The Sonoran Desert Ecosystem

Read:
Deserts receive very little rainfall, making survival difficult for plants and animals.
Organisms living here have special adaptations to survive with limited water.

Plants:
Saguaro Cactus: Grows very slowly; can live for more than 100 years.
Has wide-spreading roots to absorb rainwater.
Teddy Bear Cholla: A spiky cactus where cactus wrens build nests for protection from predators

Animals :
Gila Woodpeckers: Make holes in cacti for nesting.
Cactus Wrens: Nest in teddy bear chollas for safety.
Lizards & Tortoises: Rest in the shade or burrow in the soil during hot days.
Kangaroo Rats: Come out at night to avoid heat, but must watch out for predators like
rattlesnakes and coyotes.

The Effect of Rain

The desert transforms when it rains.
Plants bloom, and insects help in pollination.
Bats feed on agave nectar at night.
Ants collect seeds, some of which grow into new plants over time.

Non-Living Factors in the Desert

Light: Helps plants photosynthesize and produce food.
Temperature: Very hot during the day and much cooler at night; nocturnal animals avoid heat by
being active at night.
Soil: Provides minerals for plants and material for birds’ nests.
Water: Essential for all living things; organisms become more active when it rains.
Air: Provides carbon dioxide for plants and oxygen for all organisms.

The Desert Ecosystem

An ecosystem includes all living things and their interactions with non-living things.
Food Web: Energy flows from plants (producers) to herbivores and then predators.

Other Interactions:
Plants provide shelter for animals.
Plant roots prevent soil erosion.
Animals help in pollination and seed dispersal.
Ecology is the study of ecosystems.

Habitats in the Desert

Saguaro Cactus: Home to woodpeckers and termites.
Desert Ants: Live under rocks and soil.
Sap Beetles: Found inside cactus flowers.
Kangaroo Rats: Live in burrows and come out at night.

Other Ecosystems on Earth:

1.Mangrove Forests
Found along tropical coasts; trees grow with roots in seawater.
Young fish live among roots for protection.
Mudskippers move onto mud to find food.
Bacteria decompose fallen leaves, which are eaten by prawns and crabs.
Macaques (monkeys) hunt crabs on tree roots and mud.

2. Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean

During winter, sea water freezes.
Seals hunt fish and surface to breathe.
Polar Bears hunt seals and move between ice floes.
Arctic Foxes search for food on the ice.
Tiny algae grow under the ice, feeding shrimp-like creatures.
Fish eat these tiny creatures.

3. Rice Paddy Ecosystem

Man-made ecosystem used for farming rice.
Water is flooded into fields at certain times.
Algae grow in water and provide food.
Fish, frogs, and dragonflies breed in the paddies.
Birds feed around the rice fields.
Fertilizers increase plant and algae growth, helping the food chain.

Introduced Species in New Zealand

New Zealand was separate for 66 million years, so it had unique wildlife.
There were no predators, so many birds, like the kiwi, nested on the ground safely.
Around 700 years ago, humans arrived and brought rats.
Rats ate bird eggs and young birds, harming native species.

Other Introduced Animals

Sheep – Brought for farming.
Rabbits – Introduced for food but spread and ate too much grass.
Stoats – Brought to control rabbits but became dangerous predators.
Killed many birds, including 60% of kiwi chicks.

Impact & Conservation

53 bird species have gone extinct due to hunting and invasive species.
Scientists are trying to control stoats, but it's hard to remove them completely.

DDT – A Harmful Insecticide

What is DDT?
A chemical used to kill insects.
First produced in the 1940s to stop diseases like malaria and typhus.
Also used to protect crops from insect pests.

Unexpected Harm
People once thought DDT was safe.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring showed how DDT harmed birds.
Scientists later found DDT was dangerous for many animals.

DDT in the Environment

-Does Not Break Down
DDT stays in the environment for years.
It is not broken down by decomposers.
Wind carries it far from where it was sprayed.

-Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification

Bioaccumulation – DDT builds up in an animal’s body over time.
Biomagnification – DDT concentration increases as it moves up the food chain.
Algae absorb DDT.
Shrimps eat algae and take in DDT.
Fish eat shrimps and get more DDT.
Birds eat fish and accumulate even higher levels.

Effects on Wildlife
Birds lay thin-shelled eggs that break before hatching.
Fish and other animals get poisoned.DDT harms entire ecosystems.

Page 130- know the diagram

Questions and answers:

Pg 131-
-Name the two producers in the diagram of a food web in the Sonoran Desert
Saguaro cactus and desert shrubs.

-Explain why the food web could not exist without the producers.
Producers make their own food through photosynthesis, providing energy for herbivores. Without
producers, there would be no food source for primary consumers, and the entire food web would
collapse.

