1. Ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a place where
animals, plants, and non-living
materials exist together.
A Joe Fasen Enhanced Power Point Presentation

2. Ecosystems
If you could choose an
ecosystem in which to live which
one would you choose? Why?
Let’s take a look at some
ecosystems to help you
decide….

3. Mountain

4. Tundra

5. Temperate Forest

6. Marine/Island

7. Desert

8. Tropical Dry Forest

9. Cold Climate Forest

10. Grassland

11. Savannah

12. Tropical Rainforest

13. Ecosystems
What interactions take place
in an ecosystem?
What goes on in an
ecosystem?

14. Predation
• When one organism hunts and eats
another.
• The fox is the predator and the rabbit is
the prey.

15. Scavengers
• Animals that feed on decaying or dead
plants or animals.

16. Producers
• Green plants that use energy from the
sun to produce food through process of
photosynthesis.

17. Consumers
• Organisms that do not make their own
food but eat other organisms.

18. Carnivores
• Animals that eat only MEAT.

19. Herbivores
• Animals that only eat PLANTS.

20. Omnivores
• Eat both plants and meat

21. Decomposers
• Consume wastes and dead organisms.
– Examples: fungi, bacteria, earthworms

22. Symbiosis
• Specific interaction between two species
over a long period of time “living together”
Both species
benefit
One species benefits,
the other is neither
helped nor harmed.
One species benefits,
the other is harmed

23. Succession
• The gradual change of one community to
another over time.
• Succession happens in all communities.

24. • Sometimes forests go through long periods
of time without rain. A fire could start during
one of these dry spells. What would
happen then? (succession)

25. • In the forest fire, many trees and animals
will die.
– Many animals will move away from the forest
to a new location.

26. • After the forest fire, the community will
begin to rebuild:
– Plants begin to grow
– Animals come back to feed on the new plants.

27. • Eventually, new trees will grow.
– Small trees will grow at first, but after many
years, larger trees such as spruce and fir may
grow.

28. • So, here is our example of succession:
Forest fire
occurs
Small trees
begin to grow
Trees & animals die
or relocate
Plants begin to grow;
animals return to feed
on new plant growth
Large trees
grow;
completing the
forest