Download Living Things and the Environment


Picture a forest scene in your head.

What kind of plants do see?

What kinds of animals do you see?

What kind of non-living materials do you
see?
Fontainebleau
forest, Ile de
France

An ecosystem is all the living and non-living
things that interact in a particular area.
› Animals?
› Plants?
› Rocks?
› Oxygen?
› Soil?
› Minerals?

Organisms live within a specific place within
an ecosystem.

An organism obtains food, water, shelter, and
other things it needs to live, grow, and
reproduce from its surroundings.

The place where an organism lives and
provides its needs is called its habitat.
A prairie dog’s habitat is in
underground tunnels.
A mushroom’s habitat is
in moist soil, tree bark, or
mossy rocks.

An ecosystem may contain MANY habitats.

An animal or plant lives in a particular
ecosystem because it meets the organisms
needs.
Habitat Video

Types of Ecosystems (ex. Forest)

Types of habitats (ex. Cave)

What is the difference between a habitat and
an ecosystem?

HOMEWORK: Pick an ecosystem and create a
detailed illustration including at least 3 living
items and 3 non-living items. This assignment
must be colored in order to receive full
credit. NO WRITING REQUIRED.

Animals interact with both living and nonliving elements in the environment.

The living parts of an ecosystem are called
biotic factors.

I’m going to call out a letter of the alphabet.
You will have 45 seconds to pick a biotic
factor starting with that letter. Try to be
creative because if you and another student
have the same answer, then you’re out.

Winners will receive prizes!

Include:
› All plants
› All animals
› Decomposers
 Worms, Fungi, Protists, & Bacteria

All non-living parts of an ecosystem are
called abiotic factors.

These factors include:
› Water ~ very important for photosynthesis
› Sunlight ~ without plants we couldn’t survive
› Oxygen ~ animals need it to survive
› Temperature
› Soil ~ provides homes for many animals
With which abiotic factors is the frog
interacting with here?

What do you already know about
populations?

A species is a group of organisms that are
physically similar and can reproduce with
each other to produce offspring.

A population is all the members of one
species in a particular area.

“Designer Dogs”
› AKA Goldendoodle & Morkie

Dogs can be bred with one another because
they are all the same species: Canis familiaris
Golden Retriever
Standard Poodle
Goldendoodle
Hippopotamus
Rhinocerous
The Giant Panda is a
species.
Panda Facts!
The Grizzly Bear is its
own species.

Grizzly Bear’s Classification:
Phylum: Chordata  this means the animal has a backbone.
Class: Mammalia  this means the animal is a mammal
Order: Carnivora  this means the animal is a carnivore
Family: Ursidae  this means the animal is in the bear family
Genus: Ursus  this designates the bear as a grizzly

We classify organisms in order to group them by
similar characteristics.

Check out these other bears…

If a cat is an organism within a species…
My
oldest
cat,
Lucky 

All of the cats within a particular area (my
house) are considered to be a population.
Button

All the prairie dogs in Texas

All the pigeons in New York City

All the daisies in a field

All the trees in a forest
› Why is this not a population?

The area in which a population lives can be
as small as a single blade of grass or as
large as the whole planet.

Brainstorm other types of populations.

All of the different populations that live
together in an area make up a community.

Remember, ecosystems are made up of more
than just one population of species.
› For example, a ocean ecosystem is made up of
more animals than just whales.

A prairie community may include:
› Prairie Dogs
› Hawks
› Tall grasses
› Badgers
› Snakes
› Insects
› And more…
All of these are
populations on
their own, but
together make up
a community.
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem

Ecology is the study of how living things
interact with each other and the
environment.