LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
Scientists have learned to organize all living things into smaller and smaller groups for the sake of making it simpler to identify them based on certain characteristics and features.
There are certain ecological levels of organization that organisms are grouped into based on their characteristics and behaviors. Starting with the most complex level, we have the biosphere. This is where all living things on Earth live.
Next, we have biomes. A biome is a series of ecosystems that have relatively the same abiotic and biotic factors spread over a large area. The defining feature of biomes is their plant life. A desert's plant life consists of cacti and other plants that have adapted to surviving with little to no water, whereas a tropical rainforest contains plants that require a large amount of water for survival.
The next simpler level we have is the ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms along with their nonliving components that work and live together as a system. An ecosystem is defined as a network of interactions between organisms and the interactions between organisms and their environment.
A community is an area in which two or more populations of different species occupy. For instance, within a forest, there are species of squirrels, deer, rabbits, and other animals that inhabit that area. This would be considered a community.
Next, we have populations, which are all the organisms of the same group or species who live in the same geographical area or location, and are capable of mating and reproducing with one another. For example, a population of rabbits, deer, or humans.
Finally, we have species; the most basic unit of biological organization. A species is defined as a group of organisms who are able to mate with each other and produce fertile offspring. For instance, the human species also known as Homo sapiens, are capable of interbreeding and reproducing healthy offspring who will grow and repeat the cycle.
There are certain ecological levels of organization that organisms are grouped into based on their characteristics and behaviors. Starting with the most complex level, we have the biosphere. This is where all living things on Earth live.
Next, we have biomes. A biome is a series of ecosystems that have relatively the same abiotic and biotic factors spread over a large area. The defining feature of biomes is their plant life. A desert's plant life consists of cacti and other plants that have adapted to surviving with little to no water, whereas a tropical rainforest contains plants that require a large amount of water for survival.
The next simpler level we have is the ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms along with their nonliving components that work and live together as a system. An ecosystem is defined as a network of interactions between organisms and the interactions between organisms and their environment.
A community is an area in which two or more populations of different species occupy. For instance, within a forest, there are species of squirrels, deer, rabbits, and other animals that inhabit that area. This would be considered a community.
Next, we have populations, which are all the organisms of the same group or species who live in the same geographical area or location, and are capable of mating and reproducing with one another. For example, a population of rabbits, deer, or humans.
Finally, we have species; the most basic unit of biological organization. A species is defined as a group of organisms who are able to mate with each other and produce fertile offspring. For instance, the human species also known as Homo sapiens, are capable of interbreeding and reproducing healthy offspring who will grow and repeat the cycle.
3 Types of Ecosystem
- Freshwater Ecosystem (lake, pond and rivers)
- Marine Ecosystem (ocean and seas)
- Terrestrial aka Land Ecosystem
Freshwater Ecosystem
Fresh water is any body of water that contains less than 1% salt such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams which is only 3% of the world's water. And 99% of this water is either frozen in glaciers and packed ice or is buried in aquifers.
Marine Ecosystem
Marine ecosystem covers two-thirds of the surface of the Earth consisting of the seas and the oceans
Land/Terrestrial Ecosystem
These are ecosystems found only on a land-form. They are distinguished from aquatic ecosystems in that there is a much lower availability of water, thus making water a limiting factor in the environment. The availability of light is much greater in these ecosystems as opposed to aquatic ecosystems, and the availability of gases such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen are higher. (there are seven types)
7 Land biomes
- Coniferous Forest (Taiga)
- Deciduous Forrest
- Deserts
- Grasslands
- Savannah (tropical grasslands)
- Tropical Rain Forest (Jungle)
- Tundra
Coniferous Forest
A coniferous forest is a type of forest found in northern Eurasia and North America it usually contains conifers tree (a evergreen tees) such as pine cedar and fir. They have needle like leaves which enables them to withstand the weight of snow a waxy outer coat which prevents water loss in freezing weather. The branches are soft and flexible and usually point downwards, so that snow slides off them. Coniferous trees thrive where summers are short and cool and winters long and harsh, with heavy snowfall that can last as long as 6 months.
Beers, deers, mooses, wolves and mountain lions are common animals of this environment.
