Kinds of EcosystemsChapter 4

Quote• “In all things of Nature there is something of the marvelous”

• Write down an interesting fact about nature, then we will discuss what types of ecosystems those animals live in.

Ecolog• Answer the Ecolog Questions on page 78.

Save the Rainforests• Burning match – in the time that it takes to burn a single

match, 97 acres of Rainforest are burned (roughly the size of a football field)

Terms• Biome – areas that have distinctive climates and organisms• Climate – refers to the weather conditions in an area over a

long period of time

Chapter 4 Project• You are going to research a specific type of ecosystem and

become an expert on it

• You are then going to teach it to the rest of the class

• You need to have a lesson plan which includes: objectives, the actual lesson, a handout (assignment), and a visual aid (power point, etc.).

Types of Ecosystems• Tropical Rain forests• Temperate Rain forests• Deciduous forests• Taiga• Savanna• Grasslands• Chaparral• Desert• Tundra• Lakes and Ponds• Wetlands• Rivers• Ocean• Estuary• Coral Reefs• Polar

Tropical Rain Forests• Tropical Rain forests – occur in a belt around the earth near

the equator• Humid, Warm, over 100 inches of rain a year lots of sun

Terms• Canopy – trees more than 100 feet tall, absorb 95% of the

sunlight

Adaptations• Look at page 82, what characteristics do the bat and flower

have that allows them to thrive in the rainforest

Save the Rainforests• Research 5 things that are products that come from

rainforests. Explain how they are manufactured and if the rainforests disappear where is an alternative source for this.

• Woods, houseplants, spices, fruits, vegetables, other foods, fibers, gums, resins, pharmaceuticals, and oils are all categories to get you started.

• Include pictures of your products.

Adaptations• Thumb Lab – you are going to have your thumbs taped so they

cannot be used• You will need to perform a series of tasks then write about

each discussing the difficulties without thumbs. • Then you will write a paragraph explaining how primates are

adapted to living in the rainforest

Limiting Factors• Limiting Factor Principle – too much or too little of an abiotic

factor can limit or prevent the growth of a population

• What is the limiting factor in the tropical rain forest ecosystem?

Temperate Rain Forests• Temperate Rain Forests – the Pacific Northwest is North

America’s only example• Massive trees, mosses, ferns, and lichens use the abundant

moisture and thrive

Case Study• Read the Case Study found on pages 84-85 and answer the

questions

Temperate Deciduous Forests• Temperate Deciduous Forests – forests found in this part of

the country (broadleaf forest)

Taiga• Taiga (boreal forests) – northern coniferous forests with

extreme cold temperatures

Section Review• Do the section review on page 89

Grasses• How is the grass in these pans similar to a grassland biome?

• How are they different?

Savanna• Savanna – found in the tropics near the equator, but receive

too little rain for many trees to grow

Temperate Grasslands• Temperate Grasslands: Prairies, Steppes, Pampas• Found in the interiors of continents where there is too little

rainfall for trees to grow• Mountains play a crucial role (rain shadow)

Grazers• Why would grazers native to a grassland have less of an impact

on the area than introduced grazers?

Chaparral• Chaparral – found with Mediterranean climates, dry, hot

summers, mild, wet winters

Deserts• Deserts – areas that receive less than 10 inches of rain per

year• Drought resistance – survival strategy of plants, many die and

drop their seeds for the next rainfall• Estivating – basically hibernating during the summer

Questions• What affects to ATV’s have on a desert ecosystem?

• Do you think that people should be allowed to seek out recreational opportunities where ever they want?

Tundra• Tundra – biome without tall trees, north of the arctic circle• Permafrost – permanently frozen soil

Imaginary Organism• You are going to create an organism that could exist in a

Tundra Biome.

• You need to include it’s adaptations that allow it to survive as well as a drawing of the organism.

• Write a paragraph explaining its existence

Section Review• Answer the section review questions on page 99

Pond Water• Pond Water Comparison• These two jars are from the same source• What differences do you see?• What could have caused these differences?• Do you think that this is an unhealthy situation?

Lakes and Ponds• Littoral Zone – nutrient rich area of lakes and ponds• Benthic Zone – bottom of the body of water inhabited by

decomposers, insect larvae and clams• Why is Great Salt Lake salty?

Wetlands• Wetlands – areas of land that are covered with water for at

least part of the year • Marshes – have non-woody plants• Swamps – have woody plants

Rivers• Rivers – originate from snowmelt in the mountains or from a

spring

Fish• Fishing Trip – We are going to research types of fish caught in

the Zumbro• Research the type of fish that you could expect to catch and

the type of bait you will need

Section Review• Do the section review on page 104

Huge Animals• What is the largest animal on Earth?• It weighs over 242,000 lbs• Its larger than any dinosaur ever found• Why couldn’t an animal that large live on land?• What are some other organisms that exist with this animal?

Estuary• Estuary – freshwater from rivers mixes with salt water from

oceans

Coral Reefs• Coral Reefs – limestone islands in the sea that are built by

coral animals called polyps

Ocean• The Ocean – vast body of water

Polar Caps• Polar Ecosystems – ice covered polar caps• Arctic – shallow frozen sea• Antarctic – large landmass surrounded by frozen sea

Section Review• Do the section review on page 112 and re-answer your ecolog

questions

Chapter Review• Do the chapter review on pages 114-115 questions 1-21 and

read pages 118-119

Lab• Local Biome Lab