Ecosystem project help???

Question

ok i have to do a project on a poster board. my teacher said pick an ecosystem and list 5 abiotic and 5 biotic factors. and then write how they interact with each other. please help!! it is due monday

Answer 1

Here's some suggestions...

You are going to have to do some more research to get better info and pictures, but this will provide a start.

First of all, "abiotic" refers to the non-living component of an ecosystem; "biotic" is the living part.

Now...one ecosystem that I know a bit about is the temperate rainforests of my home - Tasmania (which is an Island state of Australia).

The abiotic components are: 1. the soil; 2. the rocks underlying the soil and the basic foundation of the soil (rocks of volcanic origin create very rich soils); 3. the climatic conditions (rainforests require LOTS of rain); 4. the quality of the air and 5. the amount of water available both in rivers and in subterranean aquifers (the water under the ground).

Biotic factors are: 1. the vegetation - the canopy (trees), the understorey or shrub layer, the herb layer (plants which are 6" to 12" tall) and the grasses. In my forests, one of the occupants of the herb layer are the mosses, which are one of the critical factors as they are a big sponge which collects winter rains and release them slowly during the summer, thereby providing much needed moisture through the drier times. Mushrooms and fungis also play a critical role in that they are one of the agents responsible for shifting energy from the rotting vegetation to the living plants (see further down too); 2. the animals (birds and four-footeds); 3. the insects (a slight but very important difference exists!); 4. the "humus" - the layer of rotting vegetation JUST above the soil and 5. the microorganisms which inhabit the humus.

These small critters (which include bacteria) are one of the most important factors (along with mushrooms which live below the soil for most of their lives - what we see on the surface are their "fruits") in that they break down all living matter and convert it into nutrients which are made available to the vegetation; the energy of which is utilised by the animals. The animals then die, are broken down by the microorganisms, mushrooms and other animals and the whole cycle repeats. All the abiotic factors are a part of this web as well, in that they contribute to the growth of everything.

In the Tasmanian Forests, this cycle has been going on, largely uninterrupted, for the past 65 million years. Dinosaurs roamed around in these forests!!!

Basically, it's all a giant interconnected "web" of relationships. Incredibly complex, not very well understood and one which we are fooling with at our peril.

Hope this is a help and not too late!! If you need any more help, feel free to email me!

Love and Light,


Jarrah