A farm is an ecosystem because it is made of living and non-living things that interact and exchange energy. The farm ecosystem is different from a forest or a meadow ecosystem because humans control many of the interactions among the things on the farm.
List all the living and non-living things you think are a part of the farm ecosystem.
Farmers need to know how the things on their farms interact, or the ecology of their farms, in order to make choices about how to raise their crops and animals in the farm environment.
Click on the things in this picture of a farm ecosystem to find out how they interact with other things on the farm.
Image by Gretchen Baker and Emily Sprowls
What important part of the ecosystem is missing from this picture? (hint: it's an animal)
