Download Ecosystems

Ecosystems
An ecosystem is a combination of all the
living and non-living elements of an area.
It is made up of all the living (such as
plants, animals, and people) and nonliving (such as topography, climate, and
water) elements in a particular area.
ECOLOGY
 ECOLOGY is the study of the
natural environment and of the
relations of organisms to each other
and to their surroundings.
 In this topic we will all be ecologists!
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Types of ecosystems
Desert
Rainforest
Bushland
Coral reefs
Mangroves
Rivers
Cave
Pond
Sand dune
Grasslands
Alpine
Ecosystems are made up of
biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors.
Biotic factors
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Plants
Animals
Fungi
Micro-organisms. E.g. bacteria,
Abiotic factors
Abiotic factors in an ecosystem can
determine which organisms can live
there. They include:
 Sunlight
 Wind
 Temperature
 Availability of water
 Soil nutrients
 Rocks
Desert
Rainforest
Bushland
Coral Reefs
Mangroves
Rivers
Cave
Pond
Sand dune
Grassland
Alpine
Major Ecosystems of the World
Australia’s major ecosystems
Population
 A population is a group of organisms of the same kind
living in the same place at the same time e.g. The
Bream population in the Shoalhaven River. When all of
the populations in an ecosystem interact and form a
community.
 If the population's needs are not met, it will move to a
better habitat. Two different populations can not
occupy the same niche at the same time, however. So
the processes of competition, predation,
cooperation, and symbiosis occur.
Community
 A community is a number of different
populations interacting with each other.
 The community of living things interacts
with the non-living world around it to
form an ecosystem.
Habitat
 Within each ecosystem, there are habitats
which may also vary in size.
 A habitat is the place where a population
lives. For example, a population of ants has its
own habitat.
 A micro habitat is a habitat within a habitat
e.g. a rock pool on a rock platform.
 The habitat must supply the needs of
organisms, such as food, water, temperature,
oxygen, and minerals.
Interactions
 Populations of animals interact with each
other and their environment in a variety
of ways:
 Feeding behavior e.g. herbivores &
carnivores, predation.
 Competition e.g. food (intra) & space
(inter)
 Relationships e.g. parasitism
Human Impacts on the
environment
 Global Warming
 Use of CFC's and impacts on
the Ozone Layer
 Overuse of Pesticides
 Use of PCB's
 Deforestation Destruction of
Wetlands
 Urban Encroachment
 Endangered Species
 Acid Rain
 Water Contamination
 Use of Fossil Fuels
 Dams for Hydro Electricity
 Disposal of Radioactive
Wastes
 Oil Spills
 Smog Air Pollution
 Soil Erosion
 Introduction of Invasive
Species
 Heavy Metals
 Salting Roads
 Crop Irrigation
 Irrigation, land erosion and
pesticide run off