Happy Friday! Please do the following: pick up one of each of the handouts from the front table have out your science notebook

The Raccoon Story “You are now all raccoons. All raccoons are not alike, just as you and I are not exactly alike. Among you is: - a young male raccoon that has not yet found his own territory. Last week he met up with a larger male raccoon and before he could get away, he was hurt. He has a broken leg. He must hunt while hopping on one leg. - Another raccoon is a young female who investigated a porcupine too closely and was blinded by the quills. - The third special raccoon is a mother raccoon with two fairly small kits. She must gather twice as much food as the other raccoons. The young follow by holding onto blindfolds held by the mother raccoon. Young cannot gather food; only the mother!

FOOD SOURCES FOR RACOONS Black – nuts (acorns, walnuts, etc) Purple - fruit (berries, etc) Yellow – insects (ants, worms, etc) Red – meat (reptiles, rodents, etc) Green – plants Blue - water

Which raccoon(s) will survive? BrownPurpleYellowRedGreenBlue Raccoon 1 Raccoon 2 Injured Raccoon Blind Raccoon Mama Raccoon Is there enough food to feed all the raccoons?

Photo by Brocken Inaglory

Photo by Tomas Castelazo Photo by Edwin Olson Photo by B. Navez

Animals and plants in the desert compete over water that is scarce.

Native Introduced

24 European rabbits were released into Australia. The population now numbers in the tens of millions.

What is ecology? Ecology: study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environmentEcology: study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment

Biosphere the portion of the Earth that supports living things Ex: ocean, forest, atmosphere.

Abiotic vs. Biotic factors Abiotic = nonliving parts of the environment – Ex: light, air, temperature, soil Biotic = living parts of the environment – Ex: bacteria, protist, fungus, plant, animal

Which is Biotic/Abiotic?

Levels of organization In biology, we begin at the chemical level which make up cells… Which make tissues… Organs… Systems… And finally, the individual organism

Levels of organization from smallest to largest in an Ecosystem. Organisms Individual Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere

Individual made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows, and develops

Population group of organisms all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time

Community interacting populations in a certain area at a certain time

Ecosystem interacting communities and abiotic factors

Habitat vs. Niche Habitat: place where organism lives Niche: role or position a species has in its environment