VIII. Read and translate the text. The Ecosystem

An ecosystem can be a pond, a meadow, a forest, or the entire planet! An ecosystem may often contain smaller ecosystems. For example, in a forest, there may be a pond. Therefore, there are many ecosystems on the planet.

In order to make this less confusing, ecologists try to organize ecosystems into groups. The two major categories of ecosystems are aquatic, or areas with water such as an ocean or pond, and terrestrial, which are land ecosystems such as a forest or grassland. The terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes, and they are named for the vegetation (grass, plant, or tree) that grows there.

Ecosystem

Terrestrial Aquatic (Biome)

Lake Ocean Pond Grassland Forest Desert

VIII. Overview to Ecosystems of the World Read the following paragraph and fill in the chart with the appropriate information.

The tropical rain forest occupies low-lying areas near the equator where the annual rainfall exceeds 80 to 90 inches. Rain is the only form of precipitation. There are usually one or more dry periods each year. This ecosystem contains the largest diversity of plant and animal life. A typical tree, such as a broadleaf evergreen tree, is tall, with many vines climbing its trunk, and a large canopy where animals live. A famous flower that grows here is called the rosy periwinkle. This flower is famous because it contains a cure for some types of cancer. Animals that are common in this ecosystem include monkeys and a colorful bird called the toucan. The soil, which is reddish in color and formed by rock decay, has a high concentration of iron and aluminum. The heavy rains, however, quickly wash these minerals from the soil.

More than 99 percent of the plants in the tundra are perennials, or plants that grow more than two years. Annuals cannot grow in the tundra because of the short growing season.

The grassland is an ecosystem that is usually found between forest ecosystem and desert ecosystems. Grasslands are common in the middle of the United States and in Africa. The tundra is an ecosystem that is found just beyond the farthest limit of permanent snow and ice, for example, in northern Alaska and Canada. Both of these ecosystems are similar because the tundra is like a “frozen grassland”. Both the northern grassland and the tundra have very long, cold winters. The tundra, however, has short summer with cool temperatures, while the grassland has long summers with hot temperatures. In the tundra, most of the precipitation is snow in winter, with almost no rain in summer. On the other hand, the grassland has lots of rain in the summer and only some snow in the winter. Animals and plants in these ecosystems must be well adapted to live with the temperature extremes. Plants in the tundra are low-growing to protect them from the cold. A typical tundra plant is called a lichen. A bird that is found in the tundra is the snowy owl, and animals include the arctic fox and caribou. In the grassland, the most common form of vegetation is grass. One animal that can be found in the grassland is the gopher. It is very common to see hawks flying in the grassland, too. The soil in the grassland is very rich in organic material and holds moisture well. The tundra’s soil is wet and freezes in winter.

Characteristics of Ecosystems
Ecosystem	Soil	Plant	Bird	Animal	Climate
Temperate deciduous forest
Tropical rain forest
Ocean
Tundra
Grassland
Desert