Ecology Notes

Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. biotic: refers to the organisms abiotic: nonliving part of environment Examples of abiotic factors include: sunlight, water, air, temperature, rocks, soil, weather, etc.. 1 of 8

5 levels of the environment Organism – a living thing: animals, plants, fungi, protists, & fungi (ex: zebra) Population – a group of organisms of 1 kind in an area (ex: a herd of zebras) Community – all groups in an area (ex: zebras, giraffes, lions, warthogs etc.) Ecosystem (ex: all the biotic plus abiotic factors) Biosphere (Earth) “One pony comes each birthday” 2 of 8

The Food Web Community Producer Consumer Plants Uses sun to produce food by photosynthesis Consumer Usually animals Must eat/consume other organisms Herbivore = eats plants Carnivore = eats animals Omnivore = eats both plants and animals Scavenger = feeds on dead animals 1 2 3 4 3 of 8

Predator: an organisms that survives by preying on other organisms Consumers can be a… Predator: an organisms that survives by preying on other organisms requires special adaptations such as speed, good eyesight or hearing, sticky tongue, special teeth, camouflage, etc... Prey: an animal hunted or caught for food requires special adaptations such as camouflage, warning colors, shells, chemical defense, etc... Both! 4 of 8

Parasite: a special kind of consumer Parasite: an organism that lives on or in another organism from which it gets some or all of its nourishment. Examples: tapeworm, tick, lice Host: the animal or plant on which a parasite lives. The host is usually harmed (but not always killed) by the parasite. 5 of 8

Food Chains Always start with a producer! Decomposer Gets energy from breaking down the remains of dead organisms Return nutrients to soil Examples are bacteria and fungi (such as mold and mushrooms) Food Chains Always start with a producer! Use arrows to show the path of energy Make up a food web for a community 6 of 8

Ecosystem Interactions All populations in an ecosystem depend on food, habitat and water. Organisms must compete for resources. If a population becomes too large, then lack of resources will become a problem and some of the population may die out. Abiotic factors determine what kinds of organisms can live in area – ex: type of soil and weather determines type of vegetation in an area 7 of 8

3 classifications of Ecosystems Terrestrial land-based, such as prairies, deserts, forests Aquatic A. Marine ocean – abiotic factor of salinity producers include algae and plankton b. Freshwater not saline, such as ponds, lakes, rivers 8 of 8