1. Chapter 15 “Our Living Planet”
15.1 “Climate & Life”
Objective:
Describe how climate conditions affect living things.
Define the terms environment & ecosystem.

2. Climate
Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time & place.
Climate is the average year-after-year conditions

3. Environments & Ecosystems
An environment is a combination of physical & biological factors that influence life.
An ecosystem is a collection of organisms interacting with one another & their environment.

4. Physical & Biological Factors
Abiotic factors: physical environment, non-living.
climate, type of soil, available nutrients, wind.
Biotic factors: biological environment.
Everything alive.

5. Niche
Ecosystem = address; does not tell you much about the individual.
A niche is a description of the organism, it’s favorite conditions, and how it uses those conditions.

6. Habitat The type of surroundings in which a species lives & thrives.
Organisms which share the same habitat don’t necessarily share the same niche.

7. 15.2 “Environments & Life” Objective:
Explain how the process of ecological succession eventually culminates in a stable climax community.

8. Life Affects Environment
Organisms affect and change their environment.
Evolution of bacteria; leading to “pollution” in the air.
Physical/Biological factors (abiotic/biotic) interact and slowly change/alter ecosystems.

9. Changes in Ecosystems
Stability is misleading because ecosystems are always changing in response to disturbances.

10. Ecological Succession
A series of predictable changes that occur in community over time
An existing ecosystem is gradually replaced by another ecosystem.

11. Lichen on a Rock

12. Climax Community
Results when a community has reached a stable collection of plants & animals.
May still be vulnerable to change = natural disasters.

13. Forest Fire Regrowth