Activity #15: The Biosphere. EQ How do Earth’s biotic and abiotic factors interact to shape ecosystems and affect the survival of organisms over time?

Activity #15: Activity #15: The BiosphereThe Biosphere

EQEQ• How do Earth’s biotic and abiotic factors interact

to shape ecosystems and affect the survival of organisms over time?

Challenge QuestionChallenge Question• Describe the biosphere.

VocabularyVocabulary• Ecology• Biosphere• Ecosystem• Biome• Biotic Factors• Abiotic Factors

The BiosphereThe Biosphere• All life on Earth and all the parts

of the Earth where life exists• Ecology is the study of the

interactions of all of the organisms and their environments in the biosphere

Levels of Organization Levels of Organization in the Biospherein the Biosphere

1. Organism- one individual of a certain species

2. Population- group of individuals of the same species living in the same area

3. Community- different populations living together in the same area

4. Ecosystem- all the organisms in a certain place together with their physical environment

5. Biome- a group of ecosystems with similar climates and typical organisms

6. The Biosphere- all living things from all biomes on the planet

• Where is the biosphere located and what does it include?o The biosphere is everywhere on our planet where there

is life. This can be far above the land where birds fly, deep into the oceans where sea creatures live, or even deep underground where extreme bacteria can inhabit vents and volcanoes. It includes all the living things and the abiotic features of the planet that they interact with and rely upon.

o Because there is life nearly everywhere on Earth, the word biosphere is a very broad term and the Earth itself is essentially our biosphere.

Practice TaskPractice Task

Levels of Organization in the Biosphere

Increasing Com

plexity

__________________-

________________-

________________-

________________-

Population-__________________-

_____________________-

Fill in each box with the correct level of organization in the biosphere (the size of the box indicates the broadness of each category). Include a word or two to help you remember what each grouping means.

EnvironmentEnvironment• The conditions or factors

surrounding an organism• Consist of biotic and abiotic

factors

Biotic FactorsBiotic Factors• Any living part of the

environment • Includes animals, plants, fungi,

bacteria, etc.

Abiotic FactorsAbiotic Factors• Any nonliving (physical) part of the

environment• Examples: sunlight, heat,

precipitation, humidity, wind, water, soil, etc.

What are the Biotic and What are the Biotic and

Abiotic Factors in this Abiotic Factors in this

Environment?Environment?

Biotic and Abiotic Factors are Biotic and Abiotic Factors are

Closely LinkedClosely LinkedThe mucky shoreline, biotic, abiotic or both?

Both! Abiotic- soil, water, sand, etc. Biotic- bacteria, fungi, small animals like worms, etc.

What Is a Biome?What Is a Biome?• Large regions of land that are

characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.

• Made up of many individual ecosystems• Vary according to their location from the

equator (latitude)

Biomes of the WorldBiomes of the WorldIn which biome is Livingston, NJ located?

“Temperate forest”, also called “temperate deciduous forest”

Temperate Temperate (Deciduous) Forrest(Deciduous) Forrest

• Has both deciduous and coniferous trees• Deciduous trees shed leave in autumn• Cold winters, warm summers• Soils are fertile• Some animals hibernate in winter, others migrate

to warmer climates, others camouflage in winter when trees are bare