Download 09.02.05 Interactions FIB_student

Ecology
Interactions of Organisms and Their Environment
Terminology:
• ______________ the study of the ________________ of living
organisms with one another and with their physical ______________
•__________- place where a particular population of species lives
•____________ is when many different species live together in a
habitat
•____________ a community including the physical aspects of its
habitat (soil, water, weather)
Habitat: Example- The habitat for a ________ is a _________
Community: Example- A ________ bat, ________ bat, worms
and _________ are apart of a community
Ecosystem: Example- Loose soil, moderate _________ and a
____________ nearby in addition to the “cave community”
would be considered an ecosystem
• Biotic factors- are ___________ in a habitat
– Ex. _________, bugs, ________, flowers, etc
• Abiotic factors- are the __________ ____________ of a habitat
– Ex. Wind, ________, rocks, sunlight, _________, etc.
Biomes:
A ___________ is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and
animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment
Terrestrial biomes are defined by _____________ & _________;
characterized by the organisms that live there, particularly the ______!
 ___________ – cacti and succulants
 Chaparral – shrubs, some grasses, few small trees; drought and fire
resistant
 ____________ – tall grasses, few if any trees, wildflowers
 Temperate deciduous forest – deciduous trees & other plant species

__________________________
– many trees and a huge variety of other plant
species
 Taiga – conifers & other plant species, including mosses, shrubs &
vines
 ___________– cold and relatively dry; very few small plant species
Which biome do we live in? ________________________________
Aquatic biomes are defined by _______ and ________
• Freshwater biomes:
– Lakes and ponds
– Streams and rivers
– Wetlands- swamps, bogs, flood plains
• Marine and saltwater:
– Oceans
– Coral Reefs
– Estuary- place where _____________ runs into _______ water
Succession:
• _____________ the somewhat regular progression of species
replacement
– ___________ succession- when species begin to inhabit a place
where life has _______ _____________ before
• Ex. The edge of an iceberg melts exposing uninhabited soil and
plants begin to sprout
– ____________succession- when species take over areas that have
had _______________ _______________
• Ex. An abandoned field or a clearing that has been burned and new
growth sprouts
• Pioneer species- when small, fast growing plants are the ________
organisms to live in a new habitat where soil is present
– They make the ground more hospitable for other species
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
The flow of energy is the most important factor that controls ________
_________ of organisms live in an ecosystem and _______ _ _________
organisms can be supported.
 _____________- organisms that first capture energy by
photosynthesis (______________)
o Ex. Plants, algae and some bacteria

_____________- all other organisms that consume plants or
other organisms to obtain energy (______________)
o Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores
Trophic levels
In an ecosystem, organisms are assigned to specific levels based on their
______________ ______ _________________
Food chain- is the path of _________ that travels through the trophic
levels of an ecosystem
Draw the food chain:
• First level => _______________
• Second level => Herbivores (animals that eat plants/primary consumers)
– also called ___________ __________________
• Third level => carnivores (animals that eat other animals) and
omnivores (animals that eat both plants and animals)
– also called _____________ ________________
• Fourth level =>carnivores that eat other carnivores
– also called ___________ ______________
Fourth level
Third level
Second Level
First Level
“Special consumers” called detritivores are organisms
that obtain their energy from the organic wastes of _______
__________ at all trophic levels
– Ex. Worms, fungi and bacteria
*Bacteria and fungi are known as _____________
because they cause decay
Food web- is an ______________ group of food __________
*Note direction
of the arrows.
 Energy pyramid
 The ultimate source of all energy comes from _________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Which level contains the greatest amount of energy?
_______________
Loss of Energy in a Food Chain:
• The loss of energy limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can
support
• At each trophic level, the energy stores is about _________ of that
stored by the organism below
Label the correct amount of energy at each trophic level:
Stop and think
• Where does all energy come from?
• Why does an energy pyramid usually have no more than 4 levels?
• In a food chain which direction does the arrow point? Why? (Hint: think
about energy transfer)