Download Organization of Life: Organisms: Populations: Communities

SB4. Students will assess the dependence of all organisms on one another and the flow of energy and matter
within their ecosystems.
a. Investigate the relationships among organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes.
 The study of organisms, their environment and how they interact with one another is ______________.
__________________ includes all organisms and the environments in which they live
Within an ecosystem, two types of environmental factors can be found: biotic factors and abiotic factors.
ABIOTIC FACTORS
BIOTIC FACTORS
Organization of Life:
Organisms:
Populations:
Communities:
Ecosystems:
Biomes:
If a population is provided
with ideal conditions, it
will increase in number.
Healthy organisms
reproduce at a rate greater
than their death rate. As
long as these ideal
conditions continue, as the
population grows larger the
rate of growth increases.
This growth is called
_____________________
This pattern is a J-shaped
curve
EXPONENTIAL
GROWTH
If the population increases,
the resources that are available
become limited, and the
growth of the population slows
and begins to stabilize. This
pattern of
_____________________
LOGISTIC
GROWTH
This pattern is an S-shaped
curve.
The point at which the population becomes stable is
known as the __________ _________. It is the
maximum population size an environment can
support
When a population reaches its carrying capacity, a number of factors help stabilize it at that size. They are called densitydependent and density- independent limiting factors.
Density-Dependent Limiting Factors
 Competition
 Predation
 Parasitism
 Crowding/Stress
Density-Independent Limiting Factors
 Weather
 Fires
 Droughts/Floods
 Human Activities
Within each community, particular species have particular jobs to help maintain balance.
The role that a species plays in its community is called its ______________. The place where the organism lives is called
its _________________.
The stability of an ecosystem depends on the interactions within and among the populations that live there.
SymbiosisThree symbiotic relationships:
1. Mutualism2. Commensalism3. ParasitismBiomes are a group of ecosystems in the same region having similar types of vegetation governed by similar climatic
conditions. The six terrestrial biomes are:
BIOME
Taiga
Temperate
grasslands/savanna
CHARACTERISTICS
ANIMALS
Cold,wet and dry seasons, no trees, mosses and
lichens
Arctic fox, snowshoe hare
Cold, evergreen trees (pines, firs)
Moose, bear, lynx
Where we live, warm summers, cool winters, maple,
oaks, pines
Birds, deer, fox, squirrels
Wet and dry seasons, no trees, shrubs, grasses
Bison, zebra, lion
Near equator, warm year round, large number of
plants and animals
Parrots, monkeys, flowers, insects
Little or no rain, cold nights
There are also aquatic biomes, divided into fresh water and marine ecosystems.


____________________________ ecosystems are the lakes, rivers, streams and ponds.
______________________ecosystems include the open ocean, the rocky intertidal zones, and the ______________
where freshwater flows into saltwater.
b. Explain the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems by






Energy is constantly flowing through ecosystems.
The primary source of this energy is the sun.
Plants and some bacteria are _________________ that take in the sun’s energy to make energy for all other
organisms.
Producers are also called_____________________, meaning “self- feeding”
Animals are ________________ also know as ______________they need to eat other organisms for energy.
_________________ are organisms that feed on dead bodies of animals and plants or on their waste products
CONSUMER
ENERGY SOURCE
Eats plants
Eats other animals
Eats plants and animals
Break down dead organisms
EXAMPLE
Arranging components of a food chain according to energy flow
A _______________________ shows how energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
In the food chain below, label the: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer.
Then, circle which population will most likely decrease if snakes are removed from the food chain?
grass grasshopper frog snake hawk
A more complex interconnected system of food chains is a _________________________
Comparing the quantity of energy in the steps of an energy pyramid.
 Energy pyramids show how energy ________________ at each succeeding trophic level.
 The total energy transfer from one trophic level to the next is only about ___________ %
 The ___________ has the most available energy. The ___________ consumer has the least amount of available
energy.
Explaining the need for cycling of major nutrients (C, O, H, N, P).
Carbon cycle:
 ____________is found in the environment as carbon
dioxide (CO2) gas.
 Carbon dioxide is used in ___________________ to
form sugar, or glucose.
 Respiration and decay are two ways that carbon
returns to the atmosphere.
 Carbon also returns to the atmosphere when
______________________ are burned.
Nitrogen:
 Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere.
 Lightning and some __________ convert
atmospheric nitrogen into usable nitrogen.
 Plants use these nitrogen compounds to make
proteins and nucleic acids.
 Herbivores eat the plants and convert plant proteins
into animal proteins and nucleic acids.
 Organisms return nitrogen to the atmosphere through
_________________.
c. Relate environmental conditions to successional changes in ecosystems.
When an ecosystem changes, the organisms in that ecosystem may need to change to survive. _______________ is the
natural change that takes place within a community of an ecosystem. There are two types of succession that ecologists
study.
1. _____________________ is the gradual development of a new community where no organisms have lived before.
 Bare rock with no living organisms or soil.
 Lichens are the pioneer species, or the _________ species to move in to an area, that grow on the rocks.
2. ______________________ occurs when a natural disaster or human activity partially destroys a community.
 The community of organisms inhabiting an area changes over time.
 Soil is already present.
 The species replacing the pioneer species are often different.
 Takes __________ time to become a climax community.
Write the letter P for Primary Succession and S for Secondary Succession for the following:
 ______ In Yellowstone National Park, thousands of acres burned as a result of a lightning strike. After the fire,
wildflowers grew first. Wildflowers do not usually grow in forest shade. Within three years, flowers, grasses,
ferns, and saplings began to take hold and grow. Once the saplings began to grow, they shaded the forest floor and
a mature forest began to develop.

