8-1 “Components of an Ecosystem”

Ecosystem  All the living and non-living things that interact in a particular area make up an ecosystem  A prairie is just one of the many different ecosystems found on Earth  Other ecosystems include: mountain streams, deep oceans, swamps and dense forests.

Habitats  Organisms(living things)-live in a specific place within an ecosystem.  Organisms obtain food, water, shelter and other things it needs to live, grow and reproduce from its surroundings  The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs is called its habitat.

Biotic Factors  An organism interacts with and responds to both the living and nonliving things in its environment  The living parts of an ecosystem are called biotic factors  Examples: grass, plants, hawks, ferrets, eagles, worms, fungi, and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors  The nonliving parts of an ecosystem.  Remember –TWOSS  Temperature  Water  Oxygen  Sunlight  Soil

Temperature  The temperatures of an area determine if an organism can live there.  Ex: Warm areas you might see palm trees, but not in very cold areas.  Some animals respond to very hot or very cold temperatures by altering their environment.  Ex: Prairie dogs line their dens with grass to keep warm.

Water  All living things need water to carry out their life processes.  Plants and algae use water, along with sunlight and carbon dioxide, to make food in the process of photosynthesis.

Oxygen  Most living things require oxygen to carry out their life processes.  Some organisms obtain oxygen from the air, which is about 20% oxygen.  Fish and other water organisms obtain dissolved oxygen from the water around them.

Sunlight  Necessary for photosynthesis.  Important for plants, algae and other living things.  Places that receive little to no sunlight-like caves-have only a few organisms that can live their.

Soil  A mixture of rock fragments, nutrients, air, water and the decaying remains of living things.  Types of soil influence the kinds of plants that can grow there.  Microscopic organisms such as bacteria live in soil and break down the remains of other living things.

Population  All the members of one species in a particular area.  Populations can be as small as a blade of grass or as large as the whole planet.  Individual members in some populations do not interact very much.  Some populations are very structured and relate to one another in specific ways.

Society  A society is a closely related population of animals that work together for the benefit of the whole group.  Ex: Honeybees-every member has a specific function.

Community  Most ecosystems contain more than one type of organism.  All the different populations that live together in an area make up a community.  To be considered a community, the different populations must live close enough together to interact.

Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem  OPCE  Organism-the smallest unit of organization, that belongs to a population.  Population-other members of its species that belong to a community.  Community-different species in an ecosystem.  Ecosystem-community and abiotic factors together.

Levels of Organization

Ecology  The study of how living things interact with one another and with their environment.  Ecologist are scientists who study ecology. They look at how all the biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem are related  Ecologist study how organisms respond to changes in their environment.