TEKS(10)  Organisms and environments. The student knows that there is a relationship between organisms and the environment. The student is expected to:• 7.10A  observe and describe how different

environments, including microhabitats in schoolyards and biomes, support different varieties of organisms;

• 7.10B  describe how biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem; and

• 7.10C  observe, record, and describe the role of ecological succession such as in a microhabitat of a garden with weeds.

BiomeLarge area that has similar weather and

organisms• Terrestrial (land): desert, tropical rainforest,

grassland• Aquatic or Marine (water): freshwater,

saltwater

Ecosystem

Consists of all the living and nonliving factors of the environment.

Partner Discussion

What is a biome and what abiotic factors characterize each biome?

A biome is a large area that has similar weather and organisms. Abiotic factors include elevation,

climate, temperature, and precipitation.

Abioticnonliving things in an environment Examples: Light, soil, water,

temperature, air, and elevation

Air

Bioticliving or once living (dead) things in

an environment; plants and animals.

HabitatWhere an organism lives, includes everything

an organism needs to surviveForest – habitat of a wolf

Microhabitat small habitat

Flower gardenDecaying tree / rotting log bushes

Biological DiversityAKA… Biodiversity

Variety of organisms in an area• More Biodiversity = healthy or stable

ecosystem, like Tropical Rainforest or ocean• Less Biodiversity = unstable or fragile

ecosystem, like Tundra

Partner Discussion

• How might the biodiversity of the populations in a habitat affect organism interdependency?

• Biological interactions are the interactions between different organisms in an environment. In the natural world, no organism is cut off from its surroundings. Organisms are a part of their environment which is rich in living and non-living elements that interact with each other in some way.

Sustainability• Stable ecosystem that can survive and thrive

on its own• Variety of plants and animals (biodiversity)

Limiting Factor• Anything that restricts the number of

individuals in a population to grow. (Food, Space, shelter, water)–Running out of space for nesting

limits the birds from reproducing.

Tundra

Tundra

Located near North Pole (Alaska)Extremely coldLittle precipitation, but limited drainage Soil is frozen, called “Permafrost”Low biotic diversity Short season of growth and reproduction TreelessPlants: lichen, moss, grass, small shrubsAnimals: insects and migratory birds in summer, hawks, snow owls, mice, arctic hares, reindeer

Largest BiomeSouth of the TundraLong cold, snowy winters and Short warm, rainy,

humid summersPlants: Coniferous forest (cone bearing)Animals: Moose, lynx, shrews, bears, foxes

Taiga (TI guh)

Deciduous Forest

• Eastern U.S., Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Southeastern Australia

• 4 distinct seasons• Deciduous trees (have leaves that change color that they lose in the Fall)

• Lots of decomposition on forest floor: insect diversity

• Plants: Oak, maple, and hickory trees• Animals: Bald eagles, coyote, platypus, squirrel, deer

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Tropical Rain Forest

Near the equatorWarm temperatures and lots of precipitationTemperature doesn’t vary much night and dayLittle nutrients in soil because of competition

of abundance of plant lifeVery diverse plants and animals (Coconut

trees)

DesertDriest BiomeRain quickly evaporates or drains away

Animals: Few large animals, kangaroo rat, scorpions (Most nocturnal and burrowing because extreme temperatures

Few plants: cacti, joshua treeSandy soil with little organic matter

Grasslands

Located in mid and western U.S. and AfricaThin soil and a season with little rainPlants: grasses, small shrubs, few treesAnimals: kangaroo, zebra, wildebeest, lion

Freshwater

The freshwater biome is made up of rivers, streams, creeks, lakes and pondsPlants include algae,water lilies, cattails and moss. Animals: plankton, alligators, turtles and beavers.Sunlight and Temperature varies according to location. Little to no salt in the water.

Salt Water (Marine)

Ocean (Light & Dark zones), Plants include coral reef, seaweed, algae, and sea grasses.Animals include starfish, crab, sharks, whales, fish, and sea ottersWater with a high concentration of salt.Amount of sunlight and temperature varies according to location.

Intertidal zone

Estuary• Transitional zone between

freshwater (river) and saltwater (ocean)

Native Species• A species is specific group of plant or animal

that can reproduce similar offspring.• Native Species are plants and animals that

naturally lives in a particular area.• Invasive Species – (nonnative) introduced

into an environment by people (alien)

Invasive SpeciesInvasive Species – These species are introduced into an environment by people• AKA – nonnative, nonindigenous, alien, exotic• No natural predators, so it often

grows/spreads/reproduces quickly• When an invasive species takes over, native species

die.• Examples: Zebra Mussels, Pest, Weeds

EcologicalSuccession

Ecological Succession• gradual replacement of

populations in an area (how barren land changes into a forest if left alone)

Climax Communities• Stable stage of ecological

succession• Equilibrium• Forest

–Trees–Large animals

Primary Succession• Begins in a place without any soil.

(After a volcanic eruption, or a glacier receding)

• Pioneer Species (arrive first) – living things that do not need soil to survive, they can survive in extreme conditions and start the soil-building process. Examples - Lichens and Moss.

• Primary Succession takes up to 1,000 years to reach a climax community

SoilBuildingProcess

Grass &Shrubs

Smallanimals

Trees &Larger

Animals

BarrenLand

ClimaxCommunity

Secondary Succession• Begins in a place that already has SOIL

and was once the home of living organisms

• Normally occurs after a wildfire, flood, deforestation, or construction.

• Pioneer species are grasses and small shrubs.

• Secondary Succession may take a century (100 years) to reach climax

ClimaxCommunity

BarrenLand

Grass &Shrubs

Smallanimals

Trees &Larger

Animals

Stages of Succession

Birth

Growth

Maturity

Stability

Death