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Ecology
• The relationship among organisms and their
environment
Biosphere
• The portion of the earth that supports life.
The earth and it’s atmosphere.
Biotic Factors
• The living factors in an organism’s
environment.
• Ex: all of the frogs, fish, algae, etc. that
reside in a pond.
Abiotic Factors
• The nonliving factors in an organism’s
environment.
• Ex: temp., pH, air or water currents,
sunlight, soil type, nutrients available in the
soil, amount of precipitation
Levels of Organization in
Ecology
Biosphere  Biome  Ecosystem 
Community  Population  Organism
Population
• Organisms of a single species that share the
same location at the same time.
• Ex: deer population in a forest, all of the
fish in a pond
Community
• Group of interacting populations that
occupy the same area at the same time.
• Ex: all of the fish, algae, turtles, bacteria,
frogs, etc. in a pond.
Ecosystem
• A biological community and all of the
abiotic factors that affect it.
• Ex: all of the organisms in a pond and the
soil, water, precipitation, etc.
Biome
• Large group of ecosystems that share the
same climate and have similar types of
communities.
• Ex: Desert, tropical rainforest
Ecosystem Interactions
• Habitat = an area where an organism lives
• Ex: animal residing in hollow log
• Niche = role a species plays in it’s
environment
Community Interactions
Competition
• Occurs when more than one organism uses
a resource at the same time.
• Ex: competition for food & water
Predation
• The act of one organism consuming another
organism for food.
• Predator = organism that pursues other
organism
• Prey = organism that is pursued
• Ex: cat and mouse, Venus fly trap & insects
Symbiotic Relationships
• The close relationship that exists when two
or more species live together.
• Three types: mutualism, commensalism,
and parasitism.
Mutualism
• The relationship where both species benefit.
• Ex: Lichens (algae & fungus). Algae
provides food for fungus, fungus provides
habitat for algae. Ex: Pollination.
Pollinators = animals that carry pollen =
bees, butterflies, bats, birds.
Commensalism
• Relationship in which one organism
benefits and the other is not affected.
• Ex: clownfish & sea anemone, Spanish
moss/oak tree. Spanish moss (flowering
plant) grows in oak tree’s branches
(habitat).
Parasitism
• One organism benefits/one harmed
• External Parasites (Ectoparasites): fleas,
ticks, etc.
• Internal Parasites (Endoparasites):
Tapeworms, Roundworms