1. Ecosystems- Characteristics and Cycles
C2 – C19

2. Characteristics of an Ecosystem
An organism’s environment – the surroundings in which it lives – provides it with the specific things it needs.
Every environment is made up of both biotic, living, and abiotic, nonliving parts.
Biotic parts include every living thing within it – trees, plants, grass, animals, fungus, bacteria.
Abiotic parts include– land, water, air, minerals, sunlight, temperature, and rainfall.

3. Organisms in an Ecosystem
A habitat is the part of the environment where an organism lives. Organisms can share a habitat if their needs are the same.
A habitat has food, water and shelter.

4. Organisms of the same species living together in the same place make up a population.
Oak trees living together in the forest.
Tree frogs living together in a pond.

5. Many populations living in the same environment at the same time make up a community.
A community and the abiotic parts of its environment make up an ecosystem.
An ecosystem can be as small as a leaf and as large as a forest.

6. Abiotic Factors Affect Ecosystems
Abiotic factors determine the kinds of plants and animals that can live in an ecosystem.
***The climate (rainfall) is the most important factor.
The job of an organism in an ecosystem is a niche. It includes everything the organism needs and everything it does.

7. Land Biomes
A biome is a region of the world defined by its climate and the unique plants and animals that live there.

8. Tundra Grassland Desert Deciduous Forest Taiga Tropical Rain Forest
Biomes of the World
Tundra
Grassland
Desert
Deciduous Forest
Taiga
Tropical Rain Forest

9. Tundra Rainfall: 10 inches per year
Temperature: extremely cold; weak growing season
Plants: mosses and lichens
Animals: caribou, arctic hare, wolves, arctic fox

10. Grassland Rainfall: 30 inches per year Temperature: variable
Plants: grasses with scattered trees and flowers
Animals: gazelle, zebra, kangaroo, deer, prairie dog, mole, lion, hawk

11. Desert Rainfall: 10 inches per year
Temperature: extremes; hot days and cold nights
Plants: cactus and woody shrubs
Animals: reptiles, coyote, badger, owl and eagle

12. Deciduous Forest Rainfall: 50 inches per year
Temperature: cold winters and warm summers; 6 month growing season
Plants: broad leaved trees, loose leaves in fall
Animals: squirrel, rabbit, skunk, birds, deer, fox, wolf, black bear

13. Taiga Rainfall: 20 inches per year
Temperature: very cold; short growing season
Plants: conifers, evergreen with needlelike leaves
Animals: moose, caribou, bear, weasel, lynx, fox, wolf, deer, chipmunk, hawk

14. Tropical Rain Forest Rainfall: 100 inches per year
Temperature: 68 – 77 degrees Fahrenheit
Plants: 100 different tree species per square km
Animals: highly diverse with insects, bats, birds and mammals