These are the notes we took in class from 1/6 to 1/9

1. Ecosystem characteristics
Ecosystem examples
• Nonliving factors (abiotic)
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Oxygen
Water
Virus
Sun
Rocks, dirt
• Living factor (biotic)
– Species
– Cells, organisms
– Plants
• Biotic and abiotic factors
dependant on one another
(community)
Desert
Ocean
Coral reef
Temperate Forests
Rain forest
River
Pond
Valley
Soil

2. Ecosystem characteristics
Ecosystem examples
• Community – interact with
one another
• Abiotic factors (non living
things)
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Rocks
Dead organisms
Water
Air
Sun
• Biotic factors (living things)
– Birds, fish plants, bacteria,
insects
Rainforest
Ocean
Desert
Coral reefs
Temperate forest
Urban ecosystem?

3. Ecosystem characteristics
• Has natural resources
• Food chains
• Biotic - Living things
– Organisms – birds, mammals,
bacteria, fish, plants
• Abiotic – non-living things
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Viruses
Rocks
Plastic
Buildings
Water
Oxygen/air
SUN!!
• An ecosystem consists of biotic and
abiotic factors that support each
other, interact with one another,
connect. etc
Ecosystem examples
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Desert
Rainforest
Coral reef
Jungle
Urban ecosystem
River
Lakes
Swamps
Oceans
Mountains/valleys

4. Ecosystem characteristics
Ecosystem examples
• Biotic factors - Living
organisms
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– Fish, plants, animals, humans,
bacteria, insects
• Abiotic factors– non-living
things
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Oxygen/air
Water
Rocks
Minerals
Sun
• Interact with each other
(community)
Desert
Oceans
Shoreline
Coral reef
Forest
Rainforest
Jungle
Urban ecosystem
Farmland

5. Ecosystem
• A system that includes all living organisms
(biotic factors) in an area as well as its physical
environment (abiotic factors) functioning
together as a unit

6. Salinity
• Salinity: the amount of dissolved salt present
in water.
• Ecosystems are classified as
– salt water (marine)
– fresh water (aquatic)
– brackish (in the middle)

7. Depth
• How deep the water is, which can affect how
much sunlight can reach the water
• Zones
– Photic zone –enough sunlight for photosynthesis
– Aphotic – no sunlight, no photosynthesis
– Benthic – the bottom of a body of water- sandy or
sediment floor
• Temperature, pressure and amount of
oxygen decreases as you go
deeper

9. Water flow
• Flowing water – near-constant motion
– River, coastline
• Standing water – does not move or moves
slowly
– Pond, wetland
• Animals will adapt to the speed of the water

10. • 3 defining characteristics of an ecosystm
– Salinity – how much salt is in the ecosystem
– Depth – light will decrease, temperature will
decrease, pressure will increase
– Water flow – how quickly the water moves
• Adaptations see in film
– Traits that an organism will develop over time to
allow it to survive
– Small fish – swim in shoals to avoid predators
(increase chance of survival by grouping together)

11. • 3 defining characteristics
– Salinity – amount of salt in the water
– Depth – as you go deeper, the temperature goes
down, pressure goes up, amount of light goes
down
– Water flow – how fast the water is moving
• Adaptation – when an organism develops a
trait that helps it survive in an environment
– Marlin – swim fast to find prey (long muscular
body)
– Schooling fish – stay together to avoid predators

12. • 3 defining characteristics
– Salinity – amount of salt
– Depth – how deep the water is
– Water flow – how fast the water moves
• Adaptations
– A trait that allows an organism to survive
– Ex: strong swimmer, schooling, burrowing (dig)

13. • Adaptations of octopus
• The octopus is best adapted for _______
ecosystem because…

14. • Adaptations of octopus
– Ability to re-grow arms – loses arms to escape
predator
– Can release ink – to block smell and vision of predator
– Invertebrate – no skeleton allows it to hide in very
small spaces
– Can camouflage – changes pigment to match
surroundings – help it hide
– Venomous saliva and sharp beak – to eat prey
– Fast swimmer – escape or catch prey
• The octopus is best adapted for shallow ocean
floor because…
– There are rocks and areas to hide in the shallow ocean
– Can camouflage to match sand and rocks

15. • Adaptations of octopus
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Soft body – allows it to hide in small areas
Ability to change skin color – camouflage
Fast swimmer
Ink – will blind and confuse predators so it can escape
Can lose a limb to escape and it will regenerate
Venomous saliva
Large eyes to find prey
• The octopus is best suited for the ocean floor, in the
photic zone
– It can blend in with ocean floor
– can hide in rocks to escape predators
– It has large eyes so it needs to be where there is some light

16. • Adaptations and how they help the octopus survive
– Have special cells that can change color to camouflage
them
– Can release black ink to distract predators so they can
escape
– Fast swimmers
– No skeleton – able to hide anywhere
– Large eyes
– Can lose an arm to escape
– 8 arms have suction cups to hold prey
• The octopus is best suited for the shallow ocean floor
(benthic) ecosystem because…
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they can hide
They have eyes and can see their predators
Can crawl on ocean floor
There’s lots of food

17. Adaptations seen in the films…
• Deep sea – Dark zone
– Big eyes – needed to capture small amounts of light
– Photophores – light producing cells (bioluminescence) – to hide, to
attract prey, to attract a mate
– Transparent bodies and/or red coloring – to hide in the darkness
– Big mouth and big teeth – to hunt better in the dark
• Lake

18. • River
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Hooks to hold on OR very strong swimmers to battle current
Flat bodies, low to the ground
Filter feeders can get food out of moving water
Nocturnal hunters have cells that can detect movement
• Lake
– Nocturnal hunters can make electric currents to
detect prey
– Fast and able to hide from predators

19. Adaptations seen in the films
• Deep sea – big eyes to capture light
– Reflective body to hide in the dark
– Bioluminescence - helps them catch prey, find a
mate, defend from predators, hide
– Red coloring is harder to see
– Colonial jellies are in a big group
– Big mouth and big teeth
• River
– Arms can filter food, flat bodies, bushy gills
– Ability to hold on to surfaces
• Lake – ability to use electric impulses to detect
food OR ability to sense pressure changes

20. Adaptations seen in the films
• Deep Sea
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Big eyes
Countershading – photophores that hide silhouette from below
Transparent
Bioluminescence – attract prey, hide from predators, find mates
Red coloring will make them invisible
• River
– Strong swimming abilities OR hooks to latch on
– Flat bodies
– Ability to filter food
• Lakes/ponds
– Use an electric current to hunt in the dark
– Need to swim to find food
– Need to hide on lake floor