Ecosystems,
Communities and Biomes
Do Now
• What composes an ecosystem?
• What are some organisms that can survive
in our backyard, but not in other places in
the world?
• What are some organisms that could not
survive in our backyard?
• Why?
Climate
• Many organisms require a specific set of environmental
conditions in order to grow.
• In an atmosphere, temperature, precipitation, and other
environmental factors combine to produce weather and
climate
• Weather = day to day conditions of Earth’s atmosphere
at a particular time and place
– Solar energy from sunlight and atmospheric gases effect
temperature, weather, and climate
• Climate = average conditions of temperature and
precipitation in a particular region
– Factors of climate include trapped heat, latitude, winds, currents,
elevation, and precipitation
Greenhouse Effect
• Temperature on Earth remains within a livable
range because the biosphere has an insulating
atmosphere
• Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and
some other atmospheric gases trap heat energy
and maintain Earth’s temperature range
• Greenhouse effect = natural situation where a
layer of greenhouse gases retain heat energy
from sunlight inside the Earth’s atmosphere
The Greenhouse Effect
Section 4-1
Sunlight
Some heat
escapes
into space
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Atmosphere
Earth’s surface
Go to
Section:
Latitude
• Remember: Earth is a sphere tilted on its axis,
so solar energy reaches different parts at
different angles, resulting in different heating
distributions
• Earth has three main climate zones:
– Polar = cold areas at the poles of the Earth where the
sun’s rays strike Earth at a very low angle
– Temperate = between polar and tropic zones, more
affected by changing angle of the sun during the year,
so ranges from hot to cold depending on the season
– Tropical = near the equator receiving more direct
sunlight, so the climate mostly warm all year
Heating of the Earth’s Surface and Some
Factors That Affect Climate
Section 4-1
Greenhouse Effect
Different Latitudes
90°N North Pole
Sunlight
Sunlight
Some heat
escapes
into space
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Arctic circle
Sunlight
Most direct sunlight
66.5°N
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
0°
Tropic of Capricorn 23.5°S
Sunlight
Atmosphere
Arctic circle
Earth’s surface
Go to
Section:
23.5°N
Sunlight
66.5°S
90°S South Pole
Winds and Currents
• The unequal heating of Earth’s surface
drives winds and ocean currents, which
transport heat throughout the biosphere
• Wind forms because warm air near the
equator rises and cool air over the poles
sinks towards the ground
• Ocean currents form because cold water
near the poles sinks and flow along the
ocean’s bottom and rises in warmer water
What shapes an ecosystem?
• Remember: Ecosystems are influenced by a
combination of biological and physical factors
• Biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem
= biotic factors
– The ecological community
– Ex. Birds, trees, mushrooms, bacteria, frogs, etc.
• Physical, or nonliving, factors that shape ecosystems =
abiotic factors
– Ex. climate, temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, nutrient
availability, soil type, sunlight, water
• Together, biotic and abiotic factors determine the
survival and growth of an organism and the productivity
of the ecosystem in which the organism lives
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Section 4-2
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
ECOSYSTEM
Go to
Section:
What shapes an ecosystem?
• The area where an organism lives including biotic and
abiotic factors = habitat (“address”)
• The full range of physical and biological conditions in
which an organism lives and the way the organism uses
those conditions = niche (“occupation”)
– Ex. Place in food web, range of temperatures for survival, type of
food it eats, how it obtains food, physical environmental
condition requirements
• The combination of biotic and abiotic factors determines
the number of different niches
• No two species can share the same niche in the same
habitat, however, different species can occupy niches
that are very similar, but are still different niches
Figure 4-5 Three Species of
Warblers and Their Niches
Section 4-2
Cape May Warbler
Feeds at the tips of branches
near the top of the tree
Bay-Breasted Warbler
Feeds in the middle
part of the tree
Spruce tree
Go to
Section:
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Feeds in the lower part of the tree and
at the bases of the middle branches
Exit Ticket
• List the biotic and abiotic factors in an
ecosystem you know…
• Describe the habitat and niche of an
organism you know…
Do Now
• What composes a community?
