Ecology: an introduction

The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment

Ecosystem Ecosystem - all the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment

Ecosystem All the organisms living in an area and the nonliving features of their environment –Biotic – living –Abiotic – nonliving

Biotic Biotic – living –Plants –Animals –Single celled organisms –Fungi

Abiotic Abiotic – nonliving –Water –Air –Soil –Temperature –Sunlight

Parts of an Ecosystem

Biosphere The part of Earth that supports life –Top portion of Earth's crust (lithosphere/ asthenosphere) –All the waters that cover Earth's surface (hydrosphere) –Atmosphere (air) that surrounds Earth

Describe each of the following terms: Biosphere - part of Earth that supports life, including the top portion of Earth's crust, the atmosphere, and all the water on Earth's surface Biotic - living Abiotic – non-living

Ecosystem Ecosystem - all the living organisms that live in an area and the nonliving features of their environment Example: Oceans, Forest, Desert

Community All the populations in an ecosystem (biotic) Community - all the populations of different species that live in an ecosystem

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Population All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species (biotic)

Populations All of the same species in an ecosystem

Population - all the organisms that belong to the same species living in a community

Organism (species) one of any living thing in an ecosystem

Organism (species)

Habitat The place in which an organism lives –provides the kinds of food and shelter, the temperature, and the amount of moisture the organism needs to survive

Habitat - place where an organism lives and that provides the types of food, shelter, moisture, and temperature needed for survival

Niche The specific role (job) that an organism plays in its ecosystem

Niche - in an ecosystem, refers to the unique ways an organism survives, obtains food and shelter, and avoids danger

Things that affect an ecosystem Limiting factors Carrying capacity Competition

Limiting Factors Anything that restricts or controls the number of individuals in a population

Limiting Factor Anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population. Includes living / biotic and nonliving / abiotic features of the ecosystem

Limiting factor - anything that can restrict the size of a population, including living and nonliving features of an ecosystem, such as predators or drought

Carrying Capacity The largest number of individuals of one species an ecosystem can support

Carrying Capacity The maximum number of individuals of any species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a long-term basis

Carrying capacity - largest number of individuals of a particular species that an ecosystem can support over time

Competition All living things compete for –Food –Space Competition limits population growth

Competition Competition caused by population growth affects many organisms, including humans Limits population size