Download 1.1 - Understanding Our Environment

Make a list of all of the things you need for
survival. Rank them in order of importance.
Write a paragraph about why you ranked
them in the order that you did – Write in
complete sentences. At least 5 lines.

Ecosystem – all of the organisms living in an
area together with their physical
environment

Ecosystems are connected and do not have
clear boundaries. For example, the beach and
the ocean.

Biotic and Abiotic Factors
 Biotic Factors – the living and once living parts of
an ecosystem, including all plants and animals.
Also includes dead organisms, dead parts of
organisms, and the organisms’ waste products
 Abiotic Factors – the nonliving parts of the
ecosystem. Include air, water, rocks, sand, light,
and temperature

Organisms
 Organism – an individual living thing
 Species – a group of organisms that can mate to
produce fertile offspring

Populations
 Population – all of the members of the same
species that live in the same place at the same
time

Communities
 Community – a group of various species that live
in the same place and interact with one another

Is it a population?
 Sun Valley High School freshmen.
▪ Yes – same species, same time, same place
 Sun Valley High School and Penncrest High School
freshmen.
▪ No – not the same place
 Sun Valley High School Class of 2015 and Sun Valley
High School Class of 1997.
▪ No – not the same time
 Mammals living in Ridley Creek State Park.
▪ No – not the same species
 Deer living in Ridley Creek State Park.
▪ Yes – same species, same time, same place

First 10 minutes
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Discuss Test
Two or more Z’s=detention


In 6 lines or more, explain what it means to be
an Honors student? What skills do you posses
that make you an honors student? What are
your parents expectations of you as an
honors student?
Do you want to go to college? Do you think
staying in honors classes will get you there?

The place an organism lives

Every habitat has specific biotic and abiotic
factors that the organisms living there need
to survive.
What characterisitcs do you think help the
chameleon when it hunts? Explain your
answer – Write in complete sentences. At least
5 lines.

Natural Selection – the organisms who are best
suited for their environment will survive and
reproduce

Evolution – a change in the genetic
characteristics of a population from one
generation to the next

Adaptation – an inherited trait that increases an
organism’s chance of survival and reproduction
in a certain environment

Give at least three examples of adaptations.

Explain how rabbits with brown fur might be
well suited for some environments but not
others.

Coevolution – the process of two organisms
evolving in response to long-term
interactions with each other

Example: Plants and Pollinators
 Plants are designed to attract the
pollinator; pollen will stick to the pollinator
 Pollinators are designed to be able to access the
nectar from the plant

Artificial Selection – selective breeding of
organisms by humans for specific
characteristics

Example: Dog breeds

Resistance – the ability of one or more
organisms to tolerate a particular chemical
designed to kill it

Examples: pesticide resistance, antibiotic
resistance, “superbugs”