Ecosystem dossier

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’ Ecology is the study of organisms and the environments they live in What is an Ecosystem?

An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere).

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Ecosystems have two components:

Abiotic factors are the physical

Biotic

and

which other organisms have on

chemical

ecosystem,

elements

which

affects

in

an

living

factors

are the

effects

living being in its environment.

organisms.

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The biosphere is the live zone of the Earth. It includes all living organisms and all organic matter

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An individual is any living thing or organism.

Population: A group of individuals of a given species that live in a specific geographic area

at a given time.

Community: This includes all the populations in a specific area at a given time.

Ecosystem: ecosystems include more than a community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with the environment (abiotic).

Biome: A biome, in simple terms, is a set of ecosystems sharing similar characteristics with their abiotic factors adapted to their environments.

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The food chain is the order in which animals and plants eat each other in order to survive. Every living creature needs to eat other creatures below it.

Every ecosystem has a different food chain, depending on which animals and plants live there.

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Grass is eaten by Grasshopper is eaten by Frog is eaten by

Snake is eaten by

Hawk

Producers

Consumers

Tertiary consumers- feed on primary and secondary consumers. Some of them are omnivores that eat both plants and 

animals.  Secondary consumers - Usually eat animal material - they are carnivores.

FOOD WEBS show how example cats, dogs and lions. plants and animals are Primary consumers - Usually eat plant material - they are herbivores.

Producers - Organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis.

How can you define consumer?

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FOOD WEBS show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.

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FOOD CHAINS follow just one path of energy as animals find food.

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How Matter and Energy Move Through Ecosystems ?

Do you remember the objective of nutrition?

Living things need nonliving matter as well as energy. What do you think matter is used for? It's used to build bodies. It's also needed to carry out the processes of life.

6 In ecosystems, energy has a unidirectional flow.

Matter has a cyclical

flow, it is recycled.

Decomposers release nutrients when they break down dead organisms. 

The nutrients are taken up by plants through their roots.



The nutrients pass to primary consumers when they eat the plants.



The nutrients pass to higher level consumers when they eat lower level consumers.



When living things die, decomposers, that feed on dead and decaying organisms, return nutrients to soil. Then the cycle repeats.

This diagram shows two cycles.

One is the cycle of energy, the other is the cycle of matter. Compare the two cycles. Do you see how the Sun keeps adding energy?

That’s because energy is lost at each step of the cycle. Matter doesn’t have to be added.

Can you explain why?

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They are the interactions among the living things and the environment.

There are two types: interspecific and intraspecific.

Interspecific relations

are interactions among organisms of different species.

A predator is an organism that eats another organism. The prey is the organism which the predator eats. Some examples of predator and prey are lion and zebra, bear and fish, and fox and

Depredation

rabbit.

In mutualism, both species benefit from their relationship. For example, oxpecker birds eat ticks and larvae infesting the skin of buffalo and other

Mutualism

large animals.

Parasitism is a relationship in which one organism (the parasite) benefits while the other (the host) is harmed. For example, mosquito is a parasite, feeding on a human while transferring the disease

Parasitism

called Malaria.

A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.

For

example,

clownfishes live amid the tentacles of the anemones

Commensalism

which protects them from predators. Predators are poisoned by the nematocysts of the anemones.

This is a specific form of commensalism in which one organism uses another organism for housing.

For example, hermit crabs live in empty shells.

Inquilinism

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An adaptation is a special feature or behavior that helps an organism survive in its environment.

This is a specific form of commensalism in which one organism uses another organism for housing.

For example, hermit crabs live in empty shells.

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A biome is a complex community that is characterized by climate, wildlife, and types of soil. There are ten major biomes with a gradual transition between the biomes. Plants and animals are adapted to live in specific biomes.

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There are 3 Major classes of ecosystems

 Relatively small in area ~ 1.8% of earth's

surface.

Freshwater ecosystems:

 Support many species of life including

fish, amphibians, insects and plants.

 Examples: rivers and lagoons.

11  Many & diverse types of ecosystems. There

Terrestrial Ecosystems:

are seven major types.

 Location usually dependent on the latitude

of the area, and amount of precipitation  Examples: forest and grassland.



Very large amount of Earth is covered by ocean (~75%)



40% of all photosynthesis occurs in oceans.



