This document provides an overview of ecosystems and ecological concepts. It defines key terms like ecosystem, biotope, biocenosis, abiotic and biotic factors. It describes trophic levels, food chains and webs. It also explains different relationship types within ecosystems like competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism. Finally, it introduces different biomes and their characteristic climates and locations around the world. The objectives are to learn how ecosystems function and the interactions between living and nonliving components within specific biomes globally.

1. UNIT 5. ECOSYSTEMS

2. UNIT OBJECTIVES
 To learn about ecosystems and how it works
 To study how abiotic factors influence the
biocenosis
 To understand the relationships in the biocenosis
 To learn about trophic levels, chains and webs
 To learn about aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

3. COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM
ECOSYSTEM
It’s a place, the living things that
inhabit it and the interactions
between them.
BIOTOPE
BIOCENOSIS
Nonliving components.
Abiotic factors (Physical factors).
Ex: Temperature.
All the living things. Biotic factors.
Population: Members of
the same species.

4. BIOTOPE
BIOCENOSIS

5. ACTIVITIES
1. What’s the difference between biocenosis
and biotope?
2. Write down three examples of biocenosis
and three examples of biotope.
3. Complete: An ecosystem is made up of all living
things called_________, the places where they
live called__________ and the ____________
between them.

6. 4. Are they true or false?
a)All the organism of an ecosystem make up the
population.
b)The population is made up of all the organism of the
same species that inhabit a certain area.
c)The biocenosis consists of all living things in the
planet.
d)The biotope consists of the nonliving components of
the ecosystem.
5. Classify the following words in the corroct
column: water, temperature, oak tree, oxygen, fox,
sparrow, caterpillar, ground, rocks.
BIOTIC FACTORS:
ABIOTIC FACTORS:

7. HOW ABIOTIC FACTORS AFFECTS
THE BIOCENOSIS
ADAPTATION
It’s an adjustement in the organism’s
body or behaviour to its environment.
Animals and
plants are
influenced by
Light
Temperature
The presence of water

8. Light Temperature The presence of water

9. ACTIVITIES
6. True or false? Correct them.
a) The depths of the oceans contain
photosynthesizing organism because a lot of
sunlight can be found there.
b) Many animals have to emigrate or hibernate
when the heat comes.
c) Desert plants develop very big leaves which
protect them from losing water.

10. 7. The following organisms have adaptations.
Which was the abiotic factor that produced them?
a) Plants that accumulate water in their stems:________
b) A bear hibernating:_____________
c) A tree which loses its leaves in autumn:____________
d) The exoskeleton of insects:_____________
e) Bird migration:______________

11. RELATIONS IN THE
BIOCENOSIS
INTRASPECIFIC
RELATIONSHIPS
INTERSPECIFIC
RELATIONSHIPS
Between members of
the same species.
Between members of
different species.
Competitive
Cooperative
-Gregarious associations
-Family associations
-Colonial societies
-Colonial forms
Competition
Commensalism
Predation
Mutualism
parasitism

12. Competitive
Family
Gregarious
Colonial forms
Colonial societies

13. - -

14. Predation + -
(Predator and
prey)
Parasitism + -
Commensalism + 0
Mutualism + +
(Symbiosis)

15. ACTIVITIES
8. Fill in the blanks:
a) _____________ relationships are between individuals of the
________ species, and interspecific relationships are between
individuals of___________ species.
b) ___________ relationships are divided into __________, where
the individuals of the __________ same species compete for
the same resources and __________ where they group
together to obtein mutual benefit.
9. Classify the following relationships between
intraspecific or interspecific.
a) Family relationships.
b) Mutualism
c) Parasitism
d) Gregarious
e) Colonial
f) Predation

16. 10. Complete the table.
Benefici
al (+)
Harmfu
l
(-)
Indiffere
nt
(0)
Type of
relationship
In a lichen, the
algae provides
nourishment and
the fungus
humidity.
A lynx hunts a
rabbit to eat it.
A vulture eats
the remains of a
lion’s prey.
The taenia lives
and feeds in the
human intestine.
Remoras attach
to sharks for

17. 11. Thousands of bacteria live in the human
intestine. They constitute the gut flora.
Look for the information and explain what
type of relationship there is between people
and gut flora.
12. Some types of limpets live on the jaws and
the outer surface of whales. The limpets
obtain food and a safe place to live, but
whales do not benefit nor are harmed. What
is this type of relationship called?

18. TROPHIC LEVELS
PRODUCERS CONSUMERS DECOMPOSERS
Autotrophic
organisms.
Ex:Plants
Heterotrophic
organisms.
(Primary,
secondary,
tertiary)
Ex:Animals
Heterotrophic
organisms.
They feed on
the remains of
other trophic
levels.
Ex: Fungi

20. FOOD
CHAIN
It shows the trophic levels and
the order of eating.

21. FOOD WEB
It represents the trophic chains
in an ecosystem and their
relationships.

22. 13. Match
a) Producers 1-They feed on others levels.
b) Consumers 2- They feed on the remains.
c) Decomposers 3- They’re autotrophic.
14. What trophic level do the following
organisms belong to?
Grasshopper:
Rabbit:
Poppy:
Lynx:
Fungus:

23. 15. Analyze the trophic web in the picture and
write it down two food chains.

24. 16. In a science fiction movie we see a future
where, after a terrible war, the vegetation of
the planet has completely disappeared and
human beings live by eating the animals that
have survived the catastrophe. Could that
situation be possible? Explain your answer.

25. BIOME
It’s a biological community which
occupies large areas of the planet.
It has some characteristic climatic
conditions.
COLD
ZONES
TEMPERATE
ZONES
WARM
ZONES
The
polar
desert
The
tundra
The
taiga
The
deciduous
forest
The
Mediterranean
forest
The
steppe
The
desert
The
savannah
The
tropical
forest
Types

28. 17. Write two examples of each type of biome.
18. Find Spain on a map and answer the following
questions.
a) What biomes can be found in Spain?
b) What biome is characteristic of the area where you
live?
19. In pairs, look information in the Internet
about a biome (teacher will tell you which one),
and make a poster to present it to your partners
in class. You have to include:
- Where the bioma is located
- Type of vegetation
- Type of animals
- Temperature
- Precipitation
Don’t forget to
include pictures or
drawings