ECOSYSTEM

What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals
and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other,
and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth,
sun, soil, climate, atmosphere). Ecosystems are the
foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health
of the entire earth system.
In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role to
play.
Scales of Ecosystems
Ecosystems come in indefinite sizes. It can exist in a small
area such as underneath a rock, a decaying tree trunk, or a
pond in your village, or it can exist in large forms such as an
entire rain forest. Technically, the Earth can be called a huge
ecosystem.
A simple tree-trunk ecosystem relationship
Scales of Ecosystems
Three Main Scales:
Micro
- A small scale ecosystem such as a pond, puddle, tree trunk,
under a rock etc.
Messo
- A medium scale ecosystem such as a forest or a large lake.
Biome
- A very large ecosystem or collection of ecosystems with
similar biotic and abiotic factors such as an entire Rainforest
with millions of animals and trees, with many different water
bodies running through them.
Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem
Individual, Species, Organism
- An individual is any living thing or organism. Individuals do
not breed with individuals from other groups. Animals, unlike
plants, tend to be very definite with this term because some
plants can cross-breed with other fertile plants.
Population
- A group of individuals of a given species that live in a specific
geographic area at a given time.
Community
- This includes all the populations in a specific area at a given
time. A community includes populations of organisms of
different species.
Ecosystem
- As explained in the pages earlier, ecosystems include more
than a community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with
the environment (abiotic).
Biome
- A biome, in simple terms, is a set of ecosystems sharing
similar characteristics with their abiotic factors adapted to their
environments.
Biosphere
- When we consider all the different biomes, each blending
into the other, with all humans living in many different
geographic areas, we form a huge community of humans,
animals and plants, and micro-organisms in their defined
habitats. A biosphere is the sum of all the ecosystems
established on planet Earth. It is the living (and decaying)
component of the earth system.
Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem
Food Chains
Feeding relationship in an ecosystem.
Food chains are usually in a sequence, with an arrow used to
show the flow of energy.
Food Web
A food chain is not the same as a food web.
A food web is a network of many food chains and is more
complex.
Trophic Levels of Food Chains
The levels of a food chain (food pyramid) is called Trophic
levels. The trophic level of an organism is the level it holds in
a food pyramid.
BASIC NEEDS
OF A LIVING
THINGS
The Basic Needs Of Living Things
Every living organism on earth needs some basic things to
survive. The amount, way, form or kind of these needs vary
from organism to organism.

There are five basic needs that all living things have.
Plants use sugars, fats and proteins to grow and stay healthy.
They produce these themselves with the help of sunlight,
water and carbon dioxide. The nutrients produced are stored
in the plants and the nutrients are passed on to other animals
that eat these plants.

Plants need food but they do not have to wait on people or

animals to provide for them. Most plants are able to make
their own food whenever they need it. This is done using
light and the process is called photosynthesis.
 The word photosynthesis can be separated to make two
smaller words:
 “photo” which means light
 “synthesis” which means putting together
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food. We will
add more details to this definition after making a few things clear as you will see
below.
BASIC NEEDS OF AN
ANIMALS
SUNLIGHT
The sun is the source of all energy, heat and light. The amount
of sunlight in an area determines what living thing can survive
there.
WATER
In a most basic way, our bodies are made up of about 70%
water. It is the medium in which all our cell's biochemical
activity occur.
AIR
It is vital that living things respire to get the oxygen for
living cells to function. Without air, there is no life.
FOOD (Nutrients)
We need food to grow, right? The food we eat contains the
nutrients that our bodies need to replace worn out cells, stay
healthy and stay strong. It is the same for every living
organism. Food comes in many different forms, and plants
and animals have special organs or parts that absorb the
goodies from the food we eat.
HABITAT (Home)
One important function of the organism's home (habitat or
environment) is to provide the ideal temperature in which the
organism can thrive.
An ideal temperature is
very important.
Extreme temperature
can wipe out an
entire ecosystem.
Temperature
is affected by water,
air, soil and sunlight.
BASIC NEEDS OF A
HUMAN
SALAMUCH