-What do the arrows in the food web represent?

The arrows show the flow of energy from one organism to another in the food web. They point
from the food source to the consumer.

-Give two examples of interactions between organisms in the desert that are not related to
feeding.
A Gila woodpecker makes its nest inside a saguaro cactus for shelter.
Kangaroo rats dig burrows in the ground for protection from predators and extreme heat.

-Explain the difference between an ecosystem and a habitat.

A habitat is the specific place where an organism lives (e.g., a saguaro cactus for a Gila
woodpecker).
An ecosystem includes all the living organisms in an area and their interactions with the non-living
environment (e.g., the Sonoran Desert with its plants, animals, soil, and climate).

Pg 141-
-In your own words, explain what a 'native species' is.
A native species is a plant or animal that naturally lives and grows in a specific place without
human interference. It has evolved in that environment over a long time and is adapted to its
conditions.

-Name some native species in your own country.

India has many native species, such as the Bengal tiger, Indian elephant, peacock, neem tree,
and banyan tree.

-Suggest why it is very difficult to eradicate an introduced species once it has settled into a new
place.
Introduced species spread quickly because they often have no natural predators in their new
environment. They adapt well, reproduce rapidly, and compete with native species for food and
resources, making it hard to remove them completely.

-What is the name for a plant, such as buffelgrass, that is growing in an ecosystem where it does
not belong?
It is called an invasive species because it spreads aggressively and disrupts the ecosystem.

-How could buffelgrass affect some of the native species in the desert?
Buffelgrass takes water and nutrients from the soil, making it harder for native plants to survive.
It can spread quickly, reducing the space available for native plants and animals.
It increases the risk of wildfires, which can destroy native vegetation and harm desert wildlife.

Pg 146-

-How many times greater is the concentration of DDT in a cormorant's body than in a minnow's
body?
The concentration of DDT in a cormorant is typically much higher than in a minnow due to
biomagnification. If the minnow has 0.5 ppm of DDT and the cormorant has 20 ppm, the
concentration in the cormorant is 40 times greater. (Example)
-Explain, in your own words, why the concentration in the cormorant is greater than in a minnow.
DDT builds up in organisms because it does not break down easily. A minnow eats many shrimps,
each containing a small amount of DDT. The DDT accumulates in the minnow’s body. Then, a
cormorant eats many minnows, taking in even more DDT. Since DDT cannot be removed from the
body, its concentration increases at higher levels in the food chain. This process is called
biomagnification.

Pg 149- just read and be aware

-Use the photographs to describe two habitats in the tropical rainforest ecosystem.
The canopy habitat – This is the upper part of the rainforest where tall trees grow. Many birds,
insects, and plants like bromeliads live here.
The forest floor habitat – This is the bottom layer of the rainforest, where large animals like jaguars
and insects like ants live among fallen leaves and tree roots.

-Suggest the advantages to bromeliads of growing in their particular habitat.

Bromeliads grow high on trees, which helps them get more sunlight for photosynthesis.
They collect rainwater in their leaves, so they don’t rely on the soil for water.
Growing on trees reduces competition for nutrients with plants on the forest floor.

-Suggest the advantages to the frog of living in its particular habitat.

The water stored in bromeliads provides a safe place for frogs to lay eggs.
The height of the bromeliads keeps the frogs away from many predators on the forest floor.
The small pools of water in the bromeliad provide a constant source of moisture.

-Explain the difference between an ecosystem and a habitat.

An ecosystem includes all the living and non-living things in an area and how they interact (e.g., a
tropical rainforest).
A habitat is the specific place where an organism lives within an ecosystem (e.g., a bromeliad
plant for a frog).

-Use the information to suggest why so many species can live there.
Coral reefs provide many different habitats with shelter and hiding places.
The hard skeletons of corals create spaces where fish and other marine animals can live.
Coral reefs have plenty of food sources, from tiny algae to larger fish.
The warm, nutrient-rich waters support a variety of species, creating a complex ecosystem.

-What is meant by 'a toxic substance'?

A toxic substance is a poisonous chemical that can harm or kill organisms if they eat or absorb it.

-Use the information to construct a food chain

Alga → Herbivorous fish → Carnivorous fish → Humans

Pg 150-

-What is the name for this process?

The correct term is bioaccumulation.

-Why is eating a carnivorous fish more likely to make you ill than eating a herbivorous fish?
Carnivorous fish eat many herbivorous fish over their lifetime, so they accumulate more ciguatoxin
in their bodies.
The higher up the food chain, the more toxin builds up (a process called biomagnification).
When humans eat these fish, they consume a higher concentration of the toxin, making them
more likely to get sick.

Read through notes given in the notebook