Students need to be aware that each ecosystem is different with different species and different physical features. An ecosystem is a complex and self-sustaining natural system containing interactions between the biotic and abiotic world. An ecosystem contains many different kinds of organisms, which interact with each other and their physical environment. An Introduction or alternatively an atlas which highlights ecosystems worldwide. Students are to identify from this material various ecosystems and record these in column one on Resource Sheet 1 .
Students are to define what they believe constitutes an ecosystem.
Students could work in small groups and share definitions to create a class definition. An ecosystem is a complex and self-sustaining natural system containing interactions between the biotic and abiotic world. An ecosystem contains many different kinds of organisms, which interact with each other and their physical environment. Share lists and create a class table for a number of ecosystems. Students explain how the biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems interact or rely on each other.