Download ECOSYSTEMS VOCAB AND NOTES

ECOSYSTEMS VOCAB AND NOTES
NAME_________________________
1.
Ecosystems-
contains all of the organisms and their nonliving surrounding environment that
contribute to the functioning of the ecosystem. (it includes all the animals, plants, water, soil,
air, and sunlight present and the interactions among them)
2.
Biotic factors-the living parts of the ecosystem-includes the populations and communities
of organisms.
3.
Abiotic factors-the nonliving parts of the ecosystem-includes the temperature, water, soil,
air, and sunlight.
4.
Microorganisms-living things that can be a single-celled or multi-celled organism that is too
small to be seen without at least a 10x magnifier.
5.
LIVING ORGANISMS IN AN ENVIRONMENT CAN BE GROUPED IN TWO
WAYS:
Population- ALL members of ONE kind of organism that live in a particular area.
EX: all of the white-tailed deer in a forest, or all rainbow trout in a stream, or all of the
bald cypress trees in the swamp.
6.
Communities-a group of different populations of organisms in an area that are coexisting at
the same time.
EX: all of the squirrels, acorn trees, and grass in a park; or all of the microorganisms in a
pond; or all of the cacti, rattlesnakes, and scorpions in the desert.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS ACCORDING TO THEIR
CHARACTERISTICS:
7.
Terrestrial- land based ecosystems
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8.
Forests
Grasslands
Wetlands
Aquatic-water-based ecosystems
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Lakes and Ponds
Oceans
Estuaries
Saltwater Marshes
RANGE OF
TEMPERATURE
Temps in a
forest may vary
depending on
where the
forest is
located. EX:
temp in a
temperate
forest ranges
from about -30
degrees C to 30
degrees C
QUANTITY
OF WATER
The
amount of
rainfall a
forest
receives
varies
depending
on
location.
Forests
receive
more
rainfall
than
grasslands.
WETLANDS:
A wetland is an area
of land that, at least
part of the year, is
underwater. There
are both freshwater
and saltwater
wetland ecosystems
including marshes
and swamps.
Temps in a
wetland may
vary depending
on where the
wetland is
located.
The
amount of
water here
depends
on the
amount of
rainfall and
depends
on
location.
GRASSLANDS:
have fertile soil and
are covered with tall
grasses
There are various
types , including
temperate
grasslands (prairies
and steppes) and
savannahs
Temps varyAverage temp
for a
temperate
grassland
ranges from
well over 38
degrees C in
summer to
-40 degrees C
in winter.
Rainfall will
varyaverage
rainfall for
temperate
grassland is
bt 50-88
cm a year
FORESTS:
Have many trees
(with needles or
with leaves), shrub,
grasses, and ferns
QUANTITY
OF LIGHT
The forest
canopy (top
layer)
receives
many hours
of sunlight.
Therefore,
the trees’
leaves grow
thickest
near the top
of the tree.
The
understory
receives
filtered
sunlight so
smaller
shrubs and
trees grow
here
Marshes
contain few
trees and
receives a
full day of
sunlight.
Swamps
contain
trees,
allowing for
filtered
sunlight.
BC of
limited
rainfall, few
trees grow
in the
grasslands.
Therefore,
grasslands
receive full
sun all day
long.
SALINITY
SOIL
COMPOSITION
Depends on
type of forest:
EX: In a
temperate
forest,
decaying leaf
matter
contributes to
fertile soil
ANIMALS
FOUND
anacondas, boa
constrictors,
butterflies,
cheetahs ,etc.
The salinity
of a wetland
depends on
location .
EX: the
level of
salinity in a
salt marsh is
affected by
the tides
and amount
of rain the
ecosystem
receives.
Wetlands help
prevent
flooding and
erosion of the
soil.
birds, mammal
s, reptiles,
amphibians
and fish
Fertile Soil
prairie dogs,
bison, and
grasshoppers,
etc
OCEANS:
Large bodies of
saltwater divided by
continents
ESTUARIES:
Found where the
freshwater rivers
meet the oceans
LAKES AND PONDS:
Freshwater that are
surrounded by land
Temps will
vary-deep
ocean water is
colder than
shallow ocean
water due to
ability for
sunlight to
penetrate and
warm the
water
Temps vary
depending on
location
Both
amount of
rainfall and
depth of
ocean
water
varies from
ocean to
ocean
Unlike lakes,
temp of the
water in ponds
usually stays
the same from
top to bottom
Ponds are
usually
shallower
than lakes
The surface Ocean
of the ocean water is
receives full salty
sunlight.
However,
deeper
ocean water
is colder and
darker.
Estuaries
are saltier
than a river,
but not as
salty as the
ocean. The
amount of
salt changes
as tides
come in and
out.
drifters
(jellyfish or
seaweed),
swimmers
(fish), crawlers
(crabs), and
those
anchored to
the ocean floor
(corals).
crabs, shrimp,
birds such as
blue heron
and egrets,
and muskrats.
fish,
amphibians,
ducks, turtles,
or beavers