Ecosystem Organization

Go to the website below to read about the difference between an ecosystem and biome. In your blog, create a table, or venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between them. Today, we will investigate how Ecosystems are organized.

http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/ecosystems.html

As you saw from the various animals in the film 'SURVIVAL', survival is based upon individuals adapting to their environments and utilizing the resources to the best of their abilities. Below is a list of 8 different ecosystems

	Tropical rain forest
	Subtropical savannas
	Deserts and semi-deserts
	Temperate grasslands
	Oceans and Seas
	Temperate forests
	Coniferous forests
	Alpine and polar regions You will be assigned an ecosystem in your class. The top four are for 7A to complete and the bottom four are for 7B to complete. Your task is to work with partner to create a concept map on poster paper to show how many habitats are within that specific ecosystem. Begin with the name of your ecosystem and then sprout out with the various habitats. Think back to the book I read you called "The Salamander Room" How many different habitats did the boy have in his room in the end? This is what you should find out. In the end, you will write a post about the similarities and differences between the various ecosystems and their habitats. Here is a link that may help you. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org Questions to guide your project: What regions of the world is your ecosystem found in? (What about the climate?) What populations live in your ecosystem? What organisms interact with each other? (Who are the consumers, predators, decomposers?) What are the 3 types of interaction among species within the ecosystem? (For example: predation, competition, symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) What adaptations do these animals have? How does it help them to survive?