Understanding Ecosystems and Biomes
Think of an ecosystem as nature's apartment block where every living thing has a role to play. It's a community of plants and animals interacting with each other in their non-living environment - like a forest where trees, foxes, insects, soil, and climate all work together.
Biomes are simply massive ecosystems that cover large areas of Earth. You'll need to know three key ones: tropical rainforests (hot and wet all year, found near the equator), deserts (very dry, found roughly 30° north and south of the equator), and deciduous forests like those in the UK seasonalchanges,found50−60°northoftheequator.
Every ecosystem has biotic factors (living things like plants and animals) and abiotic factors non−livingthingsliketemperature,rainfall,andsoil. The energy from the sun powers everything through food webs - producers make their own food through photosynthesis, consumers eat plants or other animals, and decomposers break down dead material.
Quick Tip: Remember the food web hierarchy - if one species disappears, it creates a ripple effect throughout the entire ecosystem!