ECOSYSTEM

These “spheres” have living and nonliving parts -The layer around our planet where living things exist -solid portion (rock, soil, etc) -liquid portion (oceans, lakes) -gaseous portion (air) Biosphere Lithosphere Hydrosphere Atmosphere These “spheres” have living and nonliving parts And they are also very large and difficult to study Ecologists break them into smaller parts

- a distinct piece of the biosphere in which living things with each other, and the environment ECOSYSTEM interact Ecosystems vary in size …from a drop of water …to the entire ocean Providing for the smallest of organisms to the largest (living things)

Terms to be familiar with  ECOLOGY - the study of relationships between organisms and their environment - a place where an organism lives (it’s “home”) - the way an organism interacts with it’s environment (it’s “job” eg. Bee and flower) HABITAT NICHE

We classify organisms according to some of their jobs: PRODUCER - makes it’s own food by photosynthesis are “self feeders” or - eat other organisms for food are “other feeders or Note: There are also levels of consumers depending on where you sit in the food chain. Primary consumers eat plants, secondary consumers are the animals that eat the plant eater and so on (see food web) Plants autotrophs CONSUMER Animals heterotrophs Consumers are classified according to their diet: HERBIVORES SCAVENGERS CARNIVORES OMNIVORES DECOMPOSER

Food Web