The document contains information about ecosystems and ecological concepts presented in a nonlinear format. It includes definitions of key terms like producers, consumers, decomposers, food chains, food webs, energy pyramids, limiting factors, carrying capacity, niches, habitats, succession, and biodiversity. Examples are provided to illustrate these concepts, such as different organisms fulfilling producer, consumer, and decomposer roles, and how populations are regulated by biotic and abiotic factors within ecosystems. Questions are interspersed throughout to test understanding of the material.

1. No Annie,
you lost
of them
this week
alone!
That was
rude, Annie
I’m calling
your house
again!

2. is
(living things)
the
that surround them .

3. the fish (living) are interacting
with the water plants (living)
by eating them.

4. the fish (living) get oxygen
(nonliving) from the water
(nonliving).

5. the plants (living) does the process of
photosynthesis using: sunlight, CO2&
H2O (nonliving things) from the
environment.

6. the air & water temperatures
(nonliving) are comfortable for
bird, fish and plants (all living).

7. the bird (living) is interacting
with the fish (living) by eating
them.

8. the bird (living) breathes the
oxygen (nonliving) it gets from
the environment.

9. .

10. EVERY THING around the deer is its “environment”:
(plants, soil, rocks, air, water, clouds, decomposers, snakes,
rabbits etc)
.

11. ECOSYSTEM:

12. The whole Earth can be divided into
different !

14. EXAMPLES OF ECOSYSTEMS:

15. A forest ecosystem

16. Identify 7 organisms in the forest
ecosystem (some might be “invisible”)

17. deer, fox, squirrel, trees, grass, worms, insects
fungi, bacteria, mushrooms decomposers

18. A lake ecosystem

19. Identify some non-living factors in this
lake ecosystem (some might be invisible!)

20. Water, sunlight, temperature, heat, air,
the wind, soil, rocks, sand.

21. An ocean ecosystem:

22. Which ocean organism does ALL the others
rely on to stay alive?

23. Plants form the base of All ecosystems. all
the organisms rely on the plants to stay
alive!

24. Climate:
veeeeerrrry long-term weather
(years, decades, centuries…..)

25. Climate has the biggest effect on the
type of ecosystem an area has:

26. A hot and wet climate can result in a
rainforest ecosystem….

27. A hot and dry climate can result in a
desert ecosystem….

28. Would you expect organisms from a desert
ecosystem to exist in a tropical ecosystem
or vice versa? Support your answer.

29. versus

30. both
.

31. :
(
..)

32. :
(ex
)

33. Are the abiotic& biotic factors in a desert
the same or different from those in a
tropical rainforest? Support your answer.

35. : is
.

36. Examples: this lake has a rabbit population, a
grass population, a dragonfly population….etc

37. .

38. Example: this lake community has fish,
insects, rabbits, pine tree populations etc...

39. An :

40. WHAT IS MISSING FROM THIS PICTURE?

41. !

42. For ANY ecosystem to remain stable, it
must has a constant source of energy !...

43. Yaaay
! Yaaay!
ME!
Sun! Yaaay!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun! Yaaay!
Yaaay! Sun!
Sun!

44. Yaaay
! Yaaay!
ME!
Sun! Yaaay!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun! Yaaay!
Yaaay! Sun!
Sun!

45. If the sun stopped shining, Earth’s
ecosystems would die from lack of new
Yaaay!
Yaaay
Sun! Yaaay!
energy! ME!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun!
Yaaay!
Sun! Yaaay!
Yaaay! Sun!
Sun!

46. ( )
Yaaay!
Yaaay
us!
(
Yaaay!
)! ME!
plants!
Yaaay!
us!
Yaaay!
plants!
Yaaay!
plants! Yaaay!
Yaaay! plants!
plants!

47. The
Yaaay
. Yaaay!
ME!
us! Yaaay!
plants!
Yaaay!
us!
Yaaay!
plants!
Yaaay!
plants! Yaaay!
Yaaay! plants!
plants!

48. Yaaay!
Yaaay
plants!
us! Yaaay!
plants!
Yaaay!
us!
Yaaay!
plants!
Yaaay!
plants! Yaaay!
Yaaay! plants!
plants!

49. Some animals (
) …

50. Example: deer, rabbits, mouse & cricket
eat the plants for energy…

51. other animals (
)
….

