Introduction The structure and function of an ecosystem

Introduction The structure and function of an ecosystem

ECOSYSTEMS An ecosystem is a group of living organisms interacting with their environment. 2

VIDEO [Assignment 1: Video Notes] We are now going to watch brief videos on ecosystem and food chains & webs. Please take notes while watching the videos. INTRODUCTION TO ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT ECOSYSTEMS FOOD CHAINS & WEBS 3

FOOD WEBS You have learned that animals and plants in an ecosystem have a niche, or a role, in the ecosystem. One aspect of an organism’s niche is its place in the food web or food chain. The term “food web” is the most preferred term because it is not a simple chain; all the organisms are interconnected like a spider’s web. There are three kinds of ways animals interact with food. They can be producers, consumers or decomposers. 1. Plants and algae are usually the producers in an ecosystem. Producers don’t eat anything else; they get their energy from another source, often the sun, which is that foundation of the food web just like it is at the foundation of the water cycle. Plants get their nutrients from soil, water, and air, so they don’t need to eat things. There are plants that eat insects, though! 2. Consumers eat the producers and/or other consumers. 3. Decomposers eat the dead plant and animal material in the ecosystem, turning it into nutrients that can be used by the producers. Fungi, like these mushrooms growing on a tree, bacteria, and worms are the most common decomposers. 4

PREDATORS/CONSUMERS/ PRODUCERS [Assignment 2: Food Webs document] Visit: http: //www. harcourtschool. com/activit y/food_menu. html Fun with Food Webs [trophic: Feeding level of ecosystem] In pairs, solve each of the 3 different food webs. Once you are done with each, use your snipping tool to copy them in a Word Document. On the same page define verdant, temperate & sparse. Make sure it all fits on one sheet of paper and send it to the black/white printer (Dell). 5

VOCABULARY AUTOTROPH The elements in an ecosystem that produce their own food. Example: Plants are autotrophs and make their own food through a process called photosynthesis. ABIOTIC FACTOR A nonliving part of an ecosystem. ADAPTATION A characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment or reproduce BIOTIC FACTOR A living part of an ecosystem. COMMENSALISM A relationship between two species in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. COMMUNITY All the different populations that live together in an area. COMPETITION The struggle between organisms for the limited resources in a habitat. ECOLOGY All the living and nonliving things that interact with each other and their environment. ECOSYSTEM All the living and nonliving things that interact in an area. EMMIGRATION Leaving a population. HABITAT The place where an organism lives and that provides the things it needs to survive. 6

VOCABULARY - 2 HETEROTROPH The organism s in an ecosystem that cannot make their own food IMMIGRATION Moving into a population. LIMITING FACTOR Factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease. MUTUALISM A type of symbiosis in which both partners benefit from living together. NATURAL SELECTION The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species NICHE An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living. ORGANISM A living thing PARASITE An organism that lives on or in a host and causes harm to the host. POPULATION All the members of one species in a particular area. PREDATOR A carnivore that hunts and kills other animals for food and has adaptations that help it capture the animals it preys upon. SPECIES A group of similar organisms whose members can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring in nature. TROPHIC LEVELS Feeding level of ecosystem 7

VOCABULARY - 3 More about relationships: Other plants and animals live side-by-side in a relationship we call symbiosis. There are different kinds of symbiosis. The first is called parasitism. This is where one species (the parasite) feeds off of or is dependent on the other species (the host) in a way that may hurt or even kill the host. An example of parasitism is fleas on a dog. The photo at left shows a flea through an electron microscope. Another example of parasitism is called brood parasitism. This is when a bird lays its eggs in another bird’s nest rather than building its own nest and sitting on the eggs. Cuckoo birds and cowbirds lay their eggs in another bird’s nest and have the host bird “babysit” the egg. This doesn’t always work out for the host, because the cuckoo sometimes shoves the host’s eggs overboard to try to fool the host! If the host and the parasite benefit from the relationship, we call that mutualism. An example of that would be bacteria in the gut of cows. The cows need the bacteria to help them digest their food; the bacteria need the cow to provide them nutrients. Another example is the relationship between the clown fish and the sea anemone. The anemones protect the fish from predators that would eat the clown fish but don’t want to mess with the stinging tentacles of the anemone. The clown fish in turn protects the anemone from a fish called the butterfly fish that eats anemones. 8

