Ecosystems
What are ecosystems?
Places made up of living and non-living things, made up of a community of living things and the physical environment that they live in.
What is a population?
A group of the same individuals.
What are grasslands?
Large areas of grass found in places with very little rain. Grass and small plants tend to grow here rather than trees, becuase they need a lot of rain to grow.
What are forests?
Rainy places that allow trees to grow in large groups.
What are aquatic ecosystems?
Ecosystems that are built around water (like a river, sea, or ocean).
What makes up an ecosystem?
Air quality, sunlight, temperature, water, climate, rocks, and soil.
What is a community?
Different populations interacting with each other.
What are savannahs?
Ecosystems found in tropical areas where there is more rain, there are more trees but not too many. Elephants, giraffes, and zebras live here.
What are coniferous forests?
Coniferous forests are located in the colder zones of the northern hemisphere. Brown bears, reindeer, moose, wolves, and weasels live among evergreen trees.
What are the two types of aquatic ecosystems?
Marine and freshwater.
What two main groups make up living things?
Flora (plants) and fauna (animals).
What is a habitat?
The home of a living thing.
What are temperate grasslands?
Ecosystems found in cool climates, normally where it is dry and windy. The grass is often shorter. Bison, deer, wolves, and rabbits live here.
What are tropical rainforests?
What is a marine ecosystem?
An aquatic ecosystem at an ocean or sea that is made up of saltwater. The largest ecosystem on Earth. Coral reefs and sealines are marine aquatic ecosystems.
What are abiotic factors and biotic factors?
Abiotic factors are nonliving things and biotic factors are living things.
What does it mean if an animal is nocturnal?
Animals who are only active at night when it is cooler, animals in the desert have adapted to be like this.
What does temperate mean?
The temperature is not too hot or cold, but moderate/not too high or cold/consistent.
What are deciduous forests?
What is a freshwater ecosystem?
An aquatic ecosystem is made up of freshwater, such as lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. Here, water is constantly recycled.
What are artificial and natural elements?
Artificial elements are things that are made or built for our ecosystem, like parks, bridges, and buildings. Natural elements are in our ecosystem but are not built or made, like plants and water.
What are urban ecosystems?
Ecosystems that humans have adapted to in order to suit them, they can live in them.
What are deserts? What is an example of an animal/plant that lives in the desert and how has it adapted?
The hottest and driest places on Earth. Livings things have adapted to changes in temperature and the lack of water.
Camels store nutrients in their humps and don't really lose water. They can go a long time without water.
A cactus can store water for long periods of time. They have spines instead of leaves, which helps them to not lose water and protects it from animals who want to eat it.
What are Mediterranean forests?
Forests near the Mediterranean Sea, typically includes oak trees, rosemary, and thyme.
Please draw and label an aquatic ecosystem of your choice, including abiotic and biotic factors.
See drawing.