Chapter 3 - Ecosystems

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Chapter 3 - Ecosystems
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Lesson 1 Parts of Ecosystems

• An ecosystem is made of living and nonliving
  parts that all work together. Every organism in
  an ecosystem has a part to play.
• An ecosystem is all of the living and nonliving
  things in an environment and the many ways they
  interact.
• An ecosystem can be as large as a desert or as
  small as a rotting cactus.

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Living Nonliving Parts of Ecosystems

• Living Parts animals, plants, fungi, protists,
  and bacteria
• Nonliving Parts air, water, soil, sunlight,
  climate, and landforms

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Ecosystems

• There are many different kinds of ecosystems.
• Some examples
• Desert
• Grassland
• Tundra
• Forest
• Tropical Rain Forest
• Coral Reef
• Ponds

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Desert

Arizona A Desert Ecosystem Video
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Grassland
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Tundra

• Tundra Video

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Forest
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Tropical Rain Forest
Rainforest Video
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Coral Reef
Coral Reef Video
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Population

• A population is all the members of one species
  that live within an area of an ecosystem.
• Desert Example
• Prairie dog population
• Plant population

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Community

• The different populations that interact with each
  other in the same area form a community.

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What might be a reason for a population decrease
in a community?

• The amount of food decreases. This means that
  the animal will have to leave that area in search
  of food.

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Habitat

• The area or place where an organism lives in an
  ecosystem is called a habitat. A habitat
  contains all the living and nonliving things an
  organism needs.

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Niche

• The specific role of an organism in its habitat
  is called its niche. A niche includes the type
  of food the organism eats, how it gets its food,
  and which other species use the organism as food.
  Adaptations also help determine an organisms
  niche.

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Review

• 1. What is the name for all of the members of
  one species that live within an area of an
  ecosystem?
• 2. What is the name for all of the living and
  nonliving things in an environment and how they
  interact?
• 3. What is the name for the specific role of an
  organism in its environment?
• 4. What is the name for the different
  populations that interact with each other in the
  same area?
• 5. Why is a desert considered an ecosystem?

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Lesson 2 Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Every living thing needs energy. Energy in an
  ecosystem is passed from one organism to another.

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Producers

• Producers are organisms that can make their own
  food.

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Consumers

• Consumers are organisms that cannot make their
  own food.

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More about Consumers

• There are three different types of consumers.
• Herbivores get energy by eating only plants
• Carnivores get energy by eating only animals
  (meat)
• Omnivores get energy by eating plants animals

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Herbivores
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Carnivores
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Omnivores
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A Food Chain

• The sun is the main source of energy for life on
  earth. A food chain begins with energy from
  sunlight.
• Producers are the next link in the chain.
• Predators get energy they need by hunting and
  killing prey.
• An animal with no natural enemies is called a top
  predator.
• http//magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/030
  9/quickflicks/

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Small Things That Make a Big Difference

• Decomposers digest the waste and remains of dead
  plants and animals.
• Why are decomposers important to the food chain?
  They add minerals and nutrients to soil, water
  air.

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A Food Web

• Ecosystems have many food chains. The same food
  source can be part of more than one food chain.
  As a result, one food chain often overlaps other
  food chains.
• What might happen if a population dies out? The
  food web will change.

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Review

• 1. When a food chain overlaps with other food
  chains it is called a
• 2. A food chain starts with an -
• 3. What is the main energy source for life on
  Earth?
• 4. What is the job of a decomposer and why is it
  important to the food chain?
• 5. What is a producer? Give an example.
• 6. What is a consumer? Give an example.
• 7. What is a herbivore?
• 8. What is an omnivore?
• 9. What is a carnivore?
• 10. What might happen if a population dies out?

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Lesson 3 The Flow of Matter in an Ecosystem

• All organisms need more than energy to survive.
  They also need matter in the form of minerals,
  oxygen, and carbon dioxide. This matter is then
  returned to the ecosystem when organisms die and
  decay.
• Matter and energy flow through an ecosystem.
  Plants use minerals from the soil and gases in
  the air. Herbivores get the matter and energy
  they need to form the plants they eat.
  Carnivores get the matter and energy they need
  from the animals they eat.

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Decay in Ecosystems

• All living things eventually die and rot, or
  decay. Decay is a very important process.
  Without decay, dead organisms and wastes would
  pile up and interfere with the habitats of living
  things.
• Decaying plants and animals are helpful because
  they put minerals back into the soil.