UNIT 4: ECOSYSTEMS

 

1-      1- WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM?   

    2- AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

    3- TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

    4- BIODIVERSITY

    5- ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION

 

 1- WHAT IS AN ECOSYSTEM? 

 It is a group of living things that live in a place.

 

 2- AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

2-      They have 3 key factors:

    -  Temperature: the top is hotter than the bottom.

    -  Sunlight: it cannot reach the depth ocean.

    -  Movement: It can move or it can be still.

FRESH WATER:

  - FLOWING WATER: rivers, waterfalls

  - STILL WATER: lakes, pounds, reservoir. The water doesn’t move.

SALT WATER:

  -  COAST: it has more light.

  -  OPEN SEA: it is the deepest.

 

3-      3- TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

They have 4 key factors:

    -  TEMPERATURE: is highest in the Equator. When temperature is low, plants cannot grow.

    -  HUMIDITY: there are more plants in humidity areas.

    -  RELIF: is the shape of the land (mountain, plateau,…)

    -   SOIL:  there is less vegetation in areas with less soil.

  ROCKS:

    -   Some rocks form from lava.

    -   Some rocks form from fragments of other rocks.

    -   Some rocks form inside the Earth.

    -   Some rocks form at the bottom of the sea.

 

4-       4- BIODIVERSITY

  -  It is the variety of living things on Earth.

  -  The two most biodiverse ecosystems are rainforest and coral reef.

  -  They are the house of living things.

  -  Rainforest has soil, good relief, humidity and temperature.

  -  Coral Reef doesn’t have a lot of movement. It has good temperature and sunlight.

  -  Some benefits are:

o   We get food, energy, medicines and materials.

o   It regulates humidity.

  -  The extinction of species is when living things disappears.

  -  The causes of extinction are: destruction, pollution, over fishing and hunting.

 

5-      5- ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION

    -  The authorities can collect the trash to recycle it, identify endangered species and create laws to limit hunting and overfishing.

    -  We can recycle my trash, prevent fire in forest, take short showers and use less plastic.