UNIT 3: ECOSYSTEMS SUMMARY

1.- SETTING THE STAGE FOR LIFE

Conditions for life:There are certain conditions on our planet that make life possible:

⁃ Liquid water: Water is an excellent solvent and temperature regulator. Also is neces-
sary to make photosynthesis.
⁃
⁃ A protectiv atmosphere : The ozone of the atmosphere absorbs part of the harmful
ultraviolet solar radiation

⁃ A energy source: The sun light is necessary to make photosynthesis and also powers
the water cycle on Earth.

⁃ Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is a vital gas for life. It is necessary to make the
photosynthesis.
⁃
Abiotic factors : Abiotic factors are the envioronmental and physical conditions
such us temperature, quantity of light, rainfall, type of rocks, type of soil, etc.
These factors influence about livings things .

Biotope: A biotope is the non linving things part of an enviromenmt that includes abiotic fac-
tors

2.- LIVING THINGS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Biocenosis: The complete set of all living beings that live in an biotope is called biocenosis.

Ecosystem : An ecosystem is the conjunction of living beings, the physical environment (soil,
water, climate, etc) in an area and the relationships among these elements.

Activity 1: Write the names of the two components of the lake below

Biotope:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Biocenosis:
………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 ECOSYSTEM

Biotope Biocenosis

Activity 2

Draw lines to match up each word with its definition:

Organisms which produce their own

Biocenosis food.

The complete set of living beings in an ecosystem.

Autrotrophous org
. Organisms which take food of other living beings.
Biotope
The physical environment of an ecosystem (water,
temperature, air)
Heterotrophous org.

THE ROLE OF LIVING THINGS IN A ECOSYSTEM.-

There are three types of living beings in an ecosystem:

-Producers. They are autotrophic living beings. They are able to use light energy from
the sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide , water and mineral salts. Green plants
and algae are producers.
-Consumers. They are heterotrophic living beings. They feed on other living beings. All
animals are consumers.
There are different categories in this trophic levels:
Primary consumers, which feed on the producers
Secondary consumers, which feed on the primary consumers
Tertiary consumers, which feed on the secondary consumers
-Decomposers. They eat decaying matter such as dead plants and animals. In the
process they break them down and decompose them. When this happens, they release nutri-
ents and mineral salts back into the soil - which are used by plants. Bacteria and fungi are de-
composers and they play an important role in nature.

Activity 3

Say whether each living thing below is a producer, consumer, or decomposer.

a. apple tree __________________ b. stag- _________________
c. mushroom ___________________ d. carrot - _______________
e. dragonfly - ___________________ f. bamboo - _______________
g. pine - _______________________ h. bacteria - ______________
i. strawberry - __________________ j. pigeon - ________________
k. snake - ______________________ l. catfish _________________
3.- RELATIONSHIPS AMONG LIVING THINGS
 Food chains and food networks

A food chain is a way of representing the passing of matter and energy among the liv-
ing beings of an ecosystem. It shows how each living thing gets its food. Some animals eat
plants and some animals eat other animals.
Each link in this chain is food for the next link. A food chain always starts with plant
life and ends with an animal.
Most food chains have no more than four or five links.
It is difficult to find isolated trophic chains in an ecosystem. The diet of consumers is nor-
mally varied and they may feed on different organisms.
food network (or food web) is a set of food chains that cross over because they have com-
mon steps

Activity 4 :

Match up these common words used with food chains to their meaning.
Producers-Primary consumers-Secondary consumers-Predators-Prey, Scavengers-Decom-
posers

Word
Meaning

Kill for food. They are either secondary or tertiary consumers

The animals that predators feed on.

Green plants - they make food by photosynthesis.

Feed on dead and decaying organisms, and on the undigested parts of plant and animal matter in
faeces.

Usually eat animal material - they are carnivores. For example cats, dogs and lions.

Feed on dead animals. For example, crows, vultures and hyenas are scavengers.

Usually eat plant material - they are herbivores. For example rabbits, caterpillars, cows and sheep.

Activity 5
Look at these food chains, A and B, and answer the questions:
Food chain A Food chain B
Grass Carrots
Stag Rabbit
Wolf Fox
a) What animals do foxes eat?....................................................................................

b) What animals eat grass?.........................................................................................

c) What kind of organism is at the start of both food chains?.........................

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Activity 6
This food chain can easily be found in your local area:
Leaf Worm Bird Cat
Fill in the missing words in these sentences:

a) The ………………………………………………………………is the producer in this food

chain.

b) There are three consumers in the food chain, the ………………………………………

the………………………………………………..and
the…………………………………………………

Intraspecific relationships.-
these are relationships established between individuals of the same species.These are:

Colonies: for example coral colony

Family units : for example elephant family
Gregariusness : for example flock of geese

Interspecific relationships.-
these are relationships established between individuals of the different species.

Predation : A living thing kills another living thing for food. For example a bear eat fish
Parasitism : One living thing benefits from another living thing which is harmed. For example
a tick soaks blood of a fox.
Mutualism : Two living things benefit each other. For example Bees feed on pollen and polli-
nate the flower.
Symbiosis : Two living things benefit from interacting together. For example an alga and a
fungus form a lichen.

4.- THE SOIL AS AN ECOSYSTEM

Most of the Earth´s surface is covered by a thin layer of material on top of the rock: soil
1.- The components of soil:
Soil contain mineral particles, air and water which are absorbed by plant roots as well as dead
organic matter and and different types of living things.

2.- Soil formation

Soil is formed by water, ice and living things what break up the rock . The altered rock is
covered by the remain of living things mainly plants and form the organic matter. This
process is very slow and takes place over thousands of years.

3.- Life in the soil

Soil contains a great variety of life such us roots of plants and organisms that play an essen-
tial role in the cycle of matter because they break down dead animals and plants and turn
them into inorganic matter wich is absorbed by roots of plants completing the cycle of mat-
ter.
These organisms are:
Detritivores such us earthworms, insects, mites...
Decomposers such us bacteria and fungi

6.- AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

The essential element in these ecosystems is water. There are two main types :
Freshwater ecosystem and marine ecosystem
Freshwater ecosystem : Surface water comes from rain and groundwater. This ecosystem is rich
in biodiversity.
Marine ecosystem: Its salinity is high and temperature is more stable than on land .
There are different types of living beings:
Plankton: They are floating living things.
They can be :
a) Phytoplankton : They are producers such us microscopic algae and they are the base of the
food chain.
b) Zooplankton :They eat phytoplankton . For example : larvae, protozoa, young fish and small
crustaceans
Nekton : Moving living things such us fish, cephalopods, molluscs and aquatic mamalls.
Benthos : living things that live on the seabed such us anemones, coral, starfish etc..