Barebones Biology B: BLOCK 2: Ecosystems & Communities

Ecosystems & Communities

An ecosystem includes all of the living organisms (plants, animals and organisms) in any region or designated area. These organisms interact with each other, and other parts of their environment such as weather, topography, sun, soil, climate and atmosphere. Ecosystems are the building blocks of the Biosphere and they determine the health of the entire ecological and Earth system.

The following video gives an excellent overview of the big picture look at Ecosystems and Communities.

Your assignment is to write a short summary of each of the following videos. You should also indicate your reactions to the information contained in the videos.

LESSON 1: The Role of Climate

Climate is defined as the long-term weather patterns that occur in a given area with similar patterns. The simplest way to define climate is to look at average temperature and precipitation over a fairly long period of time. Other useful measurements for defining climate include the type and the occurance intervals of precipitation, amount of sunshine, average wind speeds and direction of wind, the number of days above freezing, various weather extremes, and local topography and geography.

LESSON 2 & 3: What Shapes an Ecosystes & Biomes

Video on Biomes

LESSON 3: Aquatic Ecosystems

Video on Aquatic Ecosystems

LESSON 4: Vocabulary

After finishing the videos you should create a list of definitions of the following terms.

weather
climate
greenhouse effect
polar zone
temperate zone
tropical zone
biotic factor

abiotic factor
habitat
niche
resource
symbiosis
ecological succession
biome

microclimate
coniferous
deciduous
coniferous
permafrost
estuary
coral reef

LESSON 5: Learning Check

Prior to coming to your appointment you should complete the following sections from your text.

1. Reviewing Content: Ques. 1 - 10 on page 115.

2. Understanding Concepts: Ques. 11 - 13 on page 115.

3. Standards Practice: Ques. 1 - 8 on page 117.