Ecology & Environmental Biology
Ecosystems · Food Chains & Webs · Biogeochemical Cycles · Climate Change
Prepared for Class Presentation
, Learning Objectives
Define an ecosystem and identify its biotic and abiotic components.
Explain how energy and matter move through food chains and food webs.
Describe the carbon and nitrogen cycles and why they matter to life on Earth.
Explain the causes and consequences of climate change, and how human activity accelerates it.
Apply these concepts to real-world case studies and exam-style questions.
Ecology & Environmental Biology 2
, PART 1
Ecosystems
Where living things meet their environment
Ecosystems 3
, ECOSYSTEMS
What Is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with
each other and with the non-living parts of their environment (abiotic),
functioning together as a system.
Biotic components: plants, animals, fungi, microbes
Abiotic components: sunlight, water, soil, temperature, air
Ecosystems can be as small as a pond or as large as a rainforest
What Is an Ecosystem?
Energy and nutrients constantly cycle between organisms and environment
Ecosystems 4