Ecosystems and Biomes Science Block A

Ecosystem  An ecosystem is all the living and non living things in an environment.  2 main types  Terrestrial ecosystems- land-based ecosystem  Aquatic ecosystem – water-based ecosystem

Ecosystem  They contain living things that interact with each other.  This includes how the plants and animals interact with their non-living environment.  Ecosystems can be large like the Pacific Ocean or as small as a Puddle.

Biomes  Biomes are large areas that have similar plants, animals, and other organisms.  Organisms are living things that can work independently.  Biomes are large ecosystems where plants, animals, people, and insects live in a certain type of climate.

Types of Biomes  There are two types of Biomes:  Land  Water

Let’s Review  s/jams/science/ecosystems/biomes.htm s/jams/science/ecosystems/biomes.htm

Deserts  An area where little or no life exists because of a lack of water.  soil and air are dry  little rain  sun shines most of the time  temperature hot in day and can be freezing at night  few plants: cactus and bushes  snakes, lizards, few mammals like rabbits

Desert  Deserts are the driest places on Earth.  Plants that are in the desert have to survive on very little rain.  Example: Cactus  ert/

Grasslands  Grasslands are areas that are covered with grass and very few tress.  They are also known as prairies (North America) Savannah (Africa)  Hot summers  Very cold winters.  Have some rain, but not enough for trees to grow.  Usually flat, with gently rolling hills.  Plants have long slender leaves to allow little water loss.

Grasslands

 hsystem/savanna/ hsystem/savanna/

Taiga  Taiga or Boreal Forest  Largest terrestrial biome  evergreen trees: firs and pines  long winters  floor has dead dry needles and mosses  animals: mostly birds, insects, bears, lynx  hold water to create a bog(swamp)

Taiga

 hsystem/taiga/preview.weml hsystem/taiga/preview.weml

Tundra  low temperatures  long winters  no trees  permafrost: layer of permanently frozen soil  strong winds  few small plants grow: lichens and moss  animals: birds, caribou, ox

Tundra

 hsystem/tundra/preview.weml hsystem/tundra/preview.weml

Aquatic Biomes  All aquatic ecosystems include large amounts of fresh water or salt water.  Oceans  Lakes  Ponds  Rivers  Oceans  estuaries

Aquatic Biomes  s/jams/science/ecosystems/aquatic- ecosystems.htm s/jams/science/ecosystems/aquatic- ecosystems.htm

Ponds  Ponds are smaller bodies of freshwater that are surrounded by land.  Ponds are shallower than lakes.  Plants and algae grow along the edges where the water is the shallowest.  Home to: snails, frogs, turtles, ducks, beavers and fish.

Lakes  Large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land.  Lake Norman  Fish such as catfish, bass and trout.

Oceans  Large body of salt water.  Divided by continents.  Most organisms live near the shore where the water is shallow.  hsystem/oceans/ hsystem/oceans/

Estuary  Body of water in which freshwater from rivers meets and mixes with salt water from oceans.  Is affected by tides.  Tide= rise or fall of ocean water.  A high tide causes more salt water to flow into an estuary.  Low tide causes salt water to flow out.  Animals must be able to live in different amounts of salt throughout the day.  The freshwater that mixes with the salt water is full of nutrients.  The water is Brackish = mix of salt and fresh water.

Abiotic and Biotic Factors  Biotic factors are all of the living organisms in an ecosystem.  Examples: plants, animals, fungi, etc.  Abiotic factors are all of the nonliving organisms in an ecosystem.  Biotic and Abiotic factors depend on each other for survival in an ecosystem.

Biotic and Abiotic Factors  c-factors-of-an-ecosystem-definition- examples-quiz.html c-factors-of-an-ecosystem-definition- examples-quiz.html

Biotic and Abiotic Factors  sps07_int_ecosystem/ sps07_int_ecosystem/

Producers  A Producer is a living thing that makes its own food.  Plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees are examples of producers.  Other examples include algae and bacteria.  Plants use the energy in sunlight to make or produce their own food.

Consumers  Animals and people can’t produce their own food.  A Consumer is a living thing that gets energy by eating other living things.  All animals are consumers.

