Module 3 Intro
1. Module 3 Intro
1.23. Page 5
Module 3—Ecosystem Diversity
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you explored the following essential questions:
- How do terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems support a diversity of organisms through a variety of habitats and niches?
- How do biotic and abiotic characteristic influence an aquatic and a terrestrial ecosystem?
In this lesson you studied how abiotic factors influence climate and create areas (biomes) with a particular set of abiotic and biotic characteristics. Within these biomes are habitats that meet the specific biotic and abiotic needs of some organisms. The range of an organism is the geographical area where the organism is found in its habitat. Within an ecosystem, there are many habitats and niches that overlap. An animal’s niche is the interactions the animal has with the biotic and abiotic factors in its habitat. As you move on to Lesson 5, you will learn what limits population growth and range.
Lesson Glossary
abundance: a number of individual birds
biome: a regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities that are adapted to the region's physical environment
climate: the average weather (taken over a long time period) for a particular region
habitat: a place or area with a particular set of characteristics, both biotic and abiotic, in which an organism lives and can survive
niche: a place occupied by a species in its ecosystem and its role
range: a geographical area in which a population or species is found
species richness: a number of species
stand: a group of forest trees of uniform species, composition, age, and health