1. Ecosystems

2. Wetland words Ecosystem: Wetland ecosystem: Living things:
Nonliving things:
comes from the Greek words eco meaning home, and system meaning a set of connected or interacting things. (What kind of word is this?!)
means the interaction of living and nonliving things in their wetland home.
are defined as plants and animals.
are defined as soil, air, water, sunlight and dead matter.

3. Ensure that student ecosystems include both living and nonliving elements. A park is made up of plants and animals living within the park. The second part of the park is the nonliving environment of these living things. Among these living things are trees, grass, birds, insects and people. In the nonliving environment are soil, air and sunlight. Without these non living things, the plants and animals could not live. Together the plants and animals and the nonliving environment make up an ecosystem.
A park, aquarium and rotting logs are examples of ecosystems.
All parts of an ecosystem interact. Chemicals in the soil become parts of the plants. When the plants die, these chemicals are returned to the soil.

4. Using the sun’s energy, plants make food from chemicals in soil, air and water. Animals feed on these plants. The interaction in an ecosystem is not simple- rather, it is very complex. Many changes occur in an ecosystem each day.
Individuals change as they grow. They reproduce and die. Species change more slowly. Some species move into an ecosystem while often others move out. Slowly the communities of plants and animals change. As the community changes, the ecosystem of which it is a part will change as well.

5. Wetland Plants and Animals

6. The 3 zones!

7. Wetland Plants There are 3 plant zones in a wetland
Emergent (along the edge of the water)
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) Each plant produces two to three million seeds leading to serious problems in irrigation canals, in wetlands, and along lake and river shorelines.

8. Wetland Plants There are 3 plant zones in a wetland
Emergent (along the edge of the water)
Submergent (the majority of the plant lives below the surface of the water)

9. Wetland Plants There are 3 plant zones in a wetland
Emergent (along the edge of the water)
Submergent (the majority of the plant lives below the surface of the water)
Floating (the roots and stems are below water, but the leaves float on the surface)
Spatterdock, a yellow water lily

10. Vocabulary! Adaptations:
Physical Adaptations:
Behavioural Adaptations:
How a plant or animal adjusts to survive in the environment
A modification/change to the structure of a living thing’s body to help it survive
Plant Example: A cattail has a thick, straw-like stem so it can get water to its roots
Animal Example: An eagle has long, sharp claws to pick up its prey
A modification/change to the way a living thing acts to help it survive
Plant Example: Desert plants only bloom during the night when most of the animals and insects are active while it is cooler.
Behavioural Example: A beaver uses its tail as a rudder to steer as it swims.

11. What are other adaptations?
For example, animals which live on the bottom of ponds or among the aquatic plants may have legs, suckers, or a large foot to help them move about.
Animals which live in open water or on the surface of the water may be streamlined, have oar-like legs, move with a wiggling motion or may have the ability to walk on the surface of the water.

12. Plant Adaptations Plant Adaptation Cattail Have air cells in stalk.
Two ways to reproduce:
1) male and female flowers are on the same stalk and seeds are blown by wind or 2) spread by rootstalk like a lawn.
Water Lilies
Upper leaf has tiny openings to take in gas. Young leaves take in oxygen for the roots and older leaves give off carbon dioxide. This is efficient for roots buried in the low-oxygen muck. Large floating leaf collects sunlight for photosynthesis.
Peat moss
Ability to hold 200 times its weight in water so it can live in waterlogged conditions.

13. Animal Adaptations Animal Adaptation Mosquito
Mosquito larvae (eggs) can hang upside down from the surface of the water to breathe and trap food with the bristles around their mouths
Caddisfly Larvae
This larvae glues together pieces of plants and small pebbles to form a case. The cases camouflage them on the bottom of ponds and protects them from predators.
Muskrat
Dark brown coat is waterproof. Slightly webbed hind feet help them to swim. Long skinny tail acts as a rudder.

14. Name
Adaptations
Sedges
Roots grow in the soggy ground and near the surface to keep the plant sturdy in the ground
Hollow leaves let air travel from the leaves down to the roots.

15. Name
Adaptations
Spike Rushes
Hollow stems let air travel to the roots and help hold the plant up straight
Seeds are on the top of the plant so they have maximum wind exposure and can spread easily
Plants grow together in clumps to help support each other

16. Name
Adaptations
Cattail
Hollow stems let air travel to the roots and help the plant stand up straight
Makes fluffy seeds that survive drought and can be carried distances; they make a new plant when they are exposed to water
Thick, fibrous roots help the plant stand up in muddy or wet soil

17. Name
Adaptations
Duckweed
Hollow leaves stay afloat
Seeds stay inside the leaves until the plant dies and then they sink to the bottom of the pond and start new plants
The plant catches on to animals and spreads seeds this way
Grows very quickly to keep its population up

18. Name
Adaptations
Hornwort (coontail)
Doesn’t have roots, it floats through the water
Pieces break off of the plant and make new plants
Doesn’t need much sunlight or warm water, so it can easily survive winter

19. Animal Adaptations

20. uses tail as a rudder to steer when swimming
Name
Adaptations
Beaver
uses tail as a rudder to steer when swimming
webbed feet help swim faster
water repellant coat
builds lodge on water
lips close behind teeth so they can chew on wood without getting water in mouth
have clear eyelids to see under water

21. long hind legs assist with jumping webbed feet help swim faster
Name
Adaptations
Frog
long hind legs assist with jumping
webbed feet help swim faster
eyes can move all directions to protect itself
absorbs water through their skin
absorbs oxygen through their skin

22. webbed feet to swim faster holds breath to dive under water for food
Name
Adaptations
Mallard Duck
webbed feet to swim faster
holds breath to dive under water for food
mother ducks lead predators away by quacking loudly and then leaving ducklings behind to protect them
can take off out of water quickly to avoid predators

23. tuck in the their wings to rest
Name
Adaptations
Damselfly
tuck in the their wings to rest
mate in flight, males have claws to hang on to females
when damselfly eggs hatch, they have little claws to hang onto the ground to they won’t get washed away
regulate their temperature by laying in the sun or beating their wings

24. walks on surface with a rowing motion
Name
Adaptations
Water Strider
walks on surface with a rowing motion
communicates by making ripples on the surface of the water
have tiny hairs on legs and feet to keep them on top of the water
eats insects that fall into the water

25. Types of Animals Herbivore Carnivore Omnivore
an animal that feeds on plants
an animal that feeds on other animals
An animal that east both plants and animals
Beaver
Muskrats
Frogs

26. Plant and Animal Adaptations & Zones

27. Air or Water?

28. Plants and Animals by Zone

30. 5 kingdoms of living things