Download Biomes and Biodiversity Notes

Biomes and Biodiversity
O: We will explore the characteristics of different biomes and how biodiversity can
affect those biomes.
species – a group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to produce
fertile offspring.
population – a group of organisms of the same species that live in an area.
community - made up from all of the organisms in an ecosystem.
ecosystem - a community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving
environment.
habitat - the place in which an organism lives.
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Habitats support life because they have the conditions that suit the
organisms that live there.
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Organisms found in a habitat are adapted to live there
niche - particular area in an ecosystem where an organism lives.
biome - large geographic areas with similar temperatures and rainfall
amounts.
biotic - organisms living or that had once lived in the environment.
abiotic - non-living factors in the environment.
biodiversity - the number and variety of organisms living in an area.
High biodiversity makes the ecosystem more stable when faced with an
environmental change.
The higher the number of species in an area, the more likely it is that some of
them can survive and adapt to a change in the environment.
gene pool diversity - the number of diverse traits in a species.
The more variations within a species, the more likely some members of the
species will survive if the environment changes.
In general, the number of species increases from the poles to the equator.
The more niches an area has, the more biodiversity (coral reefs are 1%
of the Earth but have 20% of all species).
People can either help or hurt an ecosystem
– Protecting an area can increase biodiversity
– Deforestation, pollution and over hunting can decrease biodiversity
The biggest threat to biodiversity is loss of natural habitat.
Protecting biodiversity will make an ecosystem more sustainable.
sustainability – the ability of an environment to support life over centuries.
To maintain sustainability, people must manage resources wisely.
A: Protecting biodiversity is important to keep ecosystems healthy.
O: We will explore the characteristics of different biomes by looking at a North
American prairie.
A: The grass provides food for the bison and the bison provide fertilizer for
the grass.
O: We will research the characteristics of different biomes.
A: answers will vary
O: We will complete our research over the characteristics of different biomes.
A: Different biomes offer different conditions that organisms adapt to.
O: We will complete our biome brochures.
A: answers will vary
O: We will summarize our biome notes.
A: The higher the biodiversity, the more sustainable the ecosystem.
O: We will complete our biome notes.
A: Yes, some biomes offer more habitat which usually leads to more biodiversity.