52. Ex: the mountain lion, snake, hawk, owl, frog
(secondary consumers) eat the deer, rabbit,
mouse, cricket for energy….

53. .
Yaaay!
decomposers!
Yaaay!
us!

54. are very important, they
.

56. A

57. Remember: the decomposers are ALWAYS in
a healthy ecosystem, EVEN THOUGH YOU
CAN’T SEE THEM!.

59. this has all the requirements of a
stable ecosystem. What are they?

60. Now answer 1-11

62. There is a limited (finite) amount
of resources in any ecosystem…
Limited amounts of food, limited
amounts of water, limited amounts
of minerals…..

63. Every ecosystem has a limited amount
of food…

64. Every ecosystem has a limited amount
of water…..

67. Limiting factors LIMIT the size of a
population.

68. Moisture is often a limiting factor for
plants. Ex: here, each tree thrives in a
different amount of moisture.

69. Examples:
on the size of each other’s
populations.

70. An increase in the zebra population = an
increase in the lion population

71. Conversely, a decrease in the zebra
population = a decrease in the lion
population

72. Also an increase in the lions= a decrease in
zebras which would cause a decrease in the
lions too!

73. very effective
Diseases have
always been an
effective limiting
factor on human
populations

74. The Bubonic plague killed over half of Europe’s
population. The fictional “Crippen Virus” in “I am
Legend” was over 90% fatal to the human population.
Diseases have
always been an
effective limiting
factor on human
populations

75. Look at the next seven
slides…what are the organisms
doing?

76. Mine!
No!
Ours!

77. Ours!
TRY to
take it!

78. Mine! Mine!
Mine! mine!
No! no! No!
No! No!

79. hey Frank,
Hey Frank,
save me a
Don’t you
piece!
mean “ours”?
MINE!
MINE!

80. The cheese is mine
because Mr. “left hook”
says so!

81. THAT can be
You want MY arranged!
bread? Over
my dead
body!

82. LET GO, before I
start throwing NEVER!
them LEFT
HOOKS!

84. The resources, that organisms need to live,
are finite (limited)…

85. Finite resources lead to competition

86. .

87. Why WON’T these insects compete, even
though they are on the SAME plant?

88. Why DON’T the Cape May Warblers
compete with the other two kinds of
warblers for food & shelter?

89. Do you agree that the number of
passengers has exceeded this bus’ carrying
capacity?

90. An area can only support a limited number
of organisms. The maximum number is the
area’s carrying capacity

93. Example: if an area has more food and more
water, few predators, there will be more
zebras (larger carrying capacity)

94. The predators and diseases also
determine an area’s carrying
capacity.
More predators and more diseases =
lower carrying capacity.

95. Less food or water, more predators (or
diseases) in an area = less zebras (low
carrying capacity)
Didn’t
work!
This’ll fool
them
stupid
lions!

96. This is a typical carrying capacity graph:

97. If there is enough resources, a population
will grow and grow and grow
exponentially!

98. Eventually, if too many individuals are
born, the population will overshoot the
carrying capacity….

99. Individuals will die from competition,
disease, stress, predators until the
population in below carrying capacity.

100. All population fluctuate up and down
around their territories carrying capacity.
(this called equilibrium)

101. What is the carrying capacity for this
population?

102. 1.5 million

103. Remember the following typical
carrying capacity graphs.

104. EQUILIBRIUM

105. What is the carrying capacity for the
deer population?

109. Now answer 12- 32

110. :

111. All organisms have a habitat (a home) and
a niche( a role/job)
What is Santa’s
habitat?
What is Santa’s
niche?

112. A

113. /its job/ .

114. These birds share a tree but have
different habitats and different niches

115. Why DON’T the Cape May Warblers
compete with the other two for food &
shelter?

116. Now answer 33-40

117. How organisms
get their food:

118. organisms get their food in one of three ways:
producers consumers
decomposers

119. s (also called )

120. ( )

121. are animals that
I think I put on
weight, is grass
fattening?

122. are animals that
Gee! That
carcass looks
good enough
to eat!