• Are there biotic and abiotic factors? If so,
what are they?
What do these community
pictures have in common?
Activity
• Stations analyzing different relationships
Community Interactions
• When organisms live together in
ecological communities, they interact
constantly, helping shape the ecosystem
• Community interactions, such as
competition, predation, and various forms
of symbiosis, can powerfully affect an
ecosystem
Competition
• Competition occurs when organisms of the same
or different species attempt to use an ecological
resource in the same place at the same time
– Resource = any necessity of life (water, nutrients,
light, food, or space)
• Direct competition usually results in a winner
and a loser (the loser fails to survive)
• The competitive exclusion principle = no two
species can occupy the same niche in the same
habitat at the same time
Predation
• An interaction in which one organism
captures and feeds on another organism
– Predator = organism that does the killing and
eating
– Prey = organism that is the food
Symbiosis
• Any relationship in which two species live
closely together
• Symbiosis = “living together”
• The types of symbiosis include:
– Mutualism
– Commensalism
– Parasitism
Mutualism
• In this relationship
both organisms
benefit from the
association. (+,+)
Commensalism
• In this relationship
one organism is
benefited and the
other is neither
helped nor harmed.
(+, 0)
•
Parasitism
• In this relationship,
the parasite benefits
at the expense of the
host. (+, -)
Stations Activity
• Discuss and identify the relationships at
each station
On a piece of paper…
• Describe another community interaction
• Identify the type of interaction
• Explain why you believe it is that type of
interaction
Do Now
• Set up pond succession (jar of dirt and
water)
• Make a short term prediction.
• Make a long term prediction.
Ecological Succession
• Ecosystems and communities may appear stable
temporarily, but they are always changing due to abrupt
or human disturbances or natural fluctuations in the
environment
• As an ecosystem changes, older inhabitants gradually
die out and new organisms move in, causing further
changes in the community = ecological succession
– Primary succession = occurs on bare rock
– Pioneer species = first species to populate an area (lichens)
– Secondary succession = a disturbance changes an existing
community
– Climax community = mature, stable community after specific,
predictable stages of succession
Ecological Succesion
Pond Succession
Activity
• Investigating ecological succession
BIOME
• OUR PLANET HAS AMAZING DIVERSITY OF
ORGANISMS THAT LIVE IN MANY DIFFERENT
ECOSYSTEMS
• THE VARIETY OF ECOSYSTEMS ARE CLASSIFIED
INTO CATEGORIES CALLED BIOMES
• BIOMES = PARTICULAR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
THAT CONTAINS CHARACTERISTIC PLANTS AND
ANIMALS
• THE BIOME IS ALSO THE MOST COMMON CLIMAX
ECOSYSTEM THAT WILL FORM IN LARGE CLIMATIC
AREAS.
• CLIMATE DIAGRAM = GRAPH SUMMARIZING
TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION IN SPECIFIC
BIOMES
Climatograms
TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
• TERRESTRIAL BIOMES ARE THOSE BIOMES THAT
FORM ON LAND.
• THE MAJOR PLANT AND ANIMAL ASSOCIATIONS
(BIOTIC FACTORS) ON LAND ARE DETERMINED BY
THE MAJOR CLIMATE ZONES OF THE WORLD,
MODIFIED BY LOCAL LAND AND WATER
CONDITIONS (ABIOTIC FACTORS).
• CLIMATES WILL VARY AS TO TEMPERATURE,
SOLAR RADIATION, AND PRECIPITATION.
• THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF WATER IS A
MAJOR LIMITING FACTOR FOR TERRESTRIAL
BIOMES.
MAJOR LAND BIOMES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
TROPICAL DRY FOREST
TROPICAL SAVANNA
DESERT
TERMPERATE GRASSLAND
TEMPERATE WOODLAND AND SHRUBLAND
TEMPERATE FOREST
NORTHWESTERN CONIFEROUS FOREST
BOREAL FOREST (TAIGA)
TUNDRA
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
• THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST IS CHARACTERIZED BY HEAVY
RAINFALL AND CONSTANT WARMTH.
