Part 1

Ecology:the study of the interactions of living organisms with each other and their environment.

BIOSPHERE: the portion of Earth that supports life... Air Land Water

Inorganic /Abiotic factors... (the non-living environment)  Wind  Temperature  Moisture  Light  Soil  Minerals  Fire

Organic / Biotic Factors... (the living environment)  Plants  Animals  Protists  Bacteria  Fungi  (All living things containing carbon)

Omnivores - eat anything Carnivores - eat meat Insectivores - eat insects Herbivores - eat plants Producers - make own food Trophic level = feeding step Ecological (Energy) Pyramid

Niche: the role and position a species has in its environment  What it eats  Where it eats  When it eats

Food chain - shows how energy flows producerherbivoreomnivore producer1st order consumer 2nd order consumer 3rd order consumer

Organisms almost always eat, and are eaten by, many different organisms. Food web: interconnected food chains

chicken grass deer caterpillar hawk frog seeds snake beetle coyote turkey human rabbit

Part 2

Population: a group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

Community: A group of organisms of different species living together in a particular place.

Habitat: The physical location in which a given species lives.

How energy flows...  Sun - main source of energy  Autotrophs / producers… can make own food  Heterotrophs / consumers… must eat  Decomposers / saprophytes… fungi & bacteria break down dead materials

Symbiosis: close association between two or more organisms of different species.  Commensalism - one benefits, one isn’t affected (eg. Whale & Barnacles)  Mutualism - both benefit (eg. Insects & Plants)  Parasitism - one benefits, one is harmed (eg. Ticks & Dogs)

Adaptation: the process by which a species becomes better suited to its environment.  Coloration  Speed  Migration  Thick fur  Chemical defenses  Hibernation/ Estivation  Size  Thorns and stickers

Cycles Within Ecosystems:  Water cycle – precipitation and evaporation  Carbon cycle – increasing carbon dioxide traps more heat and causes the “greenhouse effect.”  Nitrogen cycle – (next slide)

Nitrogen cycle  Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of… –“N” into usable organic compounds by bacteria –“N” from decaying organisms into ammonia  The release of “N” from organisms that are being decomposed.

THE END!