Science Notes { life science }

1. Science Notes { life science } • by : Elijah franklin

2. Producer/Consumer/Decomposer Producers are organisms that use the Sun's energy to make their own food. Green plants are producers. They make their own food using energy from the Sun in a process called photosynthesis. Other producers include algae and some kinds of bacteria and protists. • Consumers are organisms that gain energy by eating producers and/or other consumers. Primary consumers are organisms that feed off of producers. Herbivores are primary consumers. For example, a deer that eats grass is a primary consumer. Secondary consumers are organisms that eat primary consumers. Carnivores are secondary consumers. A wolf that kills and eats a deer is a secondary consumer. Next come tertiary consumers, then quaternary consumers, and so forth until the top carnivore is reached. • Decomposers are organisms that consume dead plants and animals and release nutrients from those dead organisms into the soil, water, and atmosphere. The role that decomposers play in an ecosystem is crucial. Decomposers are important for the water, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycles. The nutrients that decomposers release into the soil are also used by producers to make food. Fungi, such as mushrooms, are examples of decomposers. Some kinds of bacteria are also decomposers.

3. Biotic/Abiotic • Biotic Factors • Biotic, meaning of or related to life, are living factors. Plants, animals, fungi, protist and bacteria are all biotic or living factors. • Abiotic Factors • Abiotic, meaning not alive, are nonliving factors that affect living organisms. Environmental factors such habitat (pond, lake, ocean, desert, mountain) or weather such as temperature, cloud cover, rain, snow, hurricanes, etc. are abiotic factors.

4. Matter & Energy • Matter is everything around you. Matter is anything made of atoms and molecules. Matter is anything that has a mass. Matter is also related to light and electromagnetic radiation. Even though matter can be found all over the universe, you usually find it in just a few forms. As of 1995, scientists have identified five states of matter. They may discover one more by the time you get old. • Energy is around you all the time . So what is it exactly? In science

5. 1 Biomes • Tropical Rainforest • The climate of a tropical rainforest is hot and wet. Heavy rainfall (around 150 cm per year) and year-round warm temperatures make it very humid. This climate is found near the equator. A tropical rainforest is very dense with lots of large trees that block out sunlight. Very little sunlight reaches the rainforest floor. Temperate Rainforest • The climate of a temperate rainforest is mild and wet. Temperatures are moderate and change with the seasons. Rainfall amounts are very high. Like tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests have a thick canopy of trees that block most sunlight from hitting the forest floor. However, while tropical rainforest canopies are generally broadleaf trees, temperate rainforest canopies may be broadleaf or coniferous trees. Temperate rainforests are farther from the equator than tropical rainforests and can be Desert • The climate of deserts is very hot and dry. The amount of precipitation in these areas is less than the amount of water that could potentially evaporate. Deserts get less than 25 centimeters of rain every year. Desert plants and animals are adapted to store water and withstand year-round hot temperatures . found in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Asia, South America, Europe, and Australia.

6. 2 Biomes • Grassland • Grasslands receive enough rainfall to support grasses, but not enough to support the growth of large trees. Drought and wildfire are common. Temperatures in grasslands are warm in the summer and cold in the win Deciduous Forest • The climate of a deciduous forest is temperate with four distinct seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter). Deciduous forests have warm summers and cold winters. They have moderate precipitation throughout the year. During winter months, however, the precipitation is usually frozen and unavailable to the organisms that live there. Trees in a deciduous forest usually lose their leaves during the winter Coniferous Forest • Coniferous forests are located in northern latitudes. The climate in coniferous forests is very cold and dry. Coniferous forests have cold, snowy winters and warm summers. The main types of vegetation located in coniferous forests are conifers, such as pine trees. These trees are evergreens that have needles that stay on them all year long and produce cones. Arctic foxes, wolves, and snowy owls are a few examples of the animals that live in coniferous forests. and have thick bark to conserve water and protect them from the cold. .

7. 3 Biomes • The tundra has very low temperatures and very little precipitation. Winters in the tundra are long and extremely cold; summers are short, mild, and cool. The animals living in tundra ecosystems have adaptations that allow them to stay warm in the very low temperatures. For instance, Arctic foxes, grizzly bears, and ermines (a kind of weasel) all have thick fur that protects them fAn estuary is an area in which fresh water and salty ocean waters mix together. These areas may include bays, mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons. These brackish (salt mixed with fresh) water ecosystems shelter and feed marine life, birds, and other wildlife with nutrients from the ocean. • Savanna • A savanna is a dry tropical grassland where trees are present but more widely scattered than in most rainforest ecosystems. The savanna climate has a temperature range of 68° to 86°F. Savannas receive around 125 centimeters of rain every year, with most of the rain falling during the summer. Zebras, giraffes, lions, and acacia trees are found in the savannas of Africa

8. 4 Biomes • Taiga • The taiga is the largest continental biome. It experiences long, cold winters; short, warm summers; and low precipitation. It is characterized by coniferous forests. Taiga covers most of Canada and Siberia and is not found Chaparral • Chaparral is a shrub land biome that is defined by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. During the summer, wildfires are common. The plants and animals in chaparral biomes are adapted to fire and Temperate Prairie • A temperate prairie biome is found in the dry temperate interiors of continents. This biome is characterized by rich soil; moderate rainfall; a hot, dry climate; tall, thick grasses; isolated trees; and herds of Marine • The marine biome, or saltwater biome, is the largest on Earth, covering about 75% of the Earth's surface. Because land heats up and cools down much more quickly than water, the marine biome experiences a smaller degree of temperature change than the terrestrial biome. The marine biome has a major impact on the weather and climate patterns of the terrestrial biome . razing animals. drought in the Southern Hemisphere.