• ABIOTIC FACTORS = HOT AND WET, THIN NUTRIENT POOR SOIL
• THE CLIMAX FLORA (PLANTS) = MANY SPECIES OF BROADLEAVED PLANTS.
• THE CLIMAX FAUNA (ANIMALS) = PARROTS, SNAKES, MONKEYS,
AND LEOPARDS
• GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = SOUTH/CENTRAL AMERICA,
SOUTH ASIA NORTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA
MONKEYS
ANACONDA
TEAK
TROPICAL DRY FOREST
•
•
•
•
•
THE TROPICAL DRY FOREST IS
CHARACTERIZED BY SEASONS
OF RAINFALL OR DRYNESS AND
DECIDUOUS TREES THAT SHED
LEAVES TO CONSERVE WATER
ABIOTIC FACTORS = WARM,
WET AND DRY SEASONS, RICH
SOILS
CLIMAX FLORA = DECIDUOUS
TREES, ORCHIDS, ALOES
CLIMAX FAUNA = TIGERS,
MONKEYS, ELEPHANTS,
PELICAN, SNAKES
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION =
AFRICA, MEXICA, INDIA,
AUSTRALIA, TROPICAL ISLANDS
TROPICAL SAVANNA
•
•
•
•
•
SAVANNAS ARE CHARACTERIZED
BY GRASSLANDS WITH ISOLATED
TREES OR SHRUBS AND LARGE
ANIMALS
ABIOTIC FACTORS = WARM,
COMPACT SOIL, FREQUENT FIRES
BY LIGHTNING
CLIMAX FLORA = TALL GRASSES,
SOME DOUGHT-RESISTANT AND
FIRE-RESISTANT TREES/SHRUBS
CLIMAX FAUNA = LIONS, HYENAS,
ELEPHANTS, GIRAFFES, ZEBRAS,
BABOONS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION =
EASTERN AFRICA, BRAZIL,
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
DESERT
•
•
•
•
•
A DESERT IS CHARACTERIZED BY SPARSE RAINFALL AND EXTREME
DAILY TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS.
ABIOTIC FACTORS = LOW PRECIPITATION, VARIABLE TEMPERATURES,
DRY SOIL
THE CLIMAX FLORA = CACTI AND SUCCULENTS
THE CLIMAX FAUNA = MOUNTAIN LIONS, BOBCATS, KANGAROO RATS,
BATS, OWLS, RATTLESNAKS, AND LIZARDS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = AFRICA, ASIZ, MIDDLE EAST, U.S.,
MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA
TEMPERATE GRASSLAND
•
•
•
•
•
GRASSLANDS HAVE CONSIDERABLE VARIABILITY IN RAINFALL,
FERTILE SOIL AND A WARM TEMPERATURE WITH STRONG
PREVAILING WINDS.
ABIOTIC FACTORS = SEASONS, PRECIPTIATION, FERTILE SOIL,
OCCASIONAL FIRES
CLIMAX FLORA = GRASSES AND HERBS
CLIMAX FAUNA = COYOTES, WOLVES, GRIZZLY BEARS, RABBITS,
PRAIRE DOGS, HAWKS, OWLS, SNAKES, ANTS AND GRASSHOPPERS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = NORTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA,
EUROPE
TEMPERATE WOODLAND AND
SHRUBLAND
•
•
•
•
•
THIS BIOME IS CHARACTERIZED
BY A SEMIARID CLIMATE, AND
MIX OF OPEN WOODLANDS AND
SHRUBS
ABIOTIC FACTORS = HOT, DRY
SUMMER AND COOL, MOIST
WINTER
CLIMAX FLORA = EVERGREEN
SHRUBS AND FRAGRANT, OILY
HERBS
CLIMAX FAUNA = COYTOES,
FOXES, DEER, RABBITS,
QUIRRELS, HAWKS, QUAIL,
BUTTERFLIES, SPIDERS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION =
NORTH/SOUTH AMERICAN
COASTS, SOUTH AFRICA,
AUSTRALIA
TEMPERATE FOREST
•
•
•
•
•
TEMPERATE FORESTS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A MIX OF
CONIFEROUS AND DECIDUOUS TREES, MODERATE PRECIPITATION,
COLD WINTERS, AND WARM SUMMERS.