Consumers  There are three types of consumers  Herbivores: consumers that eat only or mostly plants.  Mice, rabbits, deer, and insects.  Carnivores: consumers that eat only or mostly animals.  Sharks, walruses, cats, lions, foxes  Omnivores: consumers that eat both plants and animals.  Pigs, bears, raccoons, and humans.

Decomposers  Living things give off waste material.  A decomposer is a living thing that gets energy by breaking down wastes and dead plants and animals.  Decomposers break the material down into simpler materials which become part of the soil that helps plants grow.  Examples: bacteria and fungi such as mushrooms.

The Flow of Energy in Ecosystems  s/jams/science/ecosystems/food- chains.htm s/jams/science/ecosystems/food- chains.htm

Food Chains  A food chain is a model that shows the path of energy from one living thing to the next.

Food Chains  If one kind of organism is removed from this food chain, all the other organisms in the food chain will be affected.

Food Web  A food chain shows the flow of energy from one living thing to the next.  Several food chains connect to form a food web.  s/jams/science/ecosystems/food- webs.htm s/jams/science/ecosystems/food- webs.htm

Energy Pyramids  Energy moves through ecosystems.  It goes from small animals to big animals to the biggest animals.  As each animal eats it stores only the energy it gets from the plant or animal it eats.  The bottom level always contains producers and holds the most energy.

Energy Pyramid  Each higher level contains less energy and fewer living things.  The carnivores are at the top of the energy pyramid and contain least amount of energy.  gy/energypyramid/preview.weml gy/energypyramid/preview.weml

Energy Pyramids Each level is reduced by 10 %.

How do organisms compete for and share resources?

Competition  Competition= contest among organisms for resources.  All organisms compete in a community for the resources they need.  Animals compete for food, water, and shelter.  Plants compete for food and sunlight.

Examples of Competition  Animals may use camouflage to help them sneak up on animals they hunt. This helps them compete for the limited food resources.  Camouflage= body color or patterns to help them blend in with their environment.  A cheetah’s speed allows it to hunt and capture it’s prey.  Hunting in a pack helps animals compete with other animals to get their food.  Competition helps animals survive in it’s environment.

Symbiosis  Symbiosis = a long term relationship between two different organisms.  Symbiosis may benefit both organisms which is called mutualism.  For example, a cleaner fish picks bits of food out from shark’s teeth. The cleaner fish gets food while the shark gets it’s teeth cleaned.  Another example is the relationship between flowers and bees.  Flowers produces nectar that bees eat and while the bees eat they pollinate the flowers.

Symbiosis  ogyandbehavior/symbiosis/preview.weml ogyandbehavior/symbiosis/preview.weml  html html

Instinct and Learned Behaviors

Instinct  An instinct is a behavior that an organism inherits.  Examples of this include migration, hibernation, building shelters, and hunting prey.  When Canada geese fly south for winter, it is an instinct.  Birds instinctively build nests.

Learned Behavior  Learned behaviors are behaviors that they learn from their parents.  These are not inherited.  A dog learning to shake and roll over are examples of learned behaviors.

Inherited Traits  A trait is a quality or characteristics of a living thing.  A behavior is a way in which a living thing acts or responds to its surroundings.  You inherited you’re the color of your eyes and hair, the shape of your nose and having too arms.  If you can roll your tongue you were born with this trait.

Inherited Traits  These traits are passed from parents to offspring.  Plants inherit ways of responding to their surrounding such as roots grow down and toward water. Stems grow up toward the sun.

Acquired Traits  Not all traits are inherited.  An acquired trait is a characteristic that a living thing gets during its lifetime.  Acquire=to get  A scar is a physical trait that is acquired.  Many acquired traits are learned behaviors.  Example: young chimpanzees learn to use sticks as tools to get food.  You were not born knowing how to speak or read a book.

Inherited Traits and Acquired Traits Inherited TraitsAcquired Traits A girl has brown eyes.A girl can speak Spanish. A boy has long fingers.A boy knows how to play the piano. A plant has red flowers.A plant’s leaves have spots from a disease. A bird knows how to build a nest. A bird knows where to find a feeder. A tree has large, round leaves. A tree’s trunk is bent by the wind. A dog has curly fur.A dog knows how to fetch on command.