ecosystems

• Biome


  Large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living organisms that are adapted to the climate and other conditions
• Classifications of biomes


  • Tundra
  • Taiga
  • Temperate
  • Grasslands
• Ecosystem


  The interactions between the living things and the non-living things in one location
• Ecosystems are often much smaller than a biome, although the size varies
• Ecosystems may get out of balance and will adapt/change (think about the impacts of global warming on the Tundra)
• Living organisms in biomes

  • Have adaptations to help them survive in sometimes extreme environments
• Abiotic


  Relating to non-living things
• Biotic


  Relating to living things
• Consumer


  Creature that eats animals and/or plant matter
• Decomposer


  An organism such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled to the environment
• Ecosystem


  A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
• Food chain


  The connections between different organisms (plants and animals) that rely on one another as their source of food
• Food web


  A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food
• Nutrient cycling


  A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water
• Global ecosystem


  Very large ecological areas on the earth's surface (or biomes), with fauna and flora (animals and plants) adapting to their environment. Examples include tropical rainforest and hot desert
• Producer


  An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis
• Small-scale ecosystems such as ponds or sand dunes are influenced by local factors such as rock type, soil characteristics and amount of water
• Epping Forest is an example of a small-scale UK ecosystem
• Epping Forest has been well used because it is next to London where there is a big urban population that want to use green space, and it is very accessible for the people of London and surrounding areas
• The biodiversity in Epping Forest has remained high and so there is a complex food web composed of thousands of species
• If there is no foxes in Epping Forest

  There will be a massive increase in the amount of rabbits and a smaller increase in the amount of mice
• Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter to conserve energy and moisture as the temperature and hours of sunlight decrease
• If there is an increase in the amount of litter in Epping Forest

  It decomposes into the soil and may be lost by leaching
• Extreme weather as a result of climate change


  Can affect the balance of ecosystems
• Changes can be permanent as removal of forest exposes soil which can be washed away, disrupting the balance leading to population decline of many consumer species
• Deserts


  • Most are found just under or just above the tropic of cancer 30°N, mostly across Africa and some parts of Russia, western America, and central Australia, usually near or surrounded by temperate grasslands and chaparral
• Altitude


  • Temperatures fall by about half a degree for every 100-meter increase in altitude, and tough grasses replace trees on steep mountainsides
• Relief


  • Inland areas isolated from the sea suffer from low rainfall as winds blowing off the oceans quickly lose their moisture when air is forced to rise upwards over high mountain ranges
• Ocean currents


  • A cold ocean current flowing along south America's coast helps to create arid conditions in Chile's Atacama desert because little evaporation takes place over the cold water, while the warm Gulf Stream ocean current brings mild conditions to western Europe