Ecosystems

This unit of work is linked to the section – The living world

Key idea Specification content

Ecosystems exist at a range of scales and involve the interaction between biotic and abiotic components.

An example of a small scale UK ecosystem to illustrate the concept of interrelationships within a natural system, an understanding of producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain, food web and nutrient cycling.The balance between components. The impact on the ecosystem of changing one component.

An overview of the distribution and characteristics of large scale natural global ecosystems.

Key word Definition

Biotic

Abiotic

Biome

Component

Consumer

Decomposer

Ecosystem

Food chain

Food web

Global atmospheric circulationGlobal ecosystems

Lines of latitude

Nutrients cycle

Producer

The distribution and characteristics of global ecosystems

LO – to understand that

Using the above diagrams explain how the biomes are influenced by latitude?

Tropical rainforest

Deserts

LO – to understand that

Tropical grasslands

Temperate grasslands

Mediterranean

Deciduous forest

Coniferous forest

Tundra

Explain how altitude, relief and ocean currents influence ecosystems.

Altitude

Relief – causes rain shadows

Ocean currents

Do the following questions from page 65 – 1 a b, 2, 3 and 4.