ABIOTIC FACTORS = COLD WINTER, WARM SUMMER, YEAR-ROUND
PRECIPITATION, FERTILE SOILS
THE CLIMAX FLORA= TREES THAT SHED THEIR LEAVES (DECIDUOUS
TREES), SOME CONIFERS, FLOWERING SHRUBS, HERBS, MOSSES
AND FERNS
THE CLIMAX FAUNA = DEER, BLACK BEARS, GRAY SQUIRREL,
RACCONS, SHUNKS, AND TURKEYS.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = EASTERN U.S., SOUTHEASTERN
CANADA, EUROPE, JAPAN, CHINA, AUSTRALIA
NORTHWESTERN CONIFEROUS
FOREST
•
•
•
•
•
THIS BIOME IS CHARACTERIZED
BY ABUNDANT RAINFALL AND
LUSH VEGATATION
ABIOTIC FACTORS = MILD
TEMPERATURES, ABUNDANT
PRECIPITATION, ROCKY, ACIDIC
SOIL
CLIMAX FLORA = CONIFERS
(GIANT REDWOODS)
CLIMAX FAUNA = BEARS, ELK,
DEER, BEAVERS, OWLS,
WEASELS
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION =
PACIFIC COAST OF U.S. AND
CANADA TO ALASKA
BOREAL FOREST (TAIGA)
•
•
•
•
•
TAIGA HAS LONG SEVERE WINTERS BUT THE SUBSOIL THAWS FOR A
FEW FEET DURING THE SUMMER (ABOUT 3 MONTHS)
ABIOTIC FACTORS = LONG, COLD WINTER AND SHORT, MILD
SUMMER, ACIDIC NUTRIENT POOR SOIL
THE CLIMAX FLORA = CONIFERS (EVERGREENS)
THE CLIMAX FAUNA = LYNX, MOOSE, BEAVER AND SONGBIRDS.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = NORTH AMERICA, ASIA, EUROPE
TUNDRA
•
•
•
•
•
TUNDRA IS CHARACTERIZED BY PERMAFROST = LAYER OF
PERMANENTLY FROZEN SUBSOIL
ABIOTIC FACTORS = STRONG WINDS, COLD WINTERS, POORLY
DEVELOPED SOILS, PERMAFROST
THE CLIMAX FLORA = LICHENS AND MOSSES
THE CLIMAX FAUNA = THE CARIBOU AND THE SNOWY OWL
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION = NORTHERN NORTH AMERICA, ASIA,
EUROPE
SNOWY
OWL
MOSS
LICHEN
CARIBOU
Compare/Contrast Table
Section 4-3
Ten Major Biomes
Biome
Precipitation
Temperature
Soil
Diversity
Trees
Grasses
Tropical Rain Forest
high
hot
poor
high
dense
sparse
Tropical Dry Forest
variable
mild
rich
moderate
medium
medium
Tropical Savanna
variable
Desert
low
Temperate Grassland moderate
mild
variable
summer hot
clay
poor
rich
moderate
moderate
moderate
sparse
sparse
absent
dense
sparse
dense
Temperate woodland
and Shrubland
summer low,
winter moderate
summer hot
poor
low
medium
medium
Temperate Forest
moderate
summer moderate, rich
winter cold
high
dense
sparse
Northwestern
Coniferous Forest
Boreal Forest
high
rocky, acidic
low
dense
sparse
poor, acidic
moderate
dense
sparse
Tundra
low
summer mild,
winter cold
summer mild,
winter cool
summer mild,
winter cold
poor
low
absent
medium
Go to
Section:
moderate
Figure 4-17 The World’s Major Land
Biomes
Section 4-3
Go to
Section:
Tropical rain forest
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tundra
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Mountains and
ice caps
Tropical savanna
Temperate woodland
and shrubland
Northwestern
coniferous forest
Boreal forest
(Taiga)
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Habitats in water environments
• Aquatic ecosystems are determined
primarily by the depth, flow, temperature,
and chemistry of the overlying water
(abiotic factors)
Major Aquatic Biomes
• Freshwater
• Estuaries
• Marine water
Freshwater ecosystems
• Flowing-water ecosystems = rivers, streams, creeks, etc
– Organisms are well adapted to the rate of flow
– Usually turbulent water at beginning with plenty of oxygen
– As water flows downhill, it slows and sediments build up, plants
grow, and organisms can make homes
