Chapter 3
Communities, Biomes, and
Ecosystems
Section 1 vocabulary (6):
1. community,
2. limiting factor,
3. ecological succession,
4. primary succession,
5. climax community,
6. secondary succession.
Community- (60)
• A group of interacting populations that
occupy the same area at the same time.
• It includes plants, animals and bacteria.
• the different species that live together in a
habitat
limiting factor, (61)
• Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the
numbers, reproduction or distribution of
organisms.
• Examples include sunlight, soil chemistry,
space or temperature.
• Plant and animal species living in an area,
competition between species.
Limiting factors
• The range of tolerance the upper and
lower limits of what an organism can
survive!
• Temperature, pH, oxygen amounts all can
have limits.
• There will be a optimal zone where the
greatest number of the organism will be
found and then less will be found towards
the stress zones…
• 2. Would an organism with a wide or
narrow range of tolerance be more likely to
survive better when abiotic factors are
greatly changed? _______________why?
ecological succession (62)
• The change in an ecosystem that happens
when one community replaces another as
a result of changing abiotic or biotic
factors.
• There are two types: primary and
secondary
primary succession, (62)
• The establishment of a community on an
area of exposed rock that does not have top
soil.
• A slow process!
• New rock formations
• Volcanic areas!
• Starts small with pioneer organisms first
producing dead decaying material to
• help produce soil.
Primary succession
• 3. What types of organisms are pioneer
species?
• Why are they termed "pioneer?"
__________________________________
____________________
Climax community (63)
• A mature community that results when
there is little change in the composition of
species. The end result of primary
succession.
• It takes a very long time for the climax
community to be reached.
• Sometimes it is never reached.
Secondary succession (63)
• The orderly and predictable change that
takes place after a community of
organisms has been removed but the soil
has remained intact from an event such as
fire, flood or windstorm.
• Pioneer species are the first to grow in this
process . These are different from primary
pioneer species. It is faster because soil is
already present.
Secondary succession
• 4. What is the significant difference
between primary and secondary
succession?
•
• SC.912.L.17.4: Describe changes in ecosystems resulting from
seasonal variations, climate change, and succession.
• 1. How do unfavorable abiotic and
biotic factors affect species?
• 5. What is a climax community?
• 6. What generally happens to the size of
the organisms in a population as
succession occurs?
Section 2 Vocabulary (3) :
1. latitude,
2. climate,
3. biome
Latitude (65)
The distance of any point on the surface of
Earth north or south of the equator.
• As you go to higher latitudes the temperature
decreases due to the decrease in the sun’s
intensity this is due to the curvature of the
earth.
• 1. What causes changes in seasons?
• 2. How might global warming affect
populations of organisms that have a
narrow temperature tolerance?
• 3. How/why does latitude alter
temperatures on earth?
Climate (66)
• The average weather conditions in an area
Including temperature and precipitation.
• Latitude and altitude are major contributing
factors to climate as is proximity to
mountain ranges and large bodies of water
• .
• 4. What factors determine climate?
Latitude and altitude = Temperature and
precipitation
Biome (36)
• A large group of ecosystems that share the
same climate and have similar types of
communities.
• generally found at the same latitude and
altitude, similar types of plant and animal
species are found in the biomes.
• 5. What factors determine the 9
biomes?
Major Land biomes include :
• Tundra: treeless, permanently frozen soil
permafrost.
• Boreal Forest:
evergreens
coniferous
forest, taiga.
• Temperate
Forest:
deciduous trees,
4 seasons
• Temperate woodland ; mixed shrub less
rainfall
• Temperate grassland: fertile soil, drought,
prevents large trees
Major Land biomes
• Desert: rate of evaporation exceeds rate of
precipitation, on every continent except
Europe
Tropical Savanna
• : grasses, scattered trees, low precip
Tropical seasonal forest
• : dry trees drop leaves to conserve water
Tropical rain Forest
Large amounts
of rainfall tall
broad leaved
trees.
• 6. Name the major biomes.
• 7. How can climate affect where're species
live?
• 8. What types of things could cause the
climate be temporally changed and then
alter the population sizes as a result?
Section 3 Vocabulary (2)
1. photic zone,
2. aphotic zone
Aquatic Ecosystems
• SC.912.L.17.2: Explain the general
distribution of life in aquatic systems as a
function of chemistry, geography, light,
depth, salinity, and temperature.
• 1. What are the major abiotic factors that
affect aquatic ecosystems?
•
Aquatic Ecosystems
• Freshwater: Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers,
and wetlands
• Low salt content!
• Lakes are divided into zones:
• Top: littoral zone: shallow near the shore,
allows sunlight to penetrate through.
• Limnetic zone: open water: plankton free
floating
• Profundal zone: deepest part, no light
• 2. What are some freshwater
ecosystems?
• Freshwater: Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers,
and wetlands
Transitional Aquatic
Ecosystems
• wetlands
• Swamps, bogs marshes: saturated with
water.
• Estuaries: transitional very diverse,
freshwater and salt mix.
• 3. What type of aquatic ecosystem are
wetlands and estuaries know as?
________________________
Marine Ecosystems
• Intertidal : where ocean meets land
• Photic: (80) a zone in the ocean water to a
depth of about 200 meters also called the
euphotic zone the area shallow enough for
sunlight to penetrate!
• Large numbers of organisms can be found
here!
• 5. Why is the photic zone so important?
• Aphotic (80) Below the photic zone,
sunlight can not penetrate!
• Benthic: on the ocean floor.
• Abyssal: deepest part of the ocean
• These categories are based on the depth
of the ocean.
• 4. What types of factors are used to divide
the marine ecosystem into different
sections? __________
•
• 6. If the salinity of the water was to
change due to excessive evaporation or
ice melts how might this alter the
populations of organisms in the marine
environments?
• 7. Where do phytoplankton live?
• Why do they need to live there?
• 8. Describe the conditions and the life
found at the
• ocean's surface,
• in shallow water
• and in deep water
• 9. Explain the difference in the organisms
found in the photic and aphotic zones.
Biomes interactive
•
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BL_03.html