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Name: _____________________________________________ Date: _____________________ Period: ____
Unit 9 Notes: Ecology
Part A: Ecology Basics
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________________= the study of the interactions between organisms and the _______________ and
_______________ components of their environment
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Levels of Organization in Ecology
1. Biosphere= the thin volume of Earth and its _________________ that supports ______
2. Biome = major habitat areas, either terrestrial (on land) or ____________ (in water)
List two examples of biomes: ______________ and ______________
3. Ecosystems = all the organisms and ______________ things in a particular place
4. Communities = all the interacting ______________ in an area (only ____________ things)
5. Populations = all the members of a single ______________that live in one place at one time
(ex: ________________)
6. Organisms = An ______________ living thing (like you!)

Two types of factors in the environment: _________________ factors are living and
___________________ factors are non-living
Example Biotic Factors: __________________, _________________
Example Abioitic Factors: __________________, _________________

_______________ = the role an organism plays in its environment (includes __________, ways of
obtaining nutrients, etc.)
1. ________________ Niche = the range of conditions and resources a species COULD
use/tolerate
2. ________________ Niche = the range of conditions and resources a species actually DOES
use/tolerate

Is a species’ habitat the same as its niche? Given an example.
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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Generalists = species with ____________ niches (ex: _________________________)
Specialists = species with _____________ niches (ex: ________________________)
Part B: Succession
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Ecological Succession: a series of changes in a ________________ in which new populations of
organisms gradually ____________ existing ones
Succession that begins in an area where there is no existing community is called
__________________________
What are two examples of primary succession?
The first organisms to occupy an area going through primary succession are a
_______________________________
What are some common characteristics of pioneer species?
Succession that occurs in an area where an existing community has been partially destroyed is called
_____________________________.
What is an example of secondary succession?
Eventually succession slows down, and a stable community is established. This is called a
__________________________________.
Part C: Energy Transfer in an Ecosystem
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The ultimate source of all energy on earth is the ____________
Roles of Organisms in Energy Transfer:
1. Producers: capture energy from ___________ and use it to make simple energy-rich
molecules (ex: glucose). Another name for a producer is an ______________.
Example Organisms: ______________________________________________
2. Consumers: cannot make their own food, must obtain ______________ by eating other
organisms. Another name for a consumer is a _____________________.
Example organisms: ______________________________________________
3 Types of Consumers: _________________ eat meat only, __________________ eat
meat and plants, ____________________ eat only palnts
There are different “_____________levels” that represent the different levels in energy transfer.
An organism that eats a producer is called a ________________________. An organism that
eats the primary consumer is called a ______________________________.
Algae  Zooplankton  Mackerel  Squid  Shark
How many trophic levels are in the food chain shown above? _______________
(Note an arrow pointing from squid to shark means the squid is going into the shark’s tum-tum)
Identify the trophic level of each organism in the food chain shown above.
Organism
Algae
Zooplankton
Mackerel
Squid
Shark
Trophic Level
Oh no!!! One trophic level was left out of our food chain. Which one is it?!
Name of Level: __________________ or _____________________
Description: __________________________________________________________________

Food Webs vs. Food Chains: Which is a better method for showing the energy-transfer relationships
in an ecosystem and why?
___________________________________________________________________________
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Food Web Practice: Take a close look at the food web pictured below. Answer the questions to the
right of the food web.
A) Which organism is a producer? _____________
B) Which organisms are primary consumers?
____________________________________
C) Which organism is both a secondary and tertiary consumer?
___________________
D) What does the snake eat?
____________________________________
E) Which organism would be most affected by the extinction of
the cricket? ______________
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The total mass of organic matter (living stuff) at each trophic level is called the _____________.
Only _________% of the energy/biomass from one level can be transferred to the next level.
Why is this?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Fill in the numbers and percentages in the biomass and energy pyramids below to show the
inefficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels.
Biomass Pyramid
Energy Pyramid
Part C: Community Relationships
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Symbiosis = close _______________ between members of different ________________
Types of Symbioses
Type
Predation
Definition
One organism _________ another organism
for food (the 2nd organism dies)
Parasitism
one organism __________ and the other
organism is harmed (the 2nd organism does
not die)
Both organisms are __________ by the
interaction when they try to use the same
______________
Competition
Mutualism
Symbols
Example
____ / ____
____ / ____
____ / ____
both organisms ________ from each other
____ / ____
Commensalism
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one organism ___________and the other
organism is ___________ (not helped or
harmed)
____ / ____
Match each situation below with the correct type of symbiosis and provide a reason for your choice.
1. The mycelium of a Mycorrhizal fungi attaches to the root system of a tree thereby increasing
the surface area of the roots. The tree in return provides the mycelium excess sugars.
Type of Symbiosis and Reason ___________________________________________
2. Raspberry seeds are unaffected by the acids and enzymes of animal digestive tracts. Birds
that feed on the nutritious raspberry excrete (poop out!) the raspberry seeds in a location
other than the original raspberry bush.
Type of Symbiosis and Reason: ___________________________________________
3. Tapeworms live in the digestive tract of many animals and eat most of the nutrients entering
the digestive system before the host animal can absorb any of it.
Type of Symbiosis and Reason: ___________________________________________
4. Clown fish often hide in the tentacles of a sea anemone. The clown fish produces a mucous
preventing them from being paralyzed by the sting of a sea anemone tentacle. The sea
anemone is unaffected by the presence of the clown fish.
Type of Symbiosis and Reason: __________________________________________
Part D: Populations
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Population = a group of organisms of the same _________________ that live in a particular ________
Population Growth (increasing the _______ of a population) usually cannot continue forever. When a
population can no longer grow, it has reached its _____________.
Things that affect population growth can be either ______________ (living) or _____________ (nonliving), and can depend on how big the population already is!
Limiting Factors = Components of the environment that _____________ the growth of a population.
1. Density Dependent = limits the size of a population when the population reaches a certain
_____________ (number of organisms per area)
Examples: _______________________________________________________________
2. Density Independent = limits the size of a population no matter what the ___________ is
Examples: ________________________________________________________________
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There are two types of population growth based on whether there are limiting factors present.
1. Exponential Growth= population increases
____________in size (can only happen for
__________periods of time when there are no
____________ factors)
We call the graph pictured to the right a
_____________ curve.
Example of Exponential Growth in Nature:
_______________________________________
2. Logistic Growth= population grows _______________
for some time and then stops growing once it reaches
its _____________________, the total number of
individuals the environment can support
We call the graph pictured to the right a
_____________ curve. Make sure to label the
carrying capacity on your graph!
Example of Logistic Growth in Nature:
__________________________________________
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Human Population Growth
1. Useful Measurements: ________________, _________________ (AKA mortality rate),
________________, and _________________.
The image above shows two age structure pyramids. The left pyramid shows the age
structure in France, and the right pyramid shows the age structure in India. What is different
about these two pyramids?
_________________________________________________________________________
Which country/population seems to be growing more? ______________________________
List several reasons why a developed country like France might have a different age
structure than a developing country like India
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. The growth rate is determined by ______________, ______________, _______________,
and ________________.
Immigration = the movement of organisms ___________ a population
Emigration = the movement of organisms ___________ a population
3. Limiting Factors for Human Populations:
What are some density-dependent factors that could affect human population growth?
_________________________________________________________________________
What are some density-independent factors that could affect human population growth?
_________________________________________________________________________