• Standing-water ecosystems = lakes and ponds with
water circulating within them
– Water circulation distributes heat, oxygen, and nutrients
– Phytoplankton = single celled algae forming base of aquatic food
webs
– Zooplankton = planktonic animals that feed on phytoplankton
– Plankton = tiny, free-floating or weakly swimming organisms that
live in both freshwater and saltwater environments
Freshwater wetlands
• Freshwater wetlands = water covers soil or it is
present near the surface of the soil for part of the
year and are usually breeding grounds for
insects, fishes, amphibians, and migratory birds
– Bogs = form in depressions left by ice that melted
thousands of years ago
– Marshes = shallow wetlands along rivers and contain
cattails
– Swamps = water flows slowly and tress and shrubs
are present
Freshwater Pond Ecosystem
Section 4-4
Spoonbill
Frogs lay eggs in the shallow
water near shore.The eggs
hatch in the water as tadpoles
and move to the land as adults.
The shore is lined with grasses
that provide shelter and nesting
places for birds and other
organisms.
Duck
Water
Frog lilies Mosquito
Duckweed
larvae
Dragonfly
Snail
The roots of water lilies
cling to the pond bottom,
Pickerel
Diving
beetle Fish share the pond
while their leaves, on long
flexible stems, float on the
with turtles and other
surface.
animals. Many of
them feed on insects
at the water’s edge.
Trout
The bottom of the pond is
inhabited by decomposers and
Hydra
other organisms that feed on
particles drifting down from the
Snail Crayfish
surface.
Go to
Section:
Phytoplankton
Plankton and the organisms that
feed on them live near the surface
where there is enough sunlight for
photosynthesis. Microscopic algae
are among the most important
producers.
Benthic
crustaceans
Estuaries
• Brackish wetlands formed where rivers meet the
sea (mix of fresh and salt water)
• Detritus = tiny pieces of organic material that
provide food for organisms at the bottom of
estuary’s food web (worms, clams, sponges)
• Serve as spawning and nursery grounds
– Salt marshes = temperate-zone, grasses above tide
and seagrasses under water
– Mangrove swamps = coastal, tropical zone, mangrove
trees
Marine ecosystems
• Photic zone = well-lit upper layer where photosynthesis
can occur allowing algae and other producers to grow
– Intertidal zone = organisms are submerged part of the day and
exposed to air, sunlight and temperature changes the remainder
of the day while battered by waves
– Coastal ocean = rich in photosynthetic organisms, plankton, and
other organisms including kelp forests and coral reefs
• Aphotic zone = permanently dark where chemosynthetic
autotrophs survive
– Open ocean = aka “oceanic zone” = largest marine zone with
low nutrients, small producers, low productivity, fish of all shapes
and sizes (swordfish to octopus to dolphins to whales)
– Ocean trench = high pressure, frigid temperatures, and total
darkness with chemosynthetic producers
– Benthic zone = ocean floor contains benthos (sea stars,
anemones, marine worms) feeding on detritus that drifts down
from the produces near the surface
Figure 4-17 Zones of a Marine
Ecosystem
Section 4-4
land
Coastal
ocean
Open
ocean
200m
1000m
Photic zone
4000m
Aphotic zone
6000m
Ocean
trench 10,000m
Continental
shelf
Go to
Section:
Continental slope and
continental rise
Abyssal
plain