Download Ecosystems and Habitats

Ecosystems and Habitats
Ecosystems
• When you walk in nature you see many
things.
• Some of these things are alive, like
animals and plants.
• Some of these things are not alive, like
rocks, air, and water.
• An ecosystem is all the living and
nonliving things interacting in an
environment.
Habitats
• A habitat is the environment that meets
an organism’s needs (or a home).
• In a habitat some needs are met by other
living things. For example, a tree provides
food and shelter for a woodpecker.
• In a habitat some needs are met by
nonliving things. For example, plants
need water, nutrients in the soil, carbon
dioxide, and sunlight to grow.
Habitats
• A habitat has to provide for the organisms
that live there. If there is not enough food
and water animals will have to move
somewhere else or they will die.
Habitats
• Different habitats
provide the needs for
different animals.
• A pond is a habitat
for fish, frogs, and
lily pads.
• Areas in Alaska are
habitats for polar
bears and arctic
foxes.
Niche
• A niche is the role that an organism plays
in its habitat.
Species
• A species is a group of organisms that can
mate and produce offspring like
themselves.
Populations
• All the organisms of
the same species
that live in the
same place at the
same time are a
population.
Communities
• Populations that live in the same place at
the same time make up a community.
Interactions in a community
• Populations within a community interact
with one another.
• For example, sharks interact with the fish
they eat.
• Populations also compete with each other
for food and places for shelter.
• For example lizards and frogs both eat
insects.
Questions
What is a habitat?
A habitat is the specific
environment that meets an
organism’s needs
What is a niche?
A niche is the role that an
organism plays in its habitat