Lesson 1: What is an Ecosystem?

​​                             Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

• Ducks eat plants and bugs.
• Ducks are  communicating with other ducks.
• The bacteria in the lake is eating the decomposing plant matter.
• Bugs are living inside the plants. .

Between living & non-living things

• Ducks breathe air (oxygen).
• The duck is swimming in the lake, therefor interacting with it.
• Plants are growing in lake, taking up nutrients from the water. 
• Sunlight is being absorbed by plants, and converted into food. 

​​     Underwater Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

• Fish are eating plankton and vegetation.
• Fish poop in the water which fertilizes the plants. 
• Bacteria feeds off of fish skin decay
• Fish hide in plants 

Between living & non-living things

• Fish take in oxygen from the water.
  
• Fish poop fertilizes soil

1. What do living things get from their ecosystems?
2. What evidence do you have to support your answer to Question 1?
3. What does the term ecosystem mean, based on your experience in this lesson? (Don't use the definition from the BIG IDEA here. Put it into your own words.)
4. Brainstorm at least one question you have about Ecosystems that you hope you learn from this unit.
5. Look at the image below that shows a portion of a forest ecosystem. Name at least five components (living or non-living things) of the ecosystem that you can either observe directly or infer. 
6. What are three (or more) interactions that might occur in this portion of the forest ecosystem?

1. The ability to survive, or even thrive in their environment, food, water and all of the necessary things needed to live, including death.
2. I fish living in the ocean gets algea and seaweed to eat, safe coral to live in, oxygen to breath, and bigger fish that eventually eat them. 
3. A large group of living things that live together in harmony.
4. Is there a minimum amount of living things needed to make up an ecosystem.
5. Deer, grass, rocks, bugs, fish
6. The deer drink the water, the fish eat the bugs, and the sun provides nutrients for the grass and trees.