Essential Biology: G2 Ecosystems and Biomes

Biomes:

Biomes of the world animation, from McGraw Hill

Terrestrial biomes animation, from Freeman LifeWire

Succession:

Primary succession on a glacial moraine, from Freeman LifeWire

Forest succession, from Wiley

Forest succession, from Ecoplexity

Collection of succession animations, from Nodvin Environmental Science

Energy Flow

Basic pyramids, from Harcourt Schools

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Next lesson, we will will start with some past-paper questions on this topic. Think about these:

1. Explain why gross production of an ecosystem is always higher than net production (2 marks)
2. Explain the low biomass and low numbers in higher trophic levels (3 marks)
3. Outline the changes in gross production of an ecosystem throughout ecological succession (2 marks)
4. Explain how living organisms affect the abiotic environment through succession (4 marks)
5. Distinguish between primary and secondary succession (2 marks)

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Here’s a short TED Talk from Graham Hill of Trehugger.com on why he’s a weekday vegetarian. When you watch it, think about how it related to issues of energy flow and the land needed to produce for a meat-eating diet.