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Ecology
Ecology:
 ________________ among Organisms
 Interactions between organisms and its ___________________
o ______________ factors are nonliving factors such as temp. soil, air, rocks
o _____________ factors are living parts of the ecosystem
Communities vs. Populations:
 A ____________________ is a group of organisms of the same species living in a certain area
 ___________ populations interacting together in a given area is a ________________
o Ex. Frogs + fish + algae = __________________
Habitats are…
o _____________ in the ecosystem where ________ ________________ ______________
o Determined by both biotic and abiotic factors
 Ex. Earthworm = moist soil, dead organic material
Niche:
o The ____________ of the organism within its __________________
o Includes feeding habits, reproduction, habitat, and what it ___________________to its surrounding
Ecosystem is a community and its physical environment including biotic and abiotic factors
Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Nutrition:
Autotrophs:
 Make their own food __________________
 Provide food to ____________________
 Most carry out ___________________(solar energy being converted into food_______________)
o Ex. Green Plants!!
 Some producers are _____________________________ – ability to create food by using energy
stored in inorganic molecules
Heterotrophs:
 __________________ make their own food
 Must obtain/eat their food from their environment
 Types of heterotrophs include:
o _____________________ eat only plants
o ____________________ eat only meat
1. predators- _____________ and eat their prey
 prey - the animal that is ______________ and __________________
2. ___________________ feed on dead and decaying meat
ex. Buzzards, crows, hyenas
o omnivores – eat _________________ plant and animals
 ex. US, bears and…???
Decomposers (aka. _______________) get nutrients from _______________ ____________
dead plants and animals
o Ex. bacteria, fungus, ___________________
Symbiosis (Symbiotic Relationships):
 2 organisms living together where at least 1 organism benefits
 3 types of symbiotic relationships:
1. ______________________ - both organisms _______________ from the association
o Ex. Humans and bacteria in the digestive track
o Ex. Fish in sea anemones
o Ex. Flower and the bee
2. ____________________- one organism benefits the other is ___________ __________
(not harmed, no benefit)
o ex. Remora fish and sharks
o ex. Orchids/moss living in tree
3. ___________________ - one organism benefits at the cost of the other (host)
o ex. parasites living in animals (tapeworm, tick)
o often cause ___________________
Energy Flow in an Ecosystem:
o producers (____________________ ) make their own food
o _______________________ (heterotrophs) obtain or eat their food from the environment
o Decomposers (a.k.a __________________) break down left over remains of plants and animals
Food Chains:
o Are a transfer or _____________________ of ________________ through an ecosystem
o Solar Energy from the sun is converted by ____________________ (photosynthesis) into
chemical energy or FOOD
o ____________________ eat the producers
o Energy is transferred from the producer to the consumer that eats it.
o Herbivores are _______________ ______________ consumers gaining the
___________ energy from the producers
o Omnivores and Carnivores are secondary consumers getting ______________
______________ energy
o The feeding relationship shows the transfer of energy which forms
a ___________ _____________
o The transfer of energy moves from producer to consumer to decomposers
o Ex. Sun  plant  grasshopper  bird  cat
Decomposers
Producers
(plants)
_______ amount
of energy
consumers
(1st level)
________
energy
consumers
(2nd level)
even _________
energy
consumers
(3rd level)
_____________ amount
of energy
Food Web:
 food chains (1 ______________of _____________)
which are interconnected = food webs


Food webs are ______________ food chains
_______________ together
Each ______________ means consumed (eaten) by…
Another way of showing the flow of Energy in an ecosystem is:
Energy ______________________:
o Each step in a feeding relationship is called a _________________
level
o 1st trophic level = __________________
o 2nd trophic level = primary consumers
o 3rd trophic level = ______________________ consumers
o The greatest amount of energy is at the __________________
of the pyramid (producers), the _____________ amount
of __________________ is at the top.
90% of Energy is lost moving at each level; only 10% is transferred to the next level

Some of the Energy is used in _____________ _______________
such as growth, and cell division, the rest is lost as _____________.
The Carbon Cycle
 An exchange of materials (carbon dioxide, oxygen) between autotrophs and __________________
 Autotrophs:
o use the sun’s energy to produce their own
food in a process called photosynthesis
o In photosynthesis CO2 is
____________________ (taken in) from
the environment and O2 (Oxygen) is
_______________ as a ______________.
 Heterotrophs:
o Take_________the Oxygen and use it for
cellular activities
o _________________ CO2 into the
environment as a waste
o The process is called ____________________ ______________________
The Carbon Cycle is a balance between Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen in the air.
Populations:
Factors that Limit Populations and Communities:
 Populations change over time
o Most ________________________ rather than continuously grow
o As populations increase, its puts more demand on the __________________ available such as food,
shelter, and water
o Environmental factors that limit the size of a population are called
__________________ ______________.
Limiting Factors:
 Environmental factors that limit the size of a population
 The availability of resources
 Ex. Food, water, shelter, oxygen, sun
Density-____________________________ Factors:
 limit the growth of a population _____________ the population reaches a certain ____________
 Ex. _________________, competition, _____________________, and food
 Population Density
o The _________________ of organisms in a _______________ __________________
o Predation, competition, and the spread of disease all are influenced by population density
Question: what happens to the level of competition when the population density increases?
Predation? Disease?
Ex. Of predator- prey population cycles
Density Independent Limiting Factors:
o limit growth in a population _____________________ _________ _______________
o These factors are often __________________ events
o Ex. Extreme temp, _______________, volcanoes, ___________________
Carrying Capacity:
 The largest number of __________________(of one species) that ______________ _________ supported
for an unlimited amount of time
 Occurs when the # of deaths and births are about _________________
o If a population goes ________________ the carrying capacity the number of deaths is
_________________________ than the # of births
o If the population is under the carrying capacity then…
Population Growth Rate Involves:
•
Birth and death rate influences the population growth
•
Life expectancy
o
Man-72 years
o
Woman-79 years
o ____________________________-movement of individuals into a population
o Emigration -movement of individuals ______________ of a population
Graphs and Populations
Exponential Model:
• Describes a population that _______________________
rapidly after only a few generations
• The larger the population gets, the faster it grows
• _______ ____________________ _________________
Logistic Model:
• Takes into account the influence of ______________ ____________
• Includes carrying capacity -the number of individuals
the environment can support over a period of time
• Increased birth rates causes ________________
rates to increase
• Growth will decrease when a population reaches the
____________________ _____________________
• Increased death __________________ growth
• Birth rate = Death rate when a population reaches
carrying capacity therefore
____________________ ______________________.
Levels of Organization: (from largest to smallest)
Biosphere
 Ecosystem  Community  Population  Species  Organisms
After discussing topics in ecology such as: the flow of energy, balance among organisms and
populations, what type of impact do you feel humans have on the environment? Why?