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What is an ecosystem? • Most of us are confused when it comes to the words ecosystem and biome. What's the difference? There is a slight difference between the two words. An ecosystem is much smaller than a biome. Conversely, a biome can be thought of many similar ecosystems throughout the world grouped together. An ecosystem can be as large as the Sahara Desert, or as small as a puddle or vernal pool. Ecosystems are dynamic interactions between plants, animals, and microorganisms and their environment working together as a functional unit. Ecosystems will fail if they do not remain in balance. No community can carry more organisms than its food, water, and shelter can accomodate. Food and territory are often balanced by natural phenomena such as fire, disease, and the number of predators. Each organism has its own niche, or role, to play.
What is a Biome? • A biome is a large area with similar flora, fauna, and microorganisms. Most of us are familiar with the tropical rainforests, tundra in the arctic regions, and the evergreen trees in the coniferous forests. Each of these large communities contain species that are adapted to its varying conditions of water, heat, and soil. For instance, polar bears thrive in the arctic while cactus plants have a thick skin to help preserve water in the hot desert. To learn more about each of the major biomes, click on the appropriate heading to the right.
How have humans affected the ecosystems? • We have affected ecosystems in almost every way imaginable! Every time we walk out in the wilderness or bulldoze land for a new parking lot we are drastically altering an ecosystem. We have disrupted the food chain, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the water cycle. Mining minerals also takes its toll on an ecosystem. We need to do our best to not interfere in these ecosystems and let nature take its toll.
Major types of Biomes: • Mountains (High Elevation) • Tundra • Temperate Forest • Marine/Island • Desert • Tropical Dry Forest • Cold Climate Forest • Grassland • Savannah • Tropical Rainforest
How can we save our Ecosystem? • Our land is in trouble it needs your help, So are the oceans, the coral, the kelp. There must be a way for all to unite, To stop the earth from a disastrous fright. We can't leave this world a barren waste land, But luscious and fertile, as many creatures as there are sand. We're destroying our jungles, our forests our beaches, Taking away what is the earth's like billions of leaches. Few Natural Habitats are left on the globe, All are scattered like the beats of a strobe. We welcome you to an endangered land, To show you how animals dwindle like an hour glass's sand. Only you can help to save our earth, And hopefully, with care give it a rebirth.
Why should I care? • Why should I be eco-conscious?" you ask. There is a very simple reason: We live on one earth, and this is the only place we can live on right now. (We can't live in space yet, we don't have the food growing capacity out there yet for lots of people to survive). If we treat it like the city dump it becomes dirty and unlivable. If we treat it well by being eco-conscious, the earth stays a clean place, perfect for living, for ourselves and our children. Being "eco-conscious" means being aware of what you are doing, buying, using, and what it does to the environment. For example, you might think, "Using a hairspray bottle is so convenient for fixing my hair." If you were eco-conscious, though, you'd realize "Does this hairspray bottle have CFCs in it? Could I be participating in helping to destroy the Earth by using hairspray?"
Let us all be in peace, and let us stand as one to care for our natural environment.
Prepared by: • Lady Ann Xenia CasurraLigad • I-Einstein
