Unit 6 THE BIOSPHERE SUMMARY

Living things in an ecosystem can be...

The biosphere is the largest ecosystem because it is made up of planet Earth and all the living things that inhabit it.

PRODUCERS CONSUMERS DECOMPOSERS

Living things that produce their own food from sunlight, water and mineral salts from the soil (plants and algae).

Living things that eat other living things (animals) Living things that decompose the remains of other plants and animals so the minerals of these living things return to the soil (fungi and bacteria)

Primary consumers are animals that eat plants (herbivores as rabbits, and insects as grasshoppers)

Secondary consumers are animals that eat herbivorous animals (owls, foxes)

Tertiary consumers are animals that eat secondary consumers (hawks)

Predators are carnivorous animals that hunt other animals for food (lions).

Scavengers are carnivorous animals that eat the dead bodies of other animals (vultures).

Parasites feed of living things without killing them (mosquitoes).

Food chains show how the species in an ecosystem are connected to one another by their food relationships. Food webs are a combination of various food chains.

Unit 6 THE BIOSPHERE SUMMARY

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

Extinction occurs when every single member of a species dies and none are left alive.

Ex. Dinosaurs, flying reptiles and the golden toad in Costa Rica.

Causes

• Humans are responsible for most of the recent loss of biodiversity in the world

• Climate change

• Pollution

• Hunting and capturing animals

• Over-exploiting resources

• Releasing pets into the wild

• Alteration of habitats

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY

Endangered species are those which are in danger of extinction (Ex. Iberian lynx, Iberian imperial eagle)

National parks and biosphere reserves are created to protect wildlife and its environment (Monfragüe National Park, Doñana National Park)