123. decompose ( )

124. perform a vital role by
recycling ( ing)

125. Certain Bacteria, fungi & mushrooms are
decomposers.

126. Now answer 41-61

127. :

128. Food chain or food web?

129. Food chain or food web?

130. Food chain or food web?

131. Food chain or food web?

132. Food chain or food web?

133. What is a food chain? What is a food
web

134. Question: there are 4 organism in this
ecosystem. who eats whom?

135. : simple diagrams that
.
Snake
eats
mouse
Owl
eats
snake
Mouse eats
corn

136. Food chain: simple diagrams that show
which organisms are eaten by other
organisms.
Shark
Small fish
eat
eat
large
seaweed
fish
Large
fish eat
Small
fish

137. YOU MUST KNOW HOW TO READ A
FOOD CHAIN!

138. The arrows means “eaten by”

139. Remember: in a food chain (or a food web)
energy always flows from the producers to
the consumers.

140. In the 2 food chains below: Name the autotrophs. Name
the primary consumers. Name the secondary consumers.
Name the tertiary consumers.

141. FOOD WEBS:

142. .

143. .

144. Who eats the water plants?

145. Name three animals that eat the small
invertebrates.

146. Name two animals the bass eats.

147. .

148. What would happen if the water plants went
extinct?

149. What would happen if the crab population
increased? decreased?

150. Remember: the decomposers are
ALWAYS in an ecosystem! Even though
we CAN’T ALWAYS see them!

152. What organisms are missing that break
down ( “eat”) all the others and return
minerals to the soil?

153. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

154. Which heterotrophs compete for the
same prey?

155. What would happen to the frog if the
crickets died out?

156. What would happen to the crickets if the
frogs died out?

157. What would happen to the ecosystem if
the autotrophs died out?

158. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

159. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

160. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

161. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

162. Which level has the autotrophs?

163. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

164. Remember this diagram, it has been
on many regents exams!

165. Now answer 62-87

166. :

167. Explain this picture.

168. this is a picture of an energy
pyramid

169. an is
.

170. .

172. Peanut eaten by squirrel. squirrel eaten
by snake, snake eaten by eagle

173. The producers are ALWAYS on the
bottom of the energy pyramid.

174. .

175. Remember: most of the available
energy is found in the producers.

176. The amount of energy decreases as the
energy moves up the pyramid.

177. .

178. .

179. Only 10% of the energy makes up to the
next trophic energy level because the other
90% is used in the organisms’ metabolism
or lost as heat.

180. .

181. Most of the biomass is on the bottom
of the pyramid in the plants.

182. .

183. Which organisms use ATP for energy?
Support your answer.

184. Why does this energy pyramid show
an unstable ecosystem?

185. A stable ecosystem must have more
producers than consumers.

186. You must be able to interpret the
following diagrams.

187. Where would one find the producers
(autotrophs)

188. Why would this a energy pyramid
represent a stable ecosystem?

189. Where would one find the herbivores (primary
consumers)? SUPPORT your answer.
D
C
B
A

191. Now do 88- 106.

192. :
predator/prey, parasitism, commensalism,
mutualism.

194. Ex: lions and
zebras!

195. I’m warning you,
I’ve been taking NOW
Kung Fu! whose
the
prey?
So
what!

197. Commensalism: one organism
benefits, the other isn’t harmed.

198. Mutualism: both benefit. Ex: lichen is
algae & a fungus.

199. Now answer 116- 119.

202. Which environment has MORE biodiversity
(more different kinds of species)?

203. Which environment is more stable
(healthier)? Support your answer.

204. Remember: greater biodiversity = more
stable ecosystem.

205. Which ecosystem is the most stable?

206. Is a cornfield a healthy ecosystem?

207. A Farm is not a stable ecosystem; because
only ONE organism exists on it.

208. .
Corn
Corn weevil
rust

210. 1.

211. 2.

212. 3.
.

213. :

214. 1

215. 2.
.

216. .

217. Now answer 120-126

218. Cities change over time…

219. Fashion changes over time…

220. An ecosystem can change over time
too!

221. !

222. In ecological succession:

223. The mosses prepare to soil for
to ….

224. The
….

225. …

226. .

227. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

228. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

229. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

230. this picture shows ecological
succession of a lake!

231. First there is a lake, over time the lake
dries up and becomes a forest.

232. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

233. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

234. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

235. Remember this picture: it shows
ecological succession!

236. Now answer 139- 142.

237. Independent work: finish all the
questions/