Ecosystems

Travel and Learn

Research Assignment

• We are going to write about a travel

destination in a particular type of

ecosystem.

• After researching that ecosystem and travel

destination, we will create our own travel

brochures about that place.

What’s a travel destination?

• A “travel destination” is simply a place that

people go to (travel to) to see or do certain

things.

• For example, my family and I went to

Whiteface Mountain to go skiing. Whiteface

Mountain is a travel destination.

What is an Ecosystem?

Ecosystem Summary

• Ecosystems consist of both non-living

(abiotic) and living (biotic) factors.

• Abiotic factors: rain, sunlight, temperature,

and minerals in the soil.

• Biotic factors: plants, animals, and bacteria.

• Biotic and abiotic factors work together to

keep an ecosystem working.

Different Types of Ecosystems

• There are many different types of

ecosystems. Different ecosystems support

different forms of life.

• Some ecosystems are: mountains, tundra,

temperate forest, marine/island, desert,

tropical dry forest, cold climate forest,

grassland, and savannah.

Let’s look at four different ecosystems

• Mountain

• Tundra

• Island

• Grassland

Mountain

Tundra

Island

Grassland

Partner Work

• You and your partner will choose TWO of

these four ecosystems to study. You must

collect information about four topics:1. climate

2. animals

3. plants

4. natural resources

Climate

• What is the weather like in that ecosystem?

• How much rain or snow falls each year?

• What is the average temperature?

– Information about climate helps us understand

what types of life will be supported by this

ecosystem.

Animals

• What types of animals live in this

ecosystem?

• Which animals are plant eaters?

• Which animals are meat eaters?

• Are any of these animals endangered?

Plants

• What types of plants live in this ecosystem?

• Are any of these plants endangered?

Natural resources

• What natural resources are found in this

ecosystem?

– Examples of natural resources include:

My advice

• Begin your research by doing a Google

image search. Use the search the following

search terms:• mountain ecosystem

• tundra ecosystem

• island ecosystem

• grassland ecosystem

Explore images and choose

• Look through those images with your

partner and decide which two ecosystems

you want to further explore.

• After you choose two ecosystems, search

for information about each category by

using this search term pattern: • type of ecosystem + category

• For example, “mountain ecosystem climate”

Are you ready to research?

• Any questions? Any concerns?

Partners:

Jun Jie and Jason

Jimmy and Anna

Rosa and Kenny

Angela and Ricky