Ecosystems

Ecosystems

and their qualities and inhabitantsBy Bailey Mooney

All photos were taken by me at the California Science Center. The photos taken are of the

Ecosystems exhibit at the center.

What is an ecosystem?

an ecosystem is a collection of nonliving and living parts of an environment, and the relationships that are between them

Types of Ecosystems

There are many different types of ecosystems. There are Kelp Forests, Deserts, Rot, Poles, Cities, Islands, Rivers, and Rocky Shores. There are lots of species in each ecosystem, and they all work together with their ecosystem so that they can thrive and survive in their environment.

Kelp Forests “Anchored to the rocky bottom, kelp forests protect and nurture a diversity of marine life.”

“Giant Kelp is a type of algae. Most algae are small, with only one cell, but giant kelp has many parts.” The different parts of kelp are the canopy, which provides shade; the blades, which make most of the food; the frond; the stipes, which is the stem; the float, which are filled with gas; the sporophylls, which are low blades; and the holdfast, which is the part that clings to the sea floor. Kelp needs sunlight, water motion, nutrients, and the rocky sea floor to survive.

Giant Kelp grows in very cool waters throughout the world.

The oceanic food chain

Deserts“In the dry, hot extremes of the desert, life has adapted to stand still until the parched landscape cools.”

What makes a desert?All deserts are very dry, and to qualify as one, they must get less than 10 in. of rain per year, and much of that water is evaporated. Some deserts have lots of plants, while some are just a barren sand stretch.

“Delve into the desert”Rainfall is very rare in the desert, temperatures are extreme, but still, there can be many forms of life in a desert. Some plants and animals have adapted to the temperatures and other conditions. Some of them can find places to hide out when it is too hot or dry.

A form of life within the desertThe cactus is a good example of a desert plant. It has adapted to the dry desert weather. Its waxy skin is able to lock in moisture, reflect light, and it protects the plant from winds. There are strong cells inside that are able to hold lots of water.The plant is able to keep its pores closed during the day, but it opens them at night to take in carbon dioxide in the cooler air. The cactus protects itself from predators with its prickly spines.

Flash FloodsSometimes, heavy rainfall can lead to floods called flash floods. The soil cannot soak up all of the water, so the runoff heads down and they gather. This build up of water is called a flash flood, because they happen so quickly, and they can be very dangerous.

DroughtsDroughts can happen easily too, because there is so little rain. But most plants have adapted to the droughts, and can “wait them out.” Sometimes, if it is too dry one year, flowers won’t bloom, but will wait until the next year, when it is wetter, to bloom. The seeds of the flowers have tough coating to protect them from drying out. Every 10 to 20 years, the temperatures will be just right, and all the flowers will bloom.

Human Relationships to the desertsOur activities as humans can easily disturb or destroy ecosystems. We sometimes put our damaging trash and waste into deserts and use them as our landfills.

Rot“Rotting plants and animals enrich soil from which new life grows.”

We need rot to surviveIf animals and plants didn’t rot, they would stay on top of the soil when they died and that would be terrible. Because of rotting, the planet can stay clean. Rotting enriches the soil, because the plants and animals add nutrients to it.

Life depends on rot

Poles“At the frozen ends of the Earth, species adapt to survive the cold, dry, howling polar winds.”

The Poles’ ClimateThe bright white snow and ice reflects light, so instead of soaking up heat, the sun’s hot light gets reflected back into space. But the atmosphere can sometimes bounce the heat back onto the poles, which causes ice to melt.

Antarctic vs. ArcticBoth are freezing, dry, and very windy. The arctic is surrounded mostly by land, while the antarctic is surrounded mostly by ocean. Because of these differences, the climate of both is very different. The Arctic ocean is 30 degrees F, but this is warmer than the air. The antarctic is much colder.

AdaptationsAll the plants and animals of the chilly poles must be adapted to the cold weather.

Cities“Urban ecosystems support large human populations but in the process create many ecological challenges.”

The Urban EcosystemCities rely on technology and innovation, instead of nature. But cities are still a kind of ecosystem, they have living and nonliving that interact in complex ways.

Landfills This is the amount of plastic that the average american citizen uses in one year

Islands“Isolated communities, like those on islands, evolve in unique ways.”

Fish living in islands

EvolutionIn the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin made famous discoveries, there are 13 different finch species. Each species has a beak that can do something unique. Every year two scientists study the birds a see which species has survived, or see which species natural selection has overcome.

Volcanic Activity“In 1883 a volcano blasted all life from the island of Krakatau.” Then a new island made of the ashes formed. Scientists wondered if life would form again. Seeds from other islands were able to blow over to Krakatau and form plants.

Rivers“Flowing rivers of water, ice, air, and lava carve landscapes, carry materials, and connect ecosystems.”

Other FlowsRivers are not the only things that carve and erode the landscapes around them. Lava, and ice do too. But rivers are perhaps the most common of the 3.

Sharing riversSometimes, it’s hard for two species to survive in one river. This is called survival of the fittest, or a struggle for survival. Eventually, the fittest species wins and the other is subject to natural selection.

Rocky Shores“Plants and animals that live along the rocky shore adapt to high and low tides, pounding waves and a constant fight for space.”

Ecosystems Work Together

There are many different kinds of ecosystems, some are extreme, but some aren’t. Whether they are hard to survive in or not, the animals

that live in them have adapted to their surroundings beautifully, and work with their ecosystems to help keep everything flowing

smoothly.

By Bailey Mooney