1. Ecosystems

2. What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem includes all of the living things in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments.
Living components – Biotic
Non-living Components - Abiotic

4. Name as many biotic and abiotic components as you can in the picture below:

5. Types of Ecosystems Ecosystems can be put into 2 groups.
If the ecosystem exists in a water body, like an ocean, freshwater or puddle, it is called an aquatic ecosystem.
Those that exists outside of water bodies are called terrestrial ecosystems.

6. Examples of Aquatic Ecosystems
River or Stream
Ocean
Lake Marsh or swamp
Pond

7. Examples of Terrestrial Ecosystems
Mountain
Forest
Grassland
Urban/
Artificial
Desert
Tundra

8. Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem
To understand the levels of belonging in an ecosystem, let us consider the diagram below.

9. Individual
any living thing or organism
example: 1 goldfish
Population:
A group of individuals of a given species that live in a specific geographic area at a given time.
example: A school of goldfish
Community
all the populations in a specific area at a given time.
includes populations of organisms of different species.
example: gold fish, salmons, crabs and herrings coexist in a defined location. A great community usually includes biodiversity.

10. Ecosystem:
includes a community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with the environment (abiotic).
example: Ocean Biome:
a set of ecosystems sharing similar characteristics with their abiotic factors adapted to their environments.
Biosphere:
all the different biomes, each blending into the other, will all humans living in many different geographic areas, we form a huge community of humans, animals and plants, in their defined habitats.
A biosphere includes all the ecosystems on Earth.

11. Sustainability
Most ecosystems are sustainable, meaning they are self-regulating and maintaining for long periods of time.
Sustainability – populations of plants, animals and other living organisms can continue to interact and to reproduce indefinitely
* Biodiversity is also preserved.
Artificial ecosystems – are created by man (urban park or farm) and require maintenance of both biotic and abiotic factors.

12. Class/Homework
WS “Introducing Ecosystems”
p.21 #1-3, 8, 10, 11, 15