Download What is Ecology?

Introduction to Ecology
What is Ecology?
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Eco – comes from the Greek root “oikos” meaning ______________________
Ecology is the study of the interactions between ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Levels of Organization
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Just like there is a hierarchy of organization among different organisms, there is a hierarchy
within the environment as well
The Biosphere
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The biosphere includes everywhere life exists, including 3 main parts:
- ______________________________
- _____________________________
- _____________________________
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The biosphere is a thin film of life covering an otherwise lifeless planet
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If the Earth were an apple, the biosphere would be the skin of the apple
Biomes & Ecosystems
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A Biome is a grouping of ______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Ecosystems includes all of the organisms and the nonliving environment found in a particular
place
The environmental factors that interact in an ecosystem are divided into two classes
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Biotic factors
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_________________________________________________________________
Abiotic factors
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_________________________________________________________________
Biotic and abiotic factors are dependent on each other.
Communities, Populations, & Organisms
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A community is a group of ______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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A population includes groups of individuals _________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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An organism is an _____________________________________________________________
Ecology of Organisms
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A species survival in a given habitat is dependent on the environmental conditions and the
availability of resources.
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Resources are the ______________________________________________________.
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Ex: food, energy, nesting sites, water, sunlight
The Niche
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A niche is
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Niche includes
– _______________________________________________________________________
– _______________________________________________________________________
– Range of conditions that the species can tolerate
– Methods by which the species can obtain the needed resources
– The number of offspring it has
– Time of reproduction
– All of the species other interactions with its environment
Realized vs. Fundamental Niche
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The fundamental niche is the _________________________________________ that a
species can potentially tolerate and the range of resources it can _______________________.
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The realized niche of a species is the range of resource ______________________________.
The fundamental niche will usually contain a broader set of conditions that the realized niche
Niche Differences
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A species niche can change within a single generation
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Generalists are species with ____________________________________________
– Ex: caterpillar to butterfly
– The species can tolerate a range of conditions and use a variety of resources
Example ___________________________________________
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Specialists are species that _____________________________________________
Example ______________________________________________