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This content provides an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals in ecosystems. It covers concepts such as levels of organization in an ecosystem, biomes, different kinds of ecosystems, relationships and components in ecosystems, and the function of organisms as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
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Ecosystems Content Competency Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals. Alex Richardson Elementary Science Coach arichard@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
Background Concepts • Living and nonliving parts make up an ecosystem. • All living things in the environment are called biotic. • All nonliving things in the environment are called abiotic.
Background Concepts cont’d Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem • An organism • A population • A community • An ecosystem
Background Concepts cont’d • An organism is a single living thing. • A population is a group of the same kind of organisms living in a particular area. • A community is all the populations of different species living together.
Background Concepts cont’d • An ecosystem is a community of organisms and the abiotic parts of the environment in which the organisms live. • Ecology is the study of how living and nonliving things interact. • The specific environment that meets an organism’s need is its habit.
Background Concepts cont’d • The role an organism plays in its habitat is its niche. It includes the food it eats, the way it finds foods, the way it builds or finds shelter, and the way it affects its environment. • A species is a group of organisms that can mate and produce offspring like themselves. • An adaptation is a characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment.
Biomes • A biome is a large region with specific plants and animals and the same climate throughout the region. • The world has many kinds of environments. • A biome is the largest environment.
Objective 1.01Describe and compare several ecosystems (communities of organisms and their interaction with the environment). • Ecosystems vary in size from very large, such as an ocean, to very small such as an aquarium. • An ecosystem is made up of all populations of plants, animals, and all the physical factors of their environment.
Different Kinds of Ecosystems • Terrestrial • Freshwater • Saltwater
Different Kinds of Ecosystems cont’d • Terrestrial ecosystems are often categorized as land ecosystems. Some examples of terrestrial ecosystems are: forests, deserts, coastal, tundra, and grasslands. • Freshwater ecosystems include lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, marshes, and swamps. • Saltwater ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forest are found in Earth’s oceans.
Similar Relationships Exist in all Ecosystems • The dominance of certain types of plants and animals will manifest itself based on the type of ecosystem. • The presence or absence of certain types of plants and animals are affected by the type of ecosystem in an environment.
Similar Components Exist in all Ecosystems Nutrients Energy Habitats Populations
Objective 1.02:Identify and analyze the function of organisms within the population of an ecosystem as producers, consumers, and decomposers. • Plants, animals and microorganisms participate within an ecosystem as producers, consumers, or decomposers. • Plants, animals and microorganisms roles as consumer, producer, or decomposer are determined by their level or function within food chains or food webs.
Food Chains and Food Webs • A food chain shows how food energy moves from one organism to another in a community. • Each organism acts as the energy source for the next organism in a food chain. • A producer is always the first link in a food chain.
Food Chains and Food Webs cont’d • A food web is a network of all food chains in an ecosystem. • Plants and animals participate in more than one food chain. • A food web gives a more complete picture of how food energy moves through a community. • Removing an organism from the food web affects other organisms.
Energy within an Ecosystem • The primary source of energy is the sun. • The sun allows plants to manufacture energy through photosynthesis. • Plants are the primary producers and are the first level of providing energy.
Different Levels of Energy Transfer Carnivores Omnivores Herbivores Producers
Producers • Producers make their own food using the energy from the sunlight during photosynthesis. • Plants, algae, and some bacteria are producers.
Herbivores • Herbivores are consumers that eat only plants and plant products. • They get their energy by eating roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and plant sap. • Examples: gorillas, deer, cows, rabbits, grasshoppers, snails, caterpillars of moths and butterflies
Omnivores • Omnivores eat both plants and animals. • Omnivores are consumers. • Bears are the largest omnivores. • Examples: cockroaches, crows, raccoons, coyotes, and humans
Carnivores • Carnivores are consumers that get energy by eating the bodies of other organisms. • Many carnivores have adaptations that make them good hunters. • They have good eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell for locating their prey. • Examples: lions, hyenas, killer whales, hawks, and sharks
Carnivores cont’d • Carnivores are animals that eat other animals. • Carnivores are consumers. • Some carnivores eat other than what we usually think of as meat. They eat the entire body of an insect it catches. • Examples: Snakes, owls, and ladybugs
Decomposers • Decomposers breakdown decaying and dead material to recycle the nutrients. • They feed on dead plants, dead plant parts, and dead animals. • Examples: fungi, bacteria, earthworms, centipede, pill bugs, molds, and mushrooms
Objective 1.03:Explain why an ecosystem can support a variety of organisms. • Resources in an ecosystem provide for the needs of plants and animals. • Sufficient availability of these resources contributes to the maintenance of balance in an ecosystem. • All ecosystems must provide environmental resources such as air, water, food, shelter, and living space.
