Press F5 THESE NOTES ARE NECESSARY FOR TOMORROW’S ASSIGNMENT

 Ecology- The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment  Biosphere- The part of Earth that supports life ◦ Top portion of Earth's crust ◦ All the waters that cover Earth's surface ◦ Atmosphere that surrounds Earth

 Ecosystem-All the organisms living in an area and the nonliving features of their environment  Population-All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species  Community-All the populations in an ecosystem

 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

A producer is an organism that uses the Sun to make energy-rich molecules (glucose) They go through photosynthesis

 Most producers contain chlorophyll, a chemical that is required for photosynthesis.

 A consumer is an organism that cannot make their own energy-rich molecules. Consumers obtain energy by eating other organisms.

Herbivores – Plant eaters

Carnivores – Meat Eaters – Eat other animals

Omnivores – Eat both plants and animals

Decomposers – Consume waste and dead organisms. Decomposers help recycle once- living matter by breaking it down into simple, energy-rich substances. These substances might serve as food for decomposers, be absorbed by plant roots, or be consumed by other organisms.  Fungi  Bacteria  Earthworms

 Food web- a few food chains connected together ◦ The arrow points to what animal is receiving the energy ◦ For example, the fox receives its energy from rabbits, squirrels and mice

Symbiosis- Many organisms live together and share resources in other ways. Any close relationship between species is called symbiosis.

Mutualism – A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.

The cowbird benefits by eating the ticks and mites off the large animal. The large animal benefits from have the parasites removed from them. The birds can also warn them of danger.

Commensalism – A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected.

The clown fish is immune to the stings of the sea anemones tentacles. The clown fish makes its home in the tentacles for protection. The clown fish gets shelter, but the sea anemone gets nothing.

Parasitism – A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other is harmed.