______. An example is the changes that take place after a volcanic eruption and the lava flow cools, hardens, and
weathers. In 1963, scientists were able to observe the birth of a new volcanic island, named Surtsey. The island
measured 1 square mile. Seabirds were the first to arrive. Seeds, whether airborne or “hitchhikers” on the feathers
of the birds, then reached the island. The first plant, a sea rocket, bloomed in 1965. Spiders were visible, and
lichens and mosses soon grew. As these pioneer organisms died, their remains formed soil.
_______________________________
________________________________
d. Assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment such as global warming,
population growth, pesticide use, and water and power consumption.
Renewable Resources-
examples:
Non-Renewable Resources-
examples:
One of the major ways humans affect the environment is________________
Examples: contamination of soil, water, or air
 _______________ is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels driving cars, heating homes, and flying
planes dust, smoke, ash, carbon monoxide, and sulfur oxides.
 This sulfuric acid falls to the ground as _________ rain which damages crops, buildings, aquatic organisms
 Excess carbon dioxide in the air can contribute to the greenhouse effect, which is believed to cause _________
______________.
Greenhouse EffectIf global warming continues theory suggests that a trend toward warmer temperatures on Earth will cause glaciers to lose
mass and melt. What result is a major consequence of glacial melting? _______________________________________
List the 3 R’s of energy conservation
R
R
R
e. Relate plant adaptations, including tropisms, to the ability to survive stressful environmental conditions.
Tropism—
Geotropism—
Phototropism—
Thigmotropism—

Most plants control their growth in response to environmental stimuli by using chemical messengers known
as________________________.
o Auxinso Gibberellinso Abscisic acid inhibits plant growth during times of stress, such as cold and droughts
Plant Adaptations
 Seeds of many plants will go dormant in unfavorable conditions.
 In a drought period, many will lay dormant until the rains come. Then they will sprout.
 Trees drop their leaves and go dormant for the winter
 Conifers have a waxy coating over them to reduce _____________ and to conserve water
 Thick bark to help insulate tissue from fire
 Flexible branches, allowing them to_________ instead of break under the weight of ice and snow
 Flowers can be _______________ in many ways including wind, insects, birds, or other animals
 Some flowers are brightly colored and fragrant, to draw attention of ______________ that aid in pollination
f. Relate animal adaptations, including behaviors, to the ability to survive stressful environmental conditions.
Listed below are ALL ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS:
BEHAVIORExample: A squirrel gathering nuts and acorns in the autumn is a behavior that is stimulated by shorter days and colder
weather
MIGRATIONExample: Birds that nest in the United States fly south for the winter. Many head to South America where food is more
abundant during the winter months.
CAMOUFLAGEExample: Many ocean fish are dark on top and light on the bottom. Predators on top can’t see the fish against the dark
waters below.
HIBERNATIONExample: A bear hibernating during long winter months
CHEMICAL DEFENSE-animal produces stinging sensations, paralysis, poisoning, or just a bad taste
Example: Bombardier beetles shoot out a boiling- hot chemical to irritate would-be predators. SKUNK