Name ______Period ___ Date ______

Levels of Organization Poster

To understand relationships in the biosphere, ecologists ask questions about events and organisms that range in complexity from a single individual to the entire biosphere.

You and your partner are going to make a poster representing the 6 levels of organization in ecology.

1.  Pick a biome. (Look on the back of this page to get an idea of each biome.)

  1. Tropical rain forest
  2. Tropical grassland
  3. Temperate grassland
  4. Desert
  5. Temperate deciduous forest
  6. Temperate rain forest
  7. Taiga
  8. Tundra

2.  Draw each level of organization

  1. Individual
  2. Population
  3. Community
  4. Ecosystem
  5. Biome
  6. Biosphere

3.  Example: (you cannot simply copy this example!)

Levels of Organization: Temperate Forrest

By: Joe Schmoe

Tropical
Tropical rain forest / *warm temperatures and abundant rainfall occur all year.
* Vegetation includes lush thick forests.
* Animals that live within the thick cover of the uppermost branches of rain forest trees use loud vocalizations to defend their territory and attract mates. / Bengal tiger, chimpanzee, Linn’s Sloth, orangutan, slender loris, flying fox / Brazil nut tree, bromeliad, orchids, rubber tree etc.
Grassland
Tropical grassland / *temperatures are warm throughout the year, with definite dry and rainy seasons.
* Vegetation includes tall grasses with scattered trees and shrubs.
* Hoofed animals, such as gazelles and other herbivores, dominate this biome. / Lions, cheetahs, spring bock, wildebeest, giraffe, etc. / Pampas grass, Bermuda grass, elephant grass, jackalberry tree, manketti tree, river bushwillow
Temperate grassland / *This biome is dry and warm during the summer; most precipitation falls as snow during the winter.
*Vegetation includes short or tall grasses, depending on the amount of precipitation.
*Many animals live below the ground to survive the dry and windy conditions in this biome. / Buffalo, big horned sheep, elk, fox, jackal, etc. / Blue grama grass, buffalo grass, fleabane, milkweed, stinging nettle, purple coneflower
Desert
Desert / *This biome has a very dry climate.
*Plants, such as cacti, store water or have deep root systems.
*Many animals are nocturnal; they limit their activities during the day. / Armadillo lizard, gila monster, cactus wren, coyote, javelin, bobcat / Cactus barrel, brittle bush, chainfruit cholla, desert ironwood, Joshua tree, palo verde
Temperate
Temperate deciduous forest / *Temperatures are hot in the summer and cold in the winter; precipitation is spaced evenly over the year.
*Broadleaf forest dominates this biome, and deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter. / Bald eagle, chipmunk, wolves, white-tailed deer, mule deer, etc. / American beech, carpet moss, guelder rose, lady fern, shagbark hickory
Temperate rain forest / *This biome has one long wet season and a relatively dry summer.
*Evergreen conifers, which retain their leaves (needles) year-round, dominate this biome.
*While some species remain active in the winder, others migrate to warmer climates or hibernate. / Mule deer, vole, porcupines, snowshoe hare, raccoon, mountain lion, great horned owl, etc. / Douglas Fir, redwoods, hemlock, red cedar, fir.
Taiga
Taiga / *This biome has long, cold winters and short, warm, humid summers.
*Coniferous trees dominate this biome.
*Mammals have heavy fur coats to withstand the cold winters. / Bobcat, wolf, black bear, long-eared owl, otter, hare. / Basalm fir, black spruce, douglas fir, red cedar, jack pine, white fir
Tundra
Tundra / *Subzero temperatures are the norm during t he long winter, and there is little precipitation.
*The ground is permanently frozen; only mosses and other low-lying plants survive.
*Animal diversity is low. / Arctic fox, caribou,
grizzly bear, musk ox, polar bear, snowy owl / Arctic moss, arctic willow, bearberry, caribou moss, diamond-leaf willow