How do you fit into your community? What’s your job? How do you fit into your community?

Niche NICHE - An organism’s role in its community Its job!

Niche CAN BE BASED UPON WHERE THEY GET ENERGY Autotroph – use energy from the sun to make their own