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Lesson 5: Biotic Elements of a Forest Ecosystem
Unit 2 - The Forest Ecosystem
Lesson 5: Biotic Elements of a Forest Ecosystem
In Lesson 1 of this unit, you learned that a forest ecosystem is made up of both abiotic and biotic elements. You also learned that the living (biotic) elements of a forest ecosystem include all of the trees, plants (flora) and animal (fauna)
species that live there.
All of the species that inhabit an ecosystem are adapted to that particular environment.
- Flora is plant life; the plants of a particular region.
- Fauna is all of the animal life in a particular region.
All of the species that inhabit an ecosystem are adapted to that particular environment.

Human activity sometimes interferes with the biotic elements of a forest ecosystem in undesirable ways. Things such as our need for food and shelter can negatively affect the forest ecosystem. Other examples include over-fishing, over-hunting, polluting, agriculture and energy production.
However, humans can also affect the forest ecosystem in positive ways; watch this video to see how.
Watch "L.E.A.P. — Landscape Ecological Assessment
and Planning."
If the above video will not play, click here to view Landscape Ecological Assessment and Planning.