Diversity in Ecosystems Slide Show 3

Ecology: Branch of science that deals with interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment Ecosystem: A self-supporting community of plants and animals interacting with each other and the nonliving environment to produce a balanced system.

Habitat: Where an organism lives and grows Population: All the members of a species living in an ecosystem or habitat Community: All of the populations of species in an ecosystem or habitat

Biotic Factors: The living part of the environment Decomposers, animals, plants Abiotic Factors: The non-living part of the environment Space, temperature, oxygen, light, water

How do biotic and abiotic factors affect ecological interactions? They both contribute to the characteristics of an ecosystem Abiotic factors influence the distribution of organisms in an area Biotic factors depend on the presence of other living things Predator/prey relationships can’t exist if there is no predator

STSE #1: The Diversity of Life Students read and answer questions