What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem consists of a dynamic set of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) all interacting among themselves and with the environment in which they live (soil, climate, water, and light).
An ecosystem does not have exact boundaries—it can be as small as a pond or a dead tree, or as large as the Earth itself.
Explore the Web sites below to discover more about the many and varied ecosystems on Earth.
- The Missouri Botanical Gardens has a great Web site with lots of information and great pictures!
- The Planet is an extensive (and fun) site that goes into ecosystems and many other things. Be sure to check it out.
- This ThinkQuest site offers lots of information about the biomes on Earth.
After reviewing the Web pages, complete the following activity in your notebook.
- Identify an ecosystem with which you are familiar (small is good!).
- List as many biotic (living) components as you can that live in, or affect, your ecosystem.
- List as many abiotic (non-living) components as you can that affect this ecosystem.
- Remove one item from each list. Write a paragraph about how these changes will affect this ecosystem.
- Collect pictures for you favorite ecosystem and save them to a folder on your laptop.
