and isn’t fully explored. Located in the low tropical latitude zones and mid latitude zones. Very warm and moist climate. Plants: Tropical terrestrial plants, seaweed and other underwater plants. Limiting Factors include water pollution, predation and food.

Tropical Ocean Ecosystem Limiting Factors include water pollution, predation and limited food. Abiotic Factors- Sediment, man-made contraptions. Predation- Sharks kill other fish for food. Commensalism- small fish swim underneath sharks, and when the sharks eat, small amounts of food fall for the fish to eat. Parasitism- Barnacles live in the shells of crabs.

Tropical Ocean Ecosystem Adaptions The Stonefish developed a camouflage to avoid getting killed. Whales are warm-blooded in order to survive the climate changes when they migrate. Sea turtles have flipper-like legs and smaller shells to help them swim.

IMAGES Tropical Ocean: Desert: www.nsf.gov en.wikipedia.org