Download ecosystem - yr8geography

Ecosystems
Aim- What are
ecosystems and how do
they work?
What are
ecosystems
and how do
they work?
The picture on the left
is an ecosystem,
showing all living
things and non-living
things
What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a community of interacting
plants and animals. An ecosystem is made
up of two components
-
Living things and
Their non-living environment eg water, air,
rocks and soil
-
Ecosystems
rainforests
Alpine
Ecosytems
Deserts
Grasslands
What are ecosystems and
how do they work?
Did you know?
•insects, birds and fish are all
animals
•grass and trees are plants
•mushrooms are fungi – a
special type of plant
Task 2
Explain (relate cause and effect) if the
following are ecosystems, explain your
answer in detail
a)
b)
c)
How do ecosystems work?

The living things interact with their environment
and each other
How big are ecosystems?
They can exist at a variety of scales; local,
regional and national

-
An ecosystem is any size you choose to study, for
example,
a pond
- a forest
a desert
- an ocean
Feeding in an ecosystem….
Did you know?
• a few plants can feed on
Insects
• they trap the insect in a bowl
of liquid that just dissolves them
away
It all starts with the sun’s energy transfer
to plants…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Plants trap sun’s energy in
chlorophyll
Carbon dioxide is taken in as is
water through roots
It uses the sun’s energy to turn
these into glucose (sugar) this
process is called photosynthesis
It combines this glucose with
minerals from the soil to make the
things it needs to grow
A food chain

A food chain is the relationship between
living organisms where one organism is
dependent on another as a source of food.
PRODUCERS
What happens
next?
CONSUMERS
a caterpillar
which is eaten by….
which is eaten by….
is eaten by……
a wood mouse
the leaf
a fox
dead remains, droppings and other waste material …. are eaten by ….
earthworms, insects,
fungi and bacteria
DECOMPOSERS
A Food Chain shows which
creatures eat each other
In this example, grass is eaten by
cows, which are eaten by people
Interactives
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/assets/resource
s/flash.php?&file=foodchains Food Chains
 http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/foodpuzzlechai
n.html Food Chains
 http://ecokids.earthday.ca/pub/eco_info/to
pics/frogs/chain_reaction/assets/flash/chai
n_reaction.swf Flash interactive
 http://puzzling.caret.cam.ac.uk/game.php?
game=foodchain Food Chain game

Primary producers

Plants are the primary producers in an
ecosystem because they produce their
own food.
Primary & Secondary Consumers

Herbivores are primary consumers as they
eat plants. Herbivores are eaten by the
secondary consumers carnivores (meat
eaters). Some animals eat a mixture of
plants and animals these are known as
omnivores.
Decomposers

Decomposers include many types of
bacteria and fungi. Their function is to
break down the wood, dead leaves and
dead bodies of other living things so that
every living thing is recycled.
Grass is the PRODUCER
Cows are Primary Consumers as they
eat the grass, they are called
HERBIVORES
Humans are secondary
consumers eating the cow,
when humans eat both animals
and plants they are called
OMINIVORES
Animals which eat other animals only
are called CARNIVORES
Food Web

A food web is the series of interconnected
food chains within an ecosystem.
Energy flows:



Each ecosystem is sustained by the flow of
energy through it. The main source of energy is
sunlight.
Energy is then able to pass through the
ecosystem in a food chain in which plants are
eaten by animals, and some animals consume
each other. In other words, each link in the chain
feeds on and obtains energy from the link
preceding it. In turn it is consumed by and
provides energy for the link that follows it.
Flash animation
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/esp/2001_gbio/folder_structure/ec/m3/s2/ecm3s2_6.htm
Recycling of nutrients:

Each cycle consists of plants taking up
nutrients from the soil. The nutrients are
then used by plants, or by animals which
consume the plants. When the plants or
animals die, they decompose and the
nutrients are released and returned to the
soil ready for future use.
Nutrient Cycle
SUMMARY
An Ecosystem is the relationship
between Soil, Climate, Vegetation
and Animals in an environment
SUMMARY
Ecosystems recycle nutrients,
such as Carbon & Nitrogen
INPUTS
Sunlight
Air
Rain
Soil
PROCESSES
Feeding
Reproduction
Decomposition
OUTPUTS
Oxygen
Water
Minerals
Extension task
“All ecosystems depend on the sun’ Do
you agree?
Draw a diagram to help you explain your
answer.
Homework

The earth is the largest ecosystem of all.
Illustrate how (you choose drawing or writing)
humans fit in to this ecosystem?
Tips to help
What do humans do to the world’s ecosystem?
How do humans manage the world’s ecosystem?
How do humans control the world’s ecosystem?
Nutrient Cycle