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CHAPTER 3 - ECOSYSTEMS
Lesson 1 – Parts of Ecosystems
An ecosystem is made of living and nonliving parts
that all work together. Every organism in an
ecosystem has a part to play.
An ecosystem is all of the living and nonliving
things in an environment and the many ways
they interact.
An ecosystem can be as large as a desert or as
small as a rotting cactus.
Living & Nonliving Parts of Ecosystems
Living Parts – animals, plants, fungi, protists, and
bacteria
Nonliving Parts – air, water, soil, sunlight, climate,
and landforms
Ecosystems
There are many different kinds of ecosystems.
Some examples –
Desert
Grassland
Tundra
Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Coral Reef
Ponds
Desert
Arizona – A Desert
Ecosystem Video
Grassland
Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Rainforest Video
Population
A population is all the
members of one species
that live within an area of
an ecosystem.
Desert Example –
Prairie dog population
Plant population
Community
The different populations that interact with each
other in the same area form a community.
What might be a reason for a
population decrease in a community?
The amount of food decreases. This means that the
animal will have to leave that area in search of
food.
Habitat
The area or place where an organism lives in an
ecosystem is called a habitat. A habitat contains all
the living and nonliving things an organism needs.
Niche
The specific role of an organism in its habitat is
called its niche. A niche includes the type of food
the organism eats, how it gets its food, and which
other species use the organism as food.
Adaptations also help determine an organism’s
niche.
Review
1. What is the name for all of the members of one species that live within an area of an ecosystem?
2. What is the name for all of the living and nonliving things in an environment and how they interact?
3. What is the name for the specific role of an organism in its environment?
4. What is the name for the different populations that interact with each other in the same area?
5. Why is a desert considered an ecosystem?
Review
1. Population
2. Ecosystem
3. Niche
4. Community
5. It is made up of living and nonliving things that
interact with each other. An ecosystem may be
large, like a desert, or small, like a rotting cactus.
Lesson 2 – Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Every living
thing needs
energy.
Energy in an
ecosystem is
passed from
one organism
to another.
Producers
Producers are
organisms that
can make their
own food.
Consumers
Consumers are
organisms that
cannot make their
own food.
More about Consumers
There are three different types of consumers.
Herbivores – get energy by eating only plants
Carnivores – get energy by eating only animals (meat)
Omnivores – get energy by eating plants & animals
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
A Food Chain
The sun is the main source of energy for life on earth. A food chain begins with energy from sunlight.
Producers are the next link in the chain.
Predators get energy they need by hunting and killing prey.
An animal with no natural enemies is called a top predator.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0309/quickflicks/
Small Things That Make a Big
Difference
Decomposers digest the waste and remains of dead
plants and animals.
Why are decomposers important to the food chain?
They add minerals and nutrients to soil, water & air.
A Food Web
Ecosystems have many food chains. The same food source can be part of more than one food chain. As a result, one food chain often overlaps other food chains.
What might happen if a population dies out? The food web will change.
Review
1. When a food chain overlaps with other food chains it is called a –
2. A food chain starts with an -
3. What is the main energy source for life on Earth?
4. What is the job of a decomposer and why is it important to the food chain?
5. What is a producer? Give an example.
6. What is a consumer? Give an example.
7. What is a herbivore?
8. What is an omnivore?
9. What is a carnivore?
10. What might happen if a population dies out?
Review
1. Food Web
2. Energy Source
3. The Sun
4. It breaks down the remains of dead organisms into minerals and
nutrients that living things can take from the soil, air, and water.
5. producers make their own food. Example: plant
6. consumers use other organisms as food. Example: roadrunner
7. consumers that eat only plants
8. consumers that eat plants and meat
9. consumers that eat only meat
10. it would affect the food chain. Animals would have to compete
more for their food because their would be less food
Lesson 3 – The Flow of Matter in an
Ecosystem
All organisms need more than energy to survive. They
also need matter in the form of minerals, oxygen, and
carbon dioxide. This matter is then returned to the
ecosystem when organisms die and decay.
Matter and energy flow through an ecosystem. Plants
use minerals from the soil and gases in the air.
Herbivores get the matter and energy they need to
form the plants they eat. Carnivores get the matter
and energy they need from the animals they eat.
Decay in Ecosystems
All living things eventually die and rot, or decay.
Decay is a very important process. Without decay,
dead organisms and wastes would pile up and
interfere with the habitats of living things.
Decaying plants and animals are helpful because
they put minerals back into the soil.