No photosynthesis can occur in deep

Ocean Ecosystems:

ocean because light cannot penetrate deeply into water. 

Examples:coral reefs and interditial areas.



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Biodiversity is a word that is used to describe the differences between individuals, species and environments Importance of Biodiversity Biodiversity is important

for the continuation of life.

If there

is a high level of biodiversity within a species, then the species is

better able to adapt to challenges

they may face. This can

include changes in temperature, the extinction of a prey animal or a shift in plant life.

The diversity of species on Earth is incredible.

Right now, there are more than 1.7 million species that have been discovered and named while scientists think that there are millions more we don’t know about.

Human activities are responsible for most of the loss in biodiversity throughout the world. With an increasing population, we are consuming more and more natural resources. We do this by driving more, using more energy in our homes, and buying many more products than we need.

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Match the words with their meaning :

Food Chain

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a Small unit of life

Ecology

2

b Study of organisms in environment

Producer

3

Consumer

4

c Weight of living material d Living in water

Decomposer 5 Organism

e Not living

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Phytoplankton 7 Zooplankton

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f An organism that breaks down waste g An organisms that makes its own food h Chemicals living things need

Aquatic

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Biomass

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i To repeat

Inorganic

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j Tiny organisms that make their food

Nutrients 12 Ecosystem 13 Cycle

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Cells

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k A living thing l Tiny organism that eats food m An organisms that eats food n The place a group of organisms lives. o Group of organisms that feed upon another group.

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Copyright © 2010 Ryan P. Murphy

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Possible Answers for Crossword:

Bioaccumulation, Biomagnification, Biomass, Canines, Carnivore, Cold, Consumer, Created, Decomposer, Destroyed, Ecology, FoodChain, Herbivore, Incisors, Molars, Omnivore, Phytoplankton, Producer, Sun, Useful, Zooplankton

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Across:

Down:

2 - This is the study of the relationships

1 - Heat flows from warm to ________.

between living things and the environment.

3 - These animal teeth are used for stabbing and killing.

5 - The process whereby an increasing amount of pollutants are concentrated in the cells of plants and animals.

7 - Energy cannot be created or _____________.

4 - Tiny aquatic animals that cannot make their own food.

5 - When contaminants increase at each step of the food chain.

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6 - Energy cannot be ___________ or destroyed.

12 - General name for an animal that only eats plants

8 - Name for an organism that feeds on and breaks down organic matter.

16 - Name for an animal that eats plants or other animals.

9 - Very small free floating aquatic plants that get energy from sun.

18 - This provides all of the energy on

10 - Name for an organism that can make its own

Earth.

food.

20 - General name for an animal that eats

11 - This is a community of organisms where each

both plants and animals.

member is eaten in turn by another member.

13 - These animal teeth are used for cutting.

14 - General name for an animal that eats only other animals.

15 - Energy goes from ___________ to non useful.

17 - These large teeth are used for crushing and grinding.

19 - Pyramid of ___________ - Is the total mass (quantity) at each level trophic level.

Copyright Š 2010 Ryan P. Murphy

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PRESENTATION HELP:

Member 1 Good morning.

We are ___________, __________________, _________________ and _______________.

Today we are going to tell you about _______________________ So, let’s start. ________________, over to you.

Member 2 Thank you.

I would like to describe our ecosystem.

Well, this is a (n) __________________ and its biome is _____________________.

Ecosystems have both abiotic and biotic factors. The main abiotic factors of this ecosystem are ___________, ____________ and _______________. And the biotic ones are _______, ______ and ________.

Now, _____________ will continue.

Member 3 Thank you.

I would like to continue with the description of the ecosystem and the relationships of its components.

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Here we can see a food chain and it is as follows: _______ is eaten by ________ We can also observe some relationships like _____________ Regarding the abiotic factors, we can see some adaptations like_______________

Now, ____________ will finish our presentation. ________________, the floor is yours.

Member 4 Yes, I will. Thank you. I would like to conclude by saying that our ecosystem is as important as the others in order to preserve life on earth.

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This means that we should look after all ecosystems, otherwise life on earth might disappear.

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If we don’t look after all ecosystems, life on earth might disappear.

Member 1 And that’s the end of our presentation. Thank you very much for your attention.

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