Concept of an Ecosystem

The technical definition of an ecosystem is: An assemblage of plants, animals, and microorganisms interacting with each other and their environment in such a way as to sustain the grouping over long periods of time (thousands of years). A major biome may be subdivided into a large number ecosystems as the mix of species will vary with: hill top versus stream side, north versus south facing slops causing a difference in temperature, etc. Type into your browser: natural images of _____ (Put your state in the blank.)
Ecosystems aside, the major thrust of this lesson is to consider how any/every species (plant, animal, microbe) naturally found in the ecosystem is adapted to living there–adaptations include both the physical features and behavioral feature of the animal (or other organism) in question.