VOCABULARY ASSIGNMEMT [Assignment 3: Criss-Cross Puzzle] Using your notes, complete the criss-cross puzzle individually and turn in to teacher before the class is over. ECOSYSTEM KAHOOTS 9

Natural Ecosystems Tropical Rainforest Ecosystems Located in tropical regions, rainforests possess a greater diversity of plant and animal life than any other type of ecosystem. As their name implies, precipitation is significant, leading to dense, verdant vegetation. Trees grow very tall as they compete for sunlight, and animals live in their canopy. Temperate Forest Ecosystems Forest ecosystems are common across temperate climates -- areas where winters are cold and summers are warm. They usually consist of deciduous trees, which shed their leaves each autumn, and coniferous trees, which stay green throughout the year. Taiga Ecosystems Taigas are a type of forest ecosystem located in the far northern regions of the world. Also called boreal forests, they consist mainly of evergreen, coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce. Grassland Ecosystems Grasslands, located in semi-arid zones, contain wide, treeless expanses often inhabited by grazing animals. Sub-categories of grassland ecosystems include savannas, which are found in the tropics; prairies, situated in temperate regions; and steppes, which can be found in either climate. Desert Ecosystems With a drier climate than grasslands, desert ecosystems are characterized by relatively sparse vegetation, and the number of insects and animals is also relatively limited. Deserts aren’t necessarily hot; they can lie in temperate zones as well. Nor must they be sandy; many deserts feature rock floors. 10

Natural Ecosystems Tundra Ecosystems (continued) Tundra ecosystems, located in polar regions or on the tops of high mountains, are frozen and snow-covered most of the year. Life is hard in these white, treeless swaths, but during the brief summer, snows may melt enough to expose lichens or small wildflowers and attract migrating birds. Stillwater Ecosystems Various aquatic ecosystems can be found in stagnant or very slowly flowing waters. Lakes, ponds, bogs, freshwater and saltwater marshes, swamps and lagoons are examples of ecosystems found in stationary or nearly-stationary waters. Algae, plankton, underwater and floating plants, such as lily pads, may inhabit the calm waters. River and Stream Ecosystems Consisting of flowing freshwater, river and stream ecosystems support a variety of underwater life. Their relatively fast-moving waters boast a higher oxygen content than that of stationary waters, allowing greater biodiversity among plant and animal species. Littoral Zones Littoral zones are essentially coastlines, the often shallow parts of the ocean nearest the shore. The waters in littoral zones experience a significant amount of turbulence, due to wave action. Seaweed, barnacles, mollusks and crabs may be found in littoral zones. Coral Reefs Coral reefs are often referred to as the “rainforests of the ocean” because these ecosystems teem with life -- an estimated one-quarter of marine species rely on them for food or shelter. In addition to corals and brightly-colored fish, sponges, sea anemones, sea urchins and clams make their homes in coral reefs. 11

Final Project In pairs, you will produce a Power Point presentation on the Ecosystem assigned. Your Power Point need to answer the following questions as they relate to your assigned ecosystem: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What is an ecosystem? (Example: A Coral Reef Ecosystem is …. ) What elements make up an ecosystem? Give examples of biotic & abiotic factors in your ecosystems. How are the elements of an ecosystem related? What is the relationship between predators and prey in an ecosystem? What is the relationship between producers & consumers in an ecosystem? 7. Create a flow chart that displays the food web in your ecosystem (see examples on next slide) 8. Your presentation must include at least 8 photos/illustrations. 12

Sample Food Webs (include the sun in your flow chart) 13