1. CH 4 Ecosystems and Communities
4-1 The role of Climate
4-2 What shapes and Ecosystem
4-3 Biomes
4-4 Aquatic Ecosystesm

2. 4-1 The role of Climate
Weather is the day to day condition of Earth’s Atmosphere at a particular time and place
Climate refers to the average, year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region

3. 4-1 The role of Climate
Carbon dioxide, Methane, water vapor, and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy, and maintain Earth’s temperature range
The natural situation in which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gases is called the Greenhouse Effect

4. 4-1 The role of Climate
Because the earth is a sphere, that is tilted on its axis, solar radiation strikes different parts of Earth’s surface at an angle that varies throughout the year

5. 4-1 The role of Climate
As a result of differences in latitude, and thus the angle of heating, Earth has three main climate zones
Polar zones are cold areas where the sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low angle
The Tropical zone is near the equator and is warm year round because it is always in direct sunlight
Temperate zones sit between polar zones and the tropics
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6. 4-1 The role of Climate
Pg 89 (1-4)

7. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
The biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem are called Biotic Factors
Physical, or nonliving, factors that shape ecosystems are called abiotic factors
Together, biotic and abiotic factors determine the survival and growth of an ecosystem in which an organism lives or Habitat

8. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
A niche is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

9. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
Community interactions, such as competition, predation, and various forms of symbiosis, can powerfully affect and ecosystem
Resource is anything necessary for life, such as water, nutrients, light, food or space
The competitive exclusion principle states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

10. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
Community interactions include
Predation- one organism captures and eats another
Symbiosis- Any relationship in which two species live closely together
Mutualism- both species benefit
Commensalism- one member benefits and the other neither helped nor harmed
Parasitism- One organism lives in or on another organism and harms it

11. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances
As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually die out and new organisms move in, causing further changes in the community

12. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time is called Ecological Succession
Primary succession is the succession that occurs on land where no soil exists
Ex- New volcanic island or a glacier melting
The first species to populate the area are called Pioneer species
When the disturbance is over, community interactions tend to restore the ecosystem to its original condition through Secondary Sucession

13. 4-2 What shapes an Ecosystem?
Pg 97 (1-6)

14. 4-3 Biomes
A Biome is a complex terrestrial communities that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil, climate conditions and particular assemblages of plants and animals
Plants and animals also exhibit variations in Tolerance, or ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their optimal conditions
When climates in a small area differs from the climate around it, a Microclimate occured

15. 4-3 Biomes
On PG List all 10 Biomes and a sentence to summarize each (include key terms after each description)
Pg 105 (2-5)

16. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
Aquatic ecosystems are determined primarily by the depth, flow, temperature, and chemistry of the overlying water

17. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
Freshwater ecosystems can be divided into two main types
Flowing water ecosystems-Rivers, streams and creeks
Standing water ecosystems-Lakes and Ponds

18. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
A Wetland is an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
Estuaries are wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea

19. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
In Estuaries most of the energy in the food web originates from Detritus or tiny pieces of organic material
Salt Marshes are temperate- zone estuaries dominated by salt-tolerant grasses
Mangroves swamps are coastal wetlands that are widespread through tropical regions (Florida and Hawaii)

20. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
The prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat is called Zonation
Coastal ocean extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continents shelf, the relatively shallow border that surrounds the continent
One of the productive coastal ocean communities is the Kelp Forest

21. 4-4 Aquatic Ecosystems
In the warm, shallow water of tropical coastal oceans are coral reefs, among the most diverse and productive environment on Earth called Coral Reefs
Pg 112 (1-5)