Ecology
By The End of this Presentation.... You Should Know the Following Terms: 1. Ecology 2. Abiotic 3. Biotic 4. Species 5. Population 6. Community 7. Ecosystem
What is Ecology? Ecology is the study of interactions between living organisms and their environment.
Abiotic Factors All the non-living parts of a ecosystem. Examples: Standing Water, Air, Spider Web, Soil, Rocks, Sunlight, etc...
Biotic Factors All the living (or once living) parts of the ecosystem.
Species.... Refers to a single, unique individual living organism. So unique that it can only breed with a member of its own species. Example: A Canada Goose in Hamilton, MI.
Population A population includes all the members of the same species that live in the same area. Example: All the Canadian Geese that live in Hamilton, MI.
Community A community includes all the different species that live in the same area. Example: All the Geese, Blue Jays, ants, maple trees, etc... that live in Hamilton, MI
Ecosystem An ecosystem is the community plus the abiotic factors. Example: All the geese, ants, maple trees, dogs, etc....plus the abiotic factors in Hamilton.
An Example... A Real World Ecosystem Issue...