Extra Trivia
Bristle cone Pine is the oldest living conifer
Sequoia aka redwood is the largest conifer
Beers, deers, mooses, wolves and mountain lions are common animals of this environment.
Extra Trivia
Bristle cone Pine is the oldest living conifer
Sequoia aka redwood is the largest conifer
Deciduous Forest
A deciduous forest is a type of forest where the tree looses their leaves oppose to coniferous forest. A deciduous forest is found south of coniferous forest in North America, eastern Asia and Europe. It will usually receives a moderate amount of rainfall 30-60inches per year and moderate temperature averaging 50 degrees annually. A deciduous forest contains a defined seasons , spring, summer, autumn, and winter of about equal length. Deciduous forest also contain zones also known as stratification, for example The Tree Stratum zone (the fourth zone the uppermost layer)contains such trees as oak, beech, maples. This zone has height ranges between 60 feet and 100 feet. The small tree and sapling zone is the third zone. This zone has young, and short trees. The second zone is called the shrub zone for example rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberries. The Herb zone is the first zone. It contains short plants such as herbal plants. The final zone is the Ground zone-the forest floor has herbaceous plants-like lichen, club mosses, and true mosses.
Deer, rabbits, foxes, snakes, frog, and birds are some of the animals that habitat the deciduous forest.
Deer, rabbits, foxes, snakes, frog, and birds are some of the animals that habitat the deciduous forest.
Deserts
Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where rainfall is less than 20 inches per year. And despite the common conceptions of deserts as dry and hot, there are cold deserts as well. The largest hot desert in the world, northern Africa's Sahara, reaches temperatures of up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. But some deserts are always cold, like the Gobi desert in Asia and the desert on the continent of Antarctica. Others are mountainous. Only about 10 percent of deserts are covered by sand dunes. The driest deserts get less than half an inch of precipitation each year, and that is from condensed fog not rain.
Desert animals have adapted ways to help them keep cool and use less water. Thus many desert animals are nocturnal, coming out only when the brutal sun has descended to hunt. Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground. Most desert birds are nomadic, crisscrossing the skies in search of food. Because of their very special adaptations, desert animals are extremely vulnerable to introduced predators and changes to their habitat.
There are four major types of deserts:
Global warming also threatens to change the ecology of desert. Higher temperatures may produce an increasing number of wildfires that alter desert landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses.
Desert animals have adapted ways to help them keep cool and use less water. Thus many desert animals are nocturnal, coming out only when the brutal sun has descended to hunt. Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground. Most desert birds are nomadic, crisscrossing the skies in search of food. Because of their very special adaptations, desert animals are extremely vulnerable to introduced predators and changes to their habitat.
There are four major types of deserts:
- Hot and dry
- Semiarid
- Coastal
- Cold
Global warming also threatens to change the ecology of desert. Higher temperatures may produce an increasing number of wildfires that alter desert landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses.
Grasslands
Grass lands contain exactly that "GRASS" (aka prairie) with several strains of grass needlegrass, blue grama, buffalo grass, and galleta covering the vast plains, for example perennial grasses use their complex root systems to reduce loose dirt, lock in moisture and reduce temperatures during torrid summer months. Each different species of grass grows best in a particular grassland environment (determined by temperature, rainfall, and soil conditions). The grassland contain very few trees due to low rain fall. Grassland areas can be found in sections of Russia, North America, South America and Eastern Asia. Unlike the Savanna the climate is less dramatic with a temperature maintaining around 70 degree F.
The average grassland experiences two seasons hot summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures can be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter temperatures can be as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The average grassland, regardless of geographic location, receives an average rainfall of 10 to 30 inches per year.
The major difference between grassland and and Savanna is grassland's soil is have a thick, dark soil that is rich in nutrients which is excellent for agricultural crops. A vital cause of the rich soil is the lack of grassland fires that occur, which does not strip away the soil's humus that sustains the continuous new growth by the natural decomposition of the previous season's vegetation.
Animals that may inhabit the grasslands are: gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves, prairie dogs, jack rabbits, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, skunks, badgers, blackbirds, grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks, owls, snakes, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and spiders.
Things to consider:
Few natural prairie regions remain because most have been turned into farms or grazing land. This is because they are flat, treeless, covered with grass, and have rich soil.
