Lesson 1 Ecosystems
- 1. Systems Module Geography Lessons Lesson 1 Ecosystems Aim- What are ecosystems and how do they work?
- 2. What are ecosystems and how do they work? Task 1 The picture on the left is an ecosystem, complete the table in word , showing all living things and non-living things
- 3. What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is made up of two components Living things and Their non-living environment You should have now come up with a list from the picture of what makes up the ecosystem in the picture Did you know? Bacteria are not plants or animals. They form a kingdom of their own
- 4. Did you know? insects, birds and fish are all animals grass and trees are plants mushrooms are fungi – a special type of plant What are ecosystems and how do they work? Task 2 On your word sheet, explain if the following are ecosystems, explain your answer in detail a) b) c)
- 5. How do ecosystems work? The living things interact with their environment and each other How big are ecosystems? An ecosystem is any size you choose to study, for example, a pond - a meadow - a forest a desert - an ocean - the earth
- 6. Feeding in an ecosystem…. It all starts with plants… Plants trap sun’s energy in chlorophyll Carbon dioxide is taken in as is water through roots It uses the sun’s energy to turn these into glucose (sugar) this process is called photosynthesis It combines this glucose with minerals from the soil to make the things it needs to grow Did you know? a few plants can feed on Insects they trap the insect in a bowl of liquid that just dissolves them away
- 7. the leaf is eaten by…… a caterpillar which is eaten by…. a wood mouse which is eaten by…. a fox dead remains, droppings and other waste material …. are eaten by …. earthworms, insects, fungi and bacteria PRODUCERS DECOMPOSERS CONSUMERS What happens next?
- 8. A Food Chain shows which creatures eat each other In this example, grass is eaten by cows, which are eaten by people
- 9. Grass is the PRODUCER Cows are Primary Consumers as they eat the grass, they are called HERBIVORES Humans are secondary consumers eating the cow, when humans eat both animals and plants they are called OMINIVORES Animals which eat other animals only are called CARNIVORES
- 10. Task 3 Click into word and complete the missing word exercise
- 11. An Ecosystem is the relationship between Soil, Climate, Vegetation and Animals in an environment SUMMARY
- 12. Ecosystems recycle nutrients, such as Carbon & Nitrogen INPUTS Sunlight Air Rain Soil PROCESSES Feeding Reproduction Decomposition OUTPUTS Oxygen Water Minerals SUMMARY
- 13. Extension task “ All ecosystems depend on the sun’ Do you agree? Draw a diagram to help you explain your answer.
- 14. Homework The earth is the largest ecosystem of all. Illustrate how you choose (drawing or writing) how humans fit in to this ecosystem? Tips to help What do humans do to the world’s ecosystem? How do humans manage the world’s ecosystem? How do humans control the world’s ecosystem?