Science, Sept 4,P2

* school science
[2025-09-16 Tue]
  • This lesson will be very terminology heavy
  • We are starting with basic ecology.

1. Lesson 1: Introduction to Ecosystems.

1.1. What is an ecosystem?

  • Biotic factors interacting with each other and their abiotic factors.

1.1.1. Different Spheres of an Ecosystem

  • Abiotic factors a part of the earth can be divided into 3 spheres
    1. The atmosphere .
      • The goal of the atmosphere is to moderate Earth's temperature.
      • Layer of gas that surrounds earth
      • It is made up of a multitude of gasses
        • 78% Nitrogen Our DNA cannot be replicated without Nitrogen
        • 21% Oxygen Oxygen is crucial for cellular respiration
        • 0.9% Argon Argon makes a large impact on us that we will discuss later
        • Other gasses Carbon dioxide, water vapor, … etc
    2. Lithosphere
      • The lithosphere is earths solid outer layer, Only the earths crust is considered part of the lithosphere
      • Soil, Rocks, Dirt …
    3. Hydrosphere
      • Earths water in solid, liquid, and gas form.
    4. Biosphere
      • The biosphere is where you find living things on earth. It overlaps with all other spheres.
      • Most life forms exist on land and water but microorganisms can exiost serveral kilometers between earths surface.

1.1.2. Biotic or Abiotic   FLASHCARDS

  1. Ladybug   fc

    :FCCREATED: 2025-09-04T21:56:04Z :FCTYPE: normal n:FCALGO: sm2 :ID: 1ae56956-4ddc-4a46-a27c-e645abdf5643

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    Biotic

  2. Rock   fc
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    Abiotic*

  3. Cactus   fc
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    Biotic

  4. Coral   fc
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    Biotic

  5. Sun   fc
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    Abiotic

  6. Stick   fc
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    Biotic, It is still biotic because it has cells

  7. Soil   fc
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    Abiotic, it does not have cells

1.2. Characteristics of living things(MRS GREN)

Something is not living if it does not meet all of these requirements

  • Movement.
    In order for something to be considered living it must be capable of movement without external forces
  • Respiration
    It must be capable of cellular respiration(exchange of gasses)
  • Sensitivity
    It must be able to respond to external factors
  • Growth
    It must grow
  • Reproduction
    It must be able to reproduce
  • Excretion
    It must be able to remove waste from its system
  • Nutrients
    All living things produce/require nutrients

1.3. The organization of animals.

1.3.1. Individual

A single organism is an individual

  1. Population

    A population is a collection of animals living in the same area.

    1. Community

      Different populations interacting together in a given area form a community- When you include the abiotic components in an area you have an ecosystem

1.3.2. Habitat

A habitat is defined by the physical area that a species inhabits within an ecosystem.

  • Here they can find food, shelter, and mates to survive.
  1. Biomes

    A biomes are areas that have similar temperature and precipitation patterns.

    • This leads to the developement of similar ecosystems
    • Each biome has its own specific set of biotic and abiotic features.

1.4. Types of ecosystems

  • Ecosystems can be large like a forest or small like a rotting log
  • Each ecosystem has their own characteristic abiotic and biotic features.

1.5. Sustainability

  • Sustainability is the ability to maintain balance.
  • When an ecosystem is sustainable, it is implied that it can survive for a long time without external interaction.
  • Changes to abiotic and biotic factors can change ecosystem sustainability.

1.5.1. Invasive species

(see:Invasive species)

2. Key Takeways

  • Biotic=Living
  • Abiotic=Non-Living

2.1. Ecological Niche   fc

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An ecological niche is the role an organism plays in its enviornment. It includes:

  • What it eats
  • Who eats it
  • How it behaves

3. Practice

3.1. List examples of abiotic and biotic factors

Abiotic Biotic
Temperature Trees
Bodies of water Fungi
Humidity level Predators

3.2. What do you find in each of the following spheres on earth

3.2.1. Atmosphere   fc

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  • Nitrogen
  • Oxygen
  • Argon

3.2.2. Lithosphere   fc

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  • Soil
  • The earths crust

3.2.3. Hydrosphere   fc

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  • Water
  • Ice
  • Clouds

3.2.4. Biosphere   fc

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  • Living things

3.3. Think of a forest and give examples of each of the following that would be found there

Invidual Population Community Ecosystem
Grizzly bear Pine trees Trees Ponds
Deer(singular) Wolves Predtors  

3.4. The physical area that a species inhabits in an ecosystem is called its …   fc

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Habitat

3.5. How would a frog need to survive in its habitat

3.5.1. How might the frog interact with other biotic factors in its environment

  • It needs to eat insects to survive
  • It must reproduce with other frogs
  • Hops on lilypads
  • Plants for shelter

3.5.2. How might the frog interact with abiotic factors in its environment?

  • It swims in water and depends on air for respiration

3.5.3. What is the name given to all these interactions

This is called the Ecological Niche

3.5.4. What could happen to these interactions that would make life unsustainable

  • Air pollution could make it not be able to breathe
  • Invasive species could increase the competition for food(flys) :biotic:
  • Climate change
  • Change in soil quality
  • Invasive species

4. Elsewhere

4.1. References

Recent changes. Attachment Index Tag Index Bibliography Index Source.