Ecosystems and Biomes
Everything in the natural world is connected. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that work together. Ecosystems have no particular size. An ecosystem can be as large as a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle. If you have a terrarium, that is an artificial ecosystem. The water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work together. If there isn't enough light or water or if the soil doesn't have the right nutrients, the plants will die. If the plants die, animals that depend on them will die. If the animals that depend on the plants die, any animals that depends on those animals will die. Ecosystems in nature work the same way. All the parts work together to make a balanced system!
What are the major parts of an ecosystem? An ecosystem includes soil, atmosphere,heat and light from the sun, water and living organisms.
A healthy ecosystem has lots of species diversity and is less likely to be seriously damaged by human interaction, natural disasters and climate changes. Every species has a niche in its ecosystem that helps keep the system healthy. We are learning about new species every day, and we are just figuring out the roles they play in the natural world. By studying and maintaining biodiversity, we help keep our planet healthy.
Ecosystems have lots of different living organisms that interact with each other. The living organisms in an ecosystem can be divided into three categories:producers, consumers and decomposers. They are all important parts of an ecosystem.
Producers are the green plants. They make their own food. Consumers are animals and they get their energy from the producers or from organisms that eat producers.
There are three types of consumers: herbivores are animals that eat plants, carnivores are animals that eat herbivores and sometimes other carnivores and omnivores are animals that eat plants and other animals.
The third type of living organism in an ecosystem are the decomposers. Decomposers are plants and animals that break down dead plants and animals into organic materials that go back into the soil. Which is where we started!
Everything in the natural world is connected. An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that work together. Ecosystems have no particular size. An ecosystem can be as large as a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle. If you have a terrarium, that is an artificial ecosystem. The water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work together. If there isn't enough light or water or if the soil doesn't have the right nutrients, the plants will die. If the plants die, animals that depend on them will die. If the animals that depend on the plants die, any animals that depends on those animals will die. Ecosystems in nature work the same way. All the parts work together to make a balanced system!
What are the major parts of an ecosystem? An ecosystem includes soil, atmosphere,heat and light from the sun, water and living organisms.
A healthy ecosystem has lots of species diversity and is less likely to be seriously damaged by human interaction, natural disasters and climate changes. Every species has a niche in its ecosystem that helps keep the system healthy. We are learning about new species every day, and we are just figuring out the roles they play in the natural world. By studying and maintaining biodiversity, we help keep our planet healthy.
Ecosystems have lots of different living organisms that interact with each other. The living organisms in an ecosystem can be divided into three categories:producers, consumers and decomposers. They are all important parts of an ecosystem.
Producers are the green plants. They make their own food. Consumers are animals and they get their energy from the producers or from organisms that eat producers.
There are three types of consumers: herbivores are animals that eat plants, carnivores are animals that eat herbivores and sometimes other carnivores and omnivores are animals that eat plants and other animals.
The third type of living organism in an ecosystem are the decomposers. Decomposers are plants and animals that break down dead plants and animals into organic materials that go back into the soil. Which is where we started!