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ECOLOGY NOTES
ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS
 Ecology
–
study of
organisms and
their
interactions
with the
environment
ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS

Biosphere – region of the Earth that supports
life (includes all the land, water and air in
which organisms live)
(air)
(land)
(water)
ECOLOGY DEFINITIONS

Ecosystem – all
the organisms
that live in a
particular place,
together with
their physical
environment
POPULATION DEFINITIONS

Species – a group of organisms so similar
to one another that they can breed and
produce fertile offspring
POPULATION DEFINITIONS

Population – all the members of a single
species that live in one area
POPULATION DEFINITIONS

Community – all the populations that live
and interact in one environment
POPULATION DEFINITIONS

Niche – a particular role a population plays
in the community (“its job”); ex. Honeybee
pollinates flowers; hawks prey on mice
Levels of Organization

Species  Population Community
EcosystemBiomeBiosphere
Species
ENERGY FLOW DEFINITIONS

Producer (Autotroph) – organism that
makes its own food (ex. Plants)
ENERGY FLOW DEFINITIONS

Consumer (Heterotroph) – organism that
gets its energy directly or indirectly from
producers (ex. Animals)
ENERGY FLOW DEFINITIONS

Decomposer – organism that breaks down
and obtains energy from dead, organic
matter (ex. Fungi and Bacteria)
More Energy Flow Definitions
Herbivore – organism that eats only
producers or plants
 Carnivore – organism that eats only
consumers or meat
 Omnivore – organism that eats both
plants (producers) and meat
(consumers)
 Scavenger – organism that feeds on
dead animals

FOOD CHAINS
Chain – a
series of
organisms
through which
food energy is
passed in an
ecosystem
 Food
FOOD CHAINS

Example of a Food Chain:
Sunflower  Caterpillar  Robin  Fox
(producer)
(primary
consumer)
(secondary (tertiary
consumer) consumer)
FOOD WEBS

Food web –
interconnecting
and
overlapping
food chains
Name
Oak Trees
Producer
Primary
Consumer
Secondary
Consumer
Tertiary
Consumer
X
Moths
X
Voles
X
X
Weasels
X
X
Shrews
X
X