Environmental Resource (Air) • Air contains two gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide, that different organisms need. • Animals and plants need oxygen to release the energy in food. • Plants need carbon dioxide to make their own food.
Environmental Resource (Water) • The cells of animals and plants are made mostly of water. • Animals need water to help move digested food throughout their bodies. • Organisms would dry up and die without water. • Plants also need water to make their own food.
Environmental Resource (Food) • The energy for all living things starts with the sun. • Plants use energy from the sun to make their own food. • Some animals capture this energy by eating plants while other animals get this energy by eating animals that eat plants.
Environmental Resource (Shelter) • Most plants anchor themselves in soil. Animals use plants as shelter. • Some animals dig holes in the soil to stay warm and dry as well as protect themselves from other animals. • Shelter provides protection for future survival of offspring.
Environmental Resource (Living Space) • Plants and animals need sufficient space to live and grow. • Living space must be adequate to support other resources so populations will survive. • Organisms must find a new home if living space is overpopulated or they will die.
Conditions within an Ecosystem • Conditions within an ecosystem vary or fluctuate over time. • Ecosystems are constantly changing due to changes in temperature, rainfall, or soil conditions. • If conditions change enough, plants may no longer be able to grow in the ecosystem.
Conditions within an Ecosystem cont’d • Competition and naturally occurring conditions may cause an imbalance in the populations or resources of ecosystems. • Some natural changes to ecosystems occur rapidly and are very destructive. • Volcanic eruptions, floods, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and droughts are examples of natural changes to ecosystems.
Conditions within an Ecosystem cont’d • The survival rate of plants and animals depend on the availability of resources. • Imbalance of environmental resources may contribute to overpopulation, endangered species, or extinction of some plants and animals. • A healthy ecosystem has a state of balance.
Objective 1:04 Discuss and determine the role of light, temperature, and soil composition in an ecosystem’s capacity to support life. • All organisms within an ecosystem are dependent on environmental factors. • Ecosystems must provide water, food, air, living spaces, and shelter. • Climate has an effect on the types of soil and water levels available in an ecosystem.
Role of Light to Support Life • Plants trap the energy in sunlight and store it in the bonds of sugar molecules, or carbohydrates, they make. • Animals depend on the sun for energy. • Organisms use sunlight to make food and animals get energy by eating the organism. • When animals eat the plants, they digest the carbohydrates and release the stored energy.
Role of Temperature to Support Life • Heat energy from the sun is absorbed in the land and water on the Earth’s surface. • The sunlight is spread out and the ground warms up less in the morning. • At noontime, the sun is highest in the sky and the sunlight is more concentrated during summer than winter. • The amount of heat absorbed and released changes from day to day as well as hour to hour.
Role of Soil Composition to Support Life • Soil is a mixture of tiny pieces of rock, minerals, and decayed plants and animals. • Soil contains water and other nutrients that plants need. • Plant roots hold soil in place. • Moles, earthworms, bacteria, and other organisms live in soil all the time.
Environmental Factors • The populations of plants and animals within the ecosystem are affected by the condition of environmental factors such as light, temperature, and soil composition. • Changes in environmental factors affect the flow of nutrients and energy throughout the ecosystem.
Objective 1:05 Determine the interaction of organisms within an ecosystem. • Organisms are interdependent of each other and interact with living and non-living things to survive and flourish. • Some animals have developed relationships that make them specifically dependent on other animals.
Interaction of Organisms • The balance of ecosystems is maintained through the interdependent relationship of plants and animals. • Some plants and animals will survive better than others within the same ecosystem. • Organisms compete for resources within the ecosystem.
