Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents • Energy Flow in Ecosystems • Cycles of Matter • Biogeography • Biomes • Aquatic Ecosystems

2. - Energy Flow in Ecosystems Food Chains and Food Webs • The movement of energy though an ecosystem can be shown in diagrams called food chains and food webs.

3. Key Terms: Examples: energy pyramid food web producers - Energy Flow in Ecosystems Building Vocabulary • A definition states the meaning of a word or phrase by telling about its most important feature or function. After you read the section, reread the paragraphs that contain definitions of Key Terms. Use all the information you have learned to write a definition of each Key Term in your own words. Key Terms: Examples: food chain consumer herbivore omnivore carnivore scavenger In a food chain, a consumer could be an herbivore, an omnivore, or a carnivore, including a scavenger. An energy pyramid shows how much energy moves from one level to another in a food web, beginning with the producers. decomposer Decomposers are nature’s recyclers.

4. - Energy Flow in Ecosystems Consumers • Click the Video button to watch a movie about consumers.

5. - Energy Flow in Ecosystems Links on Food Chains and Food Webs • Click the SciLinks button for links onfood chains and food webs.

6. End of Section:Energy Flow in Ecosystems

7. - Cycles of Matter The Water Cycle • The processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation make up the water cycle.

8. - Cycles of Matter Water Cycle Activity • Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about the water cycle.

9. - Cycles of Matter The Carbon and Oxygen Cycles • In ecosystems, the processes by which carbon and oxygen are recycled are linked. Producers, consumers, and decomposers play roles in recycling carbon and oxygen.

10. - Cycles of Matter The Nitrogen Cycle • In the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen moves from the air to the soil, into living things, and back into the air.

11. - Cycles of Matter Sequencing • Sequence is the order in which a series of events occurs. As you read, make a cycle diagram that shows the water cycle. Write each event of the water cycle in a separate oval. The Water Cycle Water evaporates. Precipitation runs off or becomes groundwater. Clouds form. Precipitation falls.

12. End of Section:Cycles of Matter

13. - Biogeography Continental Drift • One factor that has affected how species are distributed is the motion of Earth’s continents.

14. - Biogeography Continental Drift Activity • Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about continental drift.

15. - Biogeography Limits to Dispersal • The typical weather pattern in an area over a long period of time is the area’s climate.

16. - Biogeography Relating Cause and Effect • As you read, identify three causes of dispersal. Write the information in a graphic organizer like the one below. Causes Wind Effect Dispersal of species Water Living things, including humans

17. End of Section:Biogeography

18. - Biomes Rain Forest Biomes • Temperate rain forests receive a great deal of rain and have moderate temperatures.

19. - Biomes Rain Forest Biomes • Tropical rain forests are wet, warm biomes that contain an amazing variety of plants and other organisms.

20. - Biomes Desert Biomes • A desert is an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year.

21. - Biomes Grassland Biomes • A grassland is an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other nonwoody plants.

22. - Biomes Deciduous Forest Biomes • Many of the trees in the deciduous forest are deciduous trees, which shed their leaves and grow new ones each year. A deciduous forest receives at least 50 centimeters of precipitation each year. Temperatures vary greatly through the year.

23. - Biomes Boreal Forest Biomes • Most of the trees in the boreal forest are coniferous trees, trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles. Winters in the boreal forest are cold and very snowy, but summers are warm and rainy enough to melt all the snow.

24. - Biomes Tundra • The tundra is an extremely cold and dry biome. Most of the soil in the tundra is permafrost, which is frozen all year.

25. - Biomes Mountains and Ice • Some areas of land are not part of any major biome. These areas include mountain ranges and land that is covered with thick sheets of ice.

26. - Biomes Earth’s Biomes Activity • Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about Earth’s biomes.

27. - Biomes Biome Climates • An ecologist collected climate data from two locations. The graph shows the monthly average temperatures in the two locations. The total yearly precipitation in Location A is 250 cm. In Location B, the total yearly precipitation is 14 cm.

28. Month is plotted on the horizontal axis; temperature is plotted on the vertical axis. Reading Graphs: What variable is plotted on the horizontal axis? On the vertical axis? - Biomes Biome Climates

29. Location A temperatures are steady; Location B temperatures fluctuate. Interpreting Data: Look over the graph. How would you describe the temperature over the course of a year in Location A? In Location B? - Biomes Biome Climates

30. Location A: tropical rain forest Location B: desert Drawing Conclusions: Given the precipitation and temperature data for these locations, in which biome would you expect each to be located? Explain your answers. - Biomes Biome Climates

31. Answers will vary but should reflect whether local climate is hot or cold, seasonal or steady. Predicting: What would you expect a temperature graph for your biome to look like? Draw a temperature graph for the biome in which you live. - Biomes Biome Climates

32. - Biomes Comparing and Contrasting • As you read, compare and contrast the different biomes by completing a table like the one below. Tropical Rain Forest Temperate Rain Forest Character-istic Deciduous Forest Boreal Forest Desert Grassland Tundra Temps vary throughout the year Warm in summer, cold in winter Usually hot with great daily extremes Warm to cool in summer, cold in winter Cool winters, warm in summer Tempera-ture Warm all year Cold all year Mostly dry with a wet season Abundant rain and snow Precipit-ation Rather wet all year Moderate rainfall Wet all year Dry all year Dry all year Typical organisms Gamble’s quail Mule deer Grasses Orangutan Mosses Red fox Lynx

33. - Biomes Deciduous Forests • Click the Video button to watch a movieabout deciduous forests.

34. End of Section:Biomes

35. - Aquatic Ecosystems Marine Ecosystems • The ocean is home to a number of different ecosystems. Factors such as water temperature and the amount of sunlight determine what types of organisms can live in each zone.

36. - Aquatic Ecosystems Marine Ecosystems • The ocean is home to a number of different ecosystems. Factors such as water temperature and the amount of sunlight determine what types of organisms can live in each zone.

37. - Aquatic Ecosystems Outlining Aquatic Ecosystems • As you read, make an outline about the different types of aquatic ecosystems. Use the red headings for the main ideas and the blue headings for the supporting ideas. • Freshwater Ecosystems • Streams and Rivers • Ponds and Lakes • Marine Ecosystems • Intertidal Zone • Neritic Zone • Open Ocean

38. - Aquatic Ecosystems Links on Aquatic Ecosystems • Click the SciLinks button for links on aquatic ecosystems.

39. End of Section:Aquatic Ecosystems

40. Graphic Organizer Free nitrogen is present in air. Bacteria release some free nitrogen back into the air. Bacteria in root nodules fix free nitrogen into compounds. Nitrogen Cycle Decomposers break down wastes and remains of organisms. Consumers obtain nitrogen by eating plants.

41. End of Section:Graphic Organizer