Parts of EcosystemsLiving Parts of Ecosystems

• Ecosystem: groups of living things and the environment they live in– All living things can meet their basic needs

in their ecosystems

• some ecosystems only have a few living things– insects and small plants in a concrete

parking lot environment

– forests, ponds, and streams have many living things

• these environments have more space, food and shelter so that many animals and plants can meet all their basic needs

Populations• a group of the same species living in the

same place at the same time– forest have many different tree populations– trout is one fish population in a stream– deer is one animal population in a meadow

• populations live in the environment to which they are adapted

• organisms that live in difficult environments must have unusual adaptations– estuary has salt and fresh water– Mangrove trees have roots and leaves that

get rid of salt

• ecosystems are named after the main population of plants that live there– estuaries that have mostly mangrove trees

are called mangrove swamps• swamp: an area that is sometimes or always

covered in shallow water

Communities

• plants of the main population are where other organisms interact– Mangrove branches hang over the water

and attract insects looking for food/shelter– schools (groups) of archerfish live among

the roots• they shoot water above the water trying to

knock insects off the branches - then eats them

– flock of lesser blue herons feed on fish, frogs, and other animals in or near the shallow water at the roots of the tree

– the plants need animals to carry away seeds and to add nutrients to the soil

– mangrove roots provide shelter for fish to swim and reproduce

Nonliving Parts of an Ecosystem

• nonliving parts of an ecosystem: sunlight, soil, water, air, and temperature– nonliving parts interact

• Ex. water moving soil from place to place

– nonliving and living parts interact• salt water (nonliving) and mangrove trees

(living) - mangrove trees must filter out the salt in the water and other plants cannot do that

Summary• ecosystem made up of groups of living things

and their environment• Ecosystem includes plants and animals, living

and nonliving parts– nonliving: sunlight, soil, air, water, and

temperature

• organisms of the same species form populations

• communities are formed from different populations

• community: made up of all populations that live in the same area– plants and animals live together and

depend on one another to survive