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Name:______________________________
Period:______
Test Date:____________
Quiz Date:___________
Introduction to Ecology – Unit 5A
Directions: Use your book to complete the questions/outline below. These are your notes! Be thorough!
What is Ecology? (pgs 63-64)
A.
Ecology is the study of _________________________________________________________________________.
B.
Ecological levels of organization (from smallest to largest): Learning Target #1
 Species:_________________________________________________________________________________

Populations:______________________________________________________________________________

Community:_______________________________________________________________________________

Ecosystem:_______________________________________________________________________________

Biome:___________________________________________________________________________________

Biosphere:________________________________________________________________________________
What Shapes an Ecosystem? (pg 90)
A.
Biotic & Abiotic Factors Learning Target #2
 Biotic factors:______________________________________________________________________________
o Examples:_________________________________________________________________________

Abiotic factors:_____________________________________________________________________________
o Examples:_________________________________________________________________________

What do biotic and abiotic factors determine?
Energy Flow (pgs 67-71) Learning Targets #3 & #4
All living things require energy. The ultimate source of energy for all living things on Earth is the: _______.
A.
Producers:
 Organisms that are able to capture energy from sunlight or chemical and use it to produce food are known
as:__________________.
 Because these organisms make their own food they are also called:____________________.
 Differentiate between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis. Be sure to include examples of organisms who
undergo each process.
o Photosynthesis:

What type of gas exchange occurs during this process?
o Chemosynthesis:
B.
Consumers:
 Organisms that rely on other organism for their energy and food supply are called: ____________________.
 Heterotrophs are also called: ___________________.
 Types of consumers:
o Herbivores: ___________________________________________________________________________
o Examples: _________________________________________________
o Carnivores:____________________________________________________________________________
o Examples: _________________________________________________
o Omnivores: ___________________________________________________________________________
o Examples: _________________________________________________
o Detritivores: ___________________________________________________________________________
o Examples: _________________________________________________
o Decomposers: _________________________________________________________________________
C.
Feeding Relationships:
In an ecosystem energy flows in one direction from the sun  ____________  _____________
 Energy stored by producers can be passed through an ecosystem along a: _______________________.
 A food chain is: __________________________________________________________________________.
 **The arrow in a food chain or food web always means “is consumed by”**
 Draw an example of a food chain illustrating 4 organisms:

What is a food web?

Why is a food web a better representation of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem (compared to a food
chain)?

Ecologists assign every organism in a food chain or web to a _____________________ which is determined by
the organism’s source of energy.
o ____________________ always make up the first trophic level.
o The 2nd trophic level is known as the ___________________________ and is always a _______________.
o At the 3rd trophic level are __________________________________ and are organisms which eat
_________________________.
o At the 4th trophic level are ___________________________ which are _________________ which
consume other ______________________.
Ecological Pyramids & the 10% Rule (pgs 72-73) Learning Target #5
An ecological pyramid is a: ____________________________________________________________________________.
A.
10% Rule state that: ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
What happens to the other 90%??
B.
C.
D.
Energy Pyramid:
 What does an energy pyramid represent?

How much energy is passed from trophic level to trophic level?

What happens to the rest of the energy?
Biomass Pyramid:
 What is a biomass?

How is a biomass usually expressed?

What does a biomass pyramid represent?

How much of a biomass is passed from trophic level to trophic level?

Where is the greatest biomass located on the pyramid?
Pyramid of Numbers:
 What does a pyramid of numbers represent?