ECOLOGY THE STUDY OF HOW ORGANISMS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
“The Biological Organization of Living Things”
INDIVIDUAL/ORGANISM 1 ORGANISM OF A SPECIES Example: African lion Genus: Panthera Species: leo
POPULATION ALL OF THE ORGANISMS OF THE SAME SPECIES THAT LIVE IN THE SAME AREA. Lion population – same species that live in the same area
COMMUNITY ALL OF THE POPULATIONS THAT LIVE IN THE SAME AREA. The lions community consists of elephants, hyenas, crocodiles, gazelles, trees, etc.
ECOSYSTEM ALL OF THE LIVING ORGANISMS AND NON LIVING FACTORS IN THE SAME AREA. Living: lions, elephants, gazelles Non-living: water, soil, air, sunlight
BIOME A LARGE REGION THAT HAS A DISTINCT CLIMATE AND SPECIFIC TYPES OF PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE Biome: African Savanna
BIOSPHERE THE PART OF EARTH THAT SUPPORTS LIFE
Largest Smallest
BIOTIC FACTORS- The living or once living factors in an ecosystem. ex. humans, hawk, plants, fish, turtle, bacteria, algea
ABIOTIC FACTORS- All of the nonliving factors in an ecosystem. ex. land, water, air, temperature, sunlight
HABITAT- The place an organism lives. (ex. The snake’s habitat is the pond.)
NICHE- The role/job an organism has in its ecosystem.
FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS Most energy that moves through an ecosystem starts with the sun.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS- Chemical process by which plants use light energy to make sugar from water and carbon dioxide.
PRODUCERS- can make their own food
HERBIVORES (CONSUMERS)- obtain energy by eating plants
CARNIVORES (CONSUMERS)- obtain energy by eating other animals (they eat meat)
OMNIVORES (CONSUMERS)- obtain energy by eating both plants and animals
SCAVENGERS (CONSUMERS)- obtain energy by eating the dead remains of animals
DECOMPOSERS- Organisms that feed on dead matter and breaks them down into nutrients that are returned to the soil
FOOD CHAIN- traces the path of energy as it moves from one organism to the next in an ecosystem
FOOD WEB- several overlapping food chains
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIFFERENT SPECIES COMPETITION- occurs when organisms compete for the same resource PREDATION- feeding relationship where one organism captures, kills, and eats another organism SYMBIOSIS- a close relationship between two species
COMPETITION
PREDATION
SYMBIOSIS A close relationship between 2 different species
MUTUALISM- both species benefit
COMMENSALISM- one species benefits and the other is unaffected l
PARASITISM- one species benefits and the other is harmed