The average grassland experiences two seasons hot summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures can be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter temperatures can be as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The average grassland, regardless of geographic location, receives an average rainfall of 10 to 30 inches per year.
The major difference between grassland and and Savanna is grassland's soil is have a thick, dark soil that is rich in nutrients which is excellent for agricultural crops. A vital cause of the rich soil is the lack of grassland fires that occur, which does not strip away the soil's humus that sustains the continuous new growth by the natural decomposition of the previous season's vegetation.
Animals that may inhabit the grasslands are: gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves, prairie dogs, jack rabbits, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, skunks, badgers, blackbirds, grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks, owls, snakes, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and spiders.
Things to consider:
Few natural prairie regions remain because most have been turned into farms or grazing land. This is because they are flat, treeless, covered with grass, and have rich soil.
Savanna
The Savanna has two seasons a wet season als known as monsoon season for an average of seven months and an extremely hot dry season the exact time of year depends on the location of the savanna, but most savannas receive 30 to 40 inches of rainfall annually. Thunderstorms are common during the dry season. October konth usually sets off a series of violent thunderstorms, followed by a strong drying wind, signals the beginning of the dry season. Fire is prevalent around January, at the height of the dry season.This cycle of rampant changes allows for new growth and rapid burn off. Slightly less than 50 percent of Africa is covered by savannas, but they also are found in India, Australia and South America
Savanna soil is extremely absorbent and drains quickly they are not filled with nutrients due to the fires that occur annually on savannas between October and January constantly burn off dried and dead vegetation.The fires purify the savannas yearly, so savannas have only a light layer of humus, which is the organic part of soil that is created by decomposing vegetation and animal life.
During the savannas wet season, savanna bunch grasses grow vigorously. Some of the larger grasses grow an inch or more in 24 hours. The savannas experiences a surge of new life at this time for at least seven months. Next is the dry season roots, in which some plants survive by having a starch reserves, which are ready to send up new growth when the soil becomes moist again. The scattered shrubs can also subsist on food reserves in their roots while they await the time to venture above the soil again. Unlike grasses and shrubs, trees survive a fire by retaining some moisture in all their above-ground parts throughout the dry season. Sometimes they have a corky bark or semisucculent trunk covered with smooth resinous bark, both being fire resistant.
Common animal found are elephant, lions, zebras, hyenas giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, kangaroos, mice, moles, gophers, ground squirrels, snakes, worms, termites, beetles, lions, leopards, hyenas, and elephants. and impalas; think "Lion King".
Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical rain forest biome is located near the equator in the continent of Africa, Australia, Asia and South America, cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. The temperature is very warm rarely gets higher than 93 °F or drops below 68 °F and abundant rain fall 50 to 260 inches yearly. The jungle has the greatest diversity of plants and animals that are usually full of color, the soil however is poor for agriculture. the animals that usually habitat the tropical rain forest are insects, monkeys, apes tropical birds leopards etc.
Interesting Facts
Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests.
Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen.
Interesting Facts
Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests.
Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen.
Tundra
The tundra biome is found near polar latitudes or at high elevations. Temperatures are cold throughout the year. Trees are generally absent due to permafrost. There are three types of tundra: Arctic, alpine, and Antarctic. The tundra is very windy and there is relatively low precipitation throughout the year, most of which occurs in the summer. The tundra is characterized by
The average winter temperature is -30° F, but the average summer temperature is 37-54° F, which enables this biome to sustain life.
Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 6 to 10 inches.
Plants are short and group together to resist the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. They can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division rather than sexually by flowering.
Life that is found in the tundra are: marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk, grouse-like birds springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies, lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels, arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears, cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout.
- Extremely cold climate Low biotic diversity
- Simple vegetation structure
- Limitation of drainage
- Short season of growth and reproduction
- Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material
The average winter temperature is -30° F, but the average summer temperature is 37-54° F, which enables this biome to sustain life.
Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 6 to 10 inches.
Plants are short and group together to resist the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. They can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division rather than sexually by flowering.
Life that is found in the tundra are: marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk, grouse-like birds springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies, lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels, arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears, cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout.