Ag Science in our Environment September 17-18 , 2013 Objective - Big Question I will be able to: Describe the ecology of organisms with their environment Describe the ecology of organisms with other organisms Language Objective I will write a summary describing how organisms interact with other organisms in an ecosystem. Bell work Please name the 6 Ecological Levels of Organization from largest to smallest. 21st Century Relevance Students need to understand the importance of Ecological Systems and how organisms interact and also affect them. # of Days 1 day Vocabulary Core Concepts Ecology Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population Organism Habitat Abiotic Acclimation Regulators Parasitism Commensalisms Niche Biotic Conformer Predation Mutualism

Ecology of Organisms Habitat (where it lives) Affected by Biotic and Abiotic factors Abiotic factors: non-living, includes: temperature, humidity, pH, availability of sunlight, etc Biotic factors: all living things Niche (species role in the environment) Includes tolerance range, offspring produced, ability to obtain resources, etc

Predator-Prey One organisms depends on the other organism Example: Lion eats a Zebra Energy

Symbiosis “Living Together” One species lives in close association with another species over a period of time Avoids competition for resources Examples: Mutualism Parasitism Commensalisms

Mutualism Both organisms benefit It is between two different organisms Example: Crocodile Bird and the Nile Crocodile Crocodile usually eats animals, but allows the bird to walk on its mouth Bird cleans parasites in the crocs teeth and removes and eats scraps of food

Commensalisms One organism benefits, one unharmed Sharing space, defense, shelter food “eating together at the same table” Neither one will die if relationship is ended Example: Shrimp and Sea Cucumber The shrimp spends the day inside the intestines of the sea cucumber and at night emerges from it to feed on small crustaceans The cucumber does not benefit from it, but is not harmed

Parasitism One organism, the parasite, secures a home on or inside another organism The parasite is the “guest” and the other organism is the “host” It usually harms the host and benefits the guest

Trivia Time – Part 1 This organism is a bird that eats insects that live on and irritate antelopes. The bird flies up noisily when other animals approach. What type of symbiotic relationship does this describe?

Trivia Time – Part 2 This organism lives in the intestine of its host, feeding off the host’s blood. The host suffers from loss of blood; it becomes thin and is easy prey to diseases. What type of symbiotic relationship does this describe?