Download Notes - Ecology

The study of
interactions among
organisms and
between organisms
and their
environment.
Ecology: the study of
how living organisms
interact with each
other and their
nonliving environment
Ecology studies
how all of these
living and
nonliving things
interact
 Ecosystem: all the
organisms living in
an area together with
their physical
environment
 Forest Ecosystem
 Pond Ecosystem
 Vacant Lot
Ecosystem
 Desert Ecosystem
How does
your
ecosystem
impact the
Atlantic
Ocean?
In order for an ecosystem to
survive it needs five basic
components:
 Energy
 Mineral Nutrients
 Water
 Oxygen
 Living Organisms
ECOSYSTEM
Biotic: living & once
living parts of an
ecosystem
 Plants, animals,
bacteria, dead
organisms, wastes
Abiotic: nonliving parts
of an ecosystem
 Air, water, soil,
sunlight, temperature
What are some biotic AND abiotic parts of this ecosystem?
Organism: an individual
living thing
- you, a tree, a fox, a rose
- smallest unit
Species: groups of closely
related organisms that
can mate & produce
fertile offspring
- red foxes, or black
widow spiders, or grizzly
bears
Species: groups of
organisms that
resemble each other
in appearance,
behavior, chemistry
and genetic
makeup…able to
reproduce
 8.7 million species
(1.3 million
identified)
 Mostly insects/micro
 Tropical forests
Insects
751,000
Known
species
1,300,000
Plants
248,400
Population: all the
members of the same
species that live in the
same place at the same
time
 Field mice living in a
corn field, grizzly bears
of Yellowstone Park
 Members breed with
one another, rather than
with other populations
Community: a group
of various species
that live in the same
place and interact
with each other
 Pond Community
 Pineland Forest
Community
Biosphere: all
parts of the
Earth where life
is found
Habitat: the place
where an organism
lives
 Organisms are well
suited for their
habitat
 Habitats provide
an organism with
resources—
anything an
organism needs to
survive and
reproduce,
including food,
shelter, and mates
 Influenced by temperature and precipitation
 Weather – current
condition of the
atmosphere
 Climate – the general
weather conditions
prevailing in an area over
a long period