Download The highest level of organization is the biosphere, which consists of

Topic 6: The Interdependence of Living Things One of the characteristics of life on Earth is its high degree of organization starting at the simplest levels: Atoms organized into molecules, which are organized into cells…all the way to biospheres An individual organism is a single member of a species Ø A species is a group of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behavior, genetic structure, chemical makeup, and processes, and that produce fertile offspring under natural conditions. Ø 5-­‐100 million species on Earth (mostly insects, microscopic organisms, small sea creatures) Ø Fewer than 2 million species have been described and named A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in the same geographic area at the same time is called a population Ø Although all members of the same population share common structural, functional, and behavioural traits, individuals in a population vary slightly in their genetic make-­‐up and thus exhibit slightly different behaviours and appearances. This is called genetic diversity. Ø The place where the organism or population lives (ocean, lake, stream, forest) is its habitat. Ø Populations of different species interact, making up a biological community (African Savannah) An ecosystem is a community of living things and the environment or habitat in which they live. An ecosystem contains both: Ø Biotic components (living) such as plants, animals, and humans Ø Abiotic elements (non-­‐living) such as rocks, energy, and water A wetland and the Great Lakes are examples of aquatic ecosystems Grasslands, deserts, Rocky Mountains are examples of terrestrial ecosystems A broad, regional ecosystem characterized by distinctive communities of plants, animals, microorganisms, and climate and soils that have adapted to those conditions is called a biome. Canada has 5 terrestrial biomes: Ø Tundra Ø Boreal Coniferous Forest (taiga) Coniferous = pine, cedar, fir, spruce Ø Temperate Deciduous and Rainforest Deciduous = oak, maple, dogwood Ø Grassland Ø Mountain Complexes Aquatic biomes are freshwater and marine These major biomes have been divided further into 15 terrestrial and 5 marine ecozones (page 69) The highest level of organization is the biosphere, which consists of all communities of living things on Earth-­‐-­‐-­‐all of Earth’s ecosystems together.