Unit 1 PDF

https://app.jungleai.com/deck/rraNtbGRBbz0ROEh8Coq?r=dOUyHCMM8YPXrKJtETgLx43sh4v0 Rs 1. HOW DO WE CLASSIFY LIVING THINGS? Scientists classify things into groups with similar characteristics. It’s important to classify things to understand how they’re similar and different. PLANTS: there are d...

https://app.jungleai.com/deck/rraNtbGRBbz0ROEh8Coq?r=dOUyHCMM8YPXrKJtETgLx43sh4v0 Rs 1. HOW DO WE CLASSIFY LIVING THINGS? Scientists classify things into groups with similar characteristics. It’s important to classify things to understand how they’re similar and different. PLANTS: there are different types of plants: trees, bushes, ferns, grasses and mosses. Tress can be deciduous or evergreen. Some plant produce seeds. Some plants have got flowrs. Scientists can classify plants by where they grow. ANIMALS: animals can be vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates have got a backbone and include mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Invertebrates haven’t got a backbone and include worms, arthropods, echinoderms and molluscs. Animals can be warm-blooded or cold-blooded. Scientists also classify animals by:  What they eat.  Their body parts.  Where they live.  The way they reproduce. Scientists can also classify living things by the ecosystem where they live. An ecosystem is a community of living things in a particular area. 2. WHAT’S AN ECOSYSTEM? There are many different types of ecosystems on Earth, for example grasslands, ponds, forests, coasts and cities. GRASSLANDS are areas with long and short grasses. There aren’t many trees and animals like horses, rabbits and mice live there. FORESTS are areas covered in trees. They provide oxygen that living things need for respiration. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS are hot and humid with a lot of rain. Most of the trees are evergreen, which means they don’t lose their leaves. TEMPERATE FORESTS have usually got deciduous trees which lose their leaves in winter. Animals like foxes, bears, owls, squirrels and eagles live there. PONDS are freshwater ecosystems. Some plants grow under the water, like pondweed. Other plants have got just their roots under the water, like water lilies. Animals like frogs, fish, ducks and many type of insects live in ponds. Plants next to the pond provide shelter for frogs and birds. COASTAL ecosystems appear where the sea meets the land. They can be beaches, coral reefs or mangroves. There are a lot of different plants and animals that live there, including fish, turtles and birds. The water isn’t very deep so the animals and plants receive a lot of sunlight, which helps them to eat and grow. An URBAN ECOSYSTEM consists of all the living and non-living things in a town or city. These can include buildings, roads, parks, gardens and rivers or streams. Trees provide shade and make the temperature lower. Animals like foxes, cats, pigeons and rats live there. In an ecosystem, all living things need food. Food chains show how living things in an ecosystem get energy. Plants are PRODUCERS, which means they produce their own food. Animals are CONSUMERS, which means they eat , or consume, other living things for food. 3. HOW DO LIVING THINGS INTERACT IN AN ECOSYSTEM? An ecosystem is a community of animals, plants, micro-organisms, non-living things and their shared environment. Non-living and living things interact in an ecosystem. Living things are called BIOTIC FACTORS. Non-living things are called ABIOTIC FACTORS. Abiotic factors are important in an ecosystem because living things (biotic factors) need abiotic factors to grow, eat and reproduce, for example:  Sunlight provides energy for plants to grow.  Wind carries seeds from plants to other places to grow.  All living things need water to survive and grow. Some animals live in water.  Living things need oxygen for respiration. An ecosystem is healthy when is healthy when there is a BALANCE and BIODIVERSITY. This means there are lots of different animals and plant species which make the ecosystem stronger. The biotic and abiotic factor important. Human activity and environmental changes can affect the balance of an ecosystem. When the balance changes ir can cause many problems. 4. HOW CAN WE PROTECT ECOSYSTEMS? The ecosystems of the Earth can be protected through responsible use. Some human activities can damage our ecosystems. Human spray chemicals on their crops to kill insects. These chemicals are called PESTICIDES and affect the food chain. When it rains, the pesticides travel to streams and rivers which make fish and plants sick. OVERFISHING ir when humans take to many fish from the sea. This affects the food chain because bigger animals don’t have enough fish to eat. Humans leave plastic rubbish on the ground or in the water which is called LITTER. Animals get trapped in it. Sometimes they eat and get sick or die. Dangerous chemicals from litter can pollute the sail and water. When we BUILD CITIES animals and plants lose their natural habitat. Transport and factories cause AIR POLLUTION in cities. DEFORESTATION is when humans cut down a lot of trees in one place. Animals lose their habitat. WHAT CAN WE DO TO PROTECT OUR ECOSYSTEMS?  We must take only what we need. Taking too much is bad for the balance of our ecosystems.  When we cut a tree, we can plant a new one.  Remember to recycle.  Use public transport.  Buy local food when you can. Grow your own fruits and vegetables. 5. WHY ARE ECOSYSTEMS IMPORTANT? Healthy ecosystems are important because they can clean the water, clean the air, keep the climate stable, provide living things with food and other products and keep the soil healthy. Ecosystems also provide habitats for plants and animals. TROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEMS only cover about 6% of the Earth but they’re very important.  Rainforests clean the water and air because they filter carbon dioxide and pollutants from the atmosphere.  A lot of medicines come from rainforest plants.  More than 50% of the land animals on Earth live in rainforests.  Many foods, like bananas and pineapples, grow in rainforests. Forest ecosystems provide trees. People can build houses and make paper with wood from trees. Grasslands have got soil with many nutrients. Farmers use grasslands for agriculture and livestock farming. They grow many crops, like cereals or corn. Animals, like cows or sheep, eat the grass. Pond ecosystems help water clean. They provide a habitat for plants that live in water.