3.11 Ecosystems Lesson

• A group of organisms of the same species that live in a specific area.

• All the populations of species that live in the same area and interact with each other.

• Interact: affect each other

• plants

• people

• bacteria

• animals

• rocks

• soil

• sunlight

• water

• air

Producers are living organisms that use sunlight to make their own food.

Consumers are living organisms that can not produce their own food. They consume, or eat, plants or animals as their food.

There are three types of consumers: - herbivores

- carnivores

- omnivores

A decomposer is an organism like bacteria or fungus that breaks down dead things like leaves that have fallen or dead animals.

• It's a place where animals live!

• It is made up of these things: food, water, and shelter.

• Rain Forest

• Desert

• Oceans

• Grasslands

Mostly found in South America, Africa, and Southern Asia near the equator.  Very hot, wet, and humid! Plants are dense, tall, leafy, green, and grow in layers called a canopy. Rainfall occurs often, usually daily.

ANIMALS: Cougars, pumas, snakes, exotic birds, gorillas, tigers, and more.

Rainforests are home to HALF of the Earth’s plant and animal species.

WHERE:

All over the world, salt water

WEATHER: 

Water near equator is warmer than poles

Plants include kelp, seaweed, algae, etc.

ANIMALS: Whales, dolphins, sharks, shrimp, fish, lobster, crab, plankton, and coral.

WHERE:

Everywhere except Antartica

ANIMALS:: Antelope, elephants, rhinoceros, zebra, giraffe, bison, prairie dog Plants: grasses, flowers, some bushes and trees

​Fun Facts About Marine Iguanas

1. Marine iguanas are endemic to the Galapagos Islands and are the only marine lizard species in the world.

2. Marine iguanas can dive more than 20 m underwater.

3. Unlike land lizards, marine iguanas have blunt snouts that help them feed on algae underwater. They also have flattened tails that help them swim efficiently.

4. Marine iguanas typically spend only a few minutes underwater eating but can spend up to 30 minutes at a time submerged.

5. Male marine iguanas can grow to 1.3 m long, while females are generally about 0.6 m long.

6. Marine iguanas “sneeze out” excess salt their body collects while underwater through a nasal gland.

7. It is believed that around 4.5 million years ago, marine iguanas evolved from land iguanas that were brought to the Galapagos and adapted to a sea-faring life in order to survive on the islands.

​Meet The 'King' of a Toxic Underground Ecosystem Unlike Anywhere Else on Earth.

The Movile cave in southeast Romania wouldn't be top of your holiday destination list: no light gets down to it, the air is thick with poisonous gases, and it was cut off from the outside world for around 5.5 million years before its accidental discovery in 1986.

​Voracious water-scorpions, leeches, and planarians form the peak of the aquatic food web in Movile Cave.
The terrestrial community is even more diverse.
It is composed of various species of worms, isopods, pseudoscorpions, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, springtails, diplurans, and beetles.

​OPen the external video on the Movile Cave

• ​Titicaca Water Frog (Telmatobius culeus) ...

• Andean Flicker (Colaptes rupicola) ...

• Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus) ...

• Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) ...

• Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) ...

• Ornate Tinamou (Nothoprocta ornata) ...

• Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) ...

• Spot-winged Pigeon (Patagioenas maculosa)

​Lake Titicaca life and facts

• sits 3,800 meters above sea level.

• Highest navigable lake in the world.