In a documented essay

In a documented essay

o Describe your local and surrounding ecologies and environments.

Ecosystem is an ecological unit which includes all the organisms living in a particular area and all the abiotic (non living) features of the local environment.Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their natural environment.The environment of an organism includes physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local abiotic factors such as insolation (sunlight), climate, and geology, and biotic ecosystem, which includes other organisms that share its habitat. An ecosystem is a complete community of living organisms and the nonliving materials of their surroundings. Thus, its components include plants, animals, and microorganisms; soil, rocks, and minerals; as well as surrounding water sources and the local atmosphere. The size of ecosystems varies tremendously. An ecosystem could be an entire rain forest, covering a geographical area larger than many nations, or it could be a puddle or a backyard garden.(Ehrlich,1998) Even the body of an animal could be considered an ecosystem, since it is home to numerous microorganisms. On a much larger scale, the history of various human societies provides an instructive illustration as to the ways that ecosystems have influenced civilizations.

Environment is the conditions surrounding an organism, including both abiotic factors(eg Temp, rainfall) and biotic factors (eg predation, competition).

o List the specific factors that distinguish your local ecology and environment

FACTORS

The abiotic factors are those inert factors of the ecosystem; for example, light, temperature, chemical products, water and atmosphere. hese abiotic factors are tested in the following controlled experiment which employs the Scientific Method. Allow two 45-minute periods to plan and set up the experiment. On Day One, select a variable and seeds. Students read section I of the Pre-Lab Plan. Read seed planting requirements on packets to confirm procedures. Each student labels their planters: their initials on one side of both planters; on one, they label "V" for Variable, "C" for Control on the second. On Day Two group students at stations in which one type of variable is present. For example, at one station provide the two types of polluted water and spring (or distilled) water. At another station provide sand, acidic soil and fertilizer. Students plant their seeds and complete the preliminary lab report. (We used cardboard 2" X 2" planters; You can use cardboard egg carton sections.) All ...