1. Name:__________________________ Date:____________
Earth is a system
Unit 2 - Ch Ecosystem Notes

2. The narrow layer of Earth where life can exist.
The Biosphere
The narrow layer of Earth where life can exist.
Life on Earth requires:
A. Liquid water
B. Temperatures between
10°C and 40°C
C. Source of energy
1. Plants & algae use sunlight to make food
2. Most other organisms get energy from what they eat

3. Ecosystems: Everything is Connected

4. What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.
Ex: Forest, coral reef, your backyard
The components of an ecosystem are constantly interacting with each other

5. Think – Pair - Share
What are the components of the ecosystem pictured?
2) Identify possible interactions between organisms in this ecosystem.

6. Components of an Ecosystem
All ecosystems need basic components in order to survive.
1) Biotic Factors – living and once living parts of the ecosystem
Ex: plants, animals, leaves, organisms’ waste
2) Abiotic Factors – nonliving parts of the ecosystem
Ex: air, water, rocks, sunlight
Which parts of the coral reef are biotic? Which are abiotic?

7. INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW…
Think back to your stick figure…
- Are we all part of the same ecosystem?
- Is someone in China part of our ecosystem?

8. Organism – an individual living thing Ex: a fish
What’s in an Ecosystem?
Organism – an individual living thing Ex: a fish
Species - a group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring Ex: Catfish
Population –members of the same species that live in the same area at the same time Ex: all catfish in a pond
Community – different species living in the same place and interacting with each other. Ex: insects, fish, frogs, & plants in a pond.
Habitat - the place where the community lives. Ex: the pond the catfish live in.

10. Think about it…
Can an organism live outside of its habitat for a long period of time? Why/why not?

11. Stop… T-P-S Time
1) Classify the following pictures on your own using the terms:
organism, population, community, or habitat.
Pair up with your partner to compare your results.

12. organism, population, community, or habitat? (1)

13. organism, population, community, or habitat? (2)

14. organism, population, community, or habitat? (3)

15. organism, population, community, or habitat? (4)

16. Levels of complexity of living organisms on Earth

17. Everything is Connected
You can think of an ecosystem as working like a car. The engine of a car is made up of hundreds of parts that all work together.
**Think about it - What might happen to the car if one of these parts breaks?

18. Everything is Connected
The same applies to an ecosystem.
So, what might happen to an ecosystem if one part is changed or destroyed?
Simpson’s clip

19. Model Ecosystem Create a model or blueprint for your given ecosystem.
The blueprint should include the following and be labeled with:
Habitat/location
Biotic factors in the ecosystem (at least 3)
Abiotic factors in the ecosystem (at least 3)
The interactions among the ecosystem’s community and habitat (at least 1 per member of the ecosystem)
A population
A community
A description of how the ecosystem may be threatened by human activities (how might the ecosystem be negatively impacted by human actions?).

20. Model Ecosystem Lab Station 1 – Desert Lab Station 2 - Forest
Lab Station 3 - Pond
Lab Station 4 - Beach
Lab Station 5 - Garden
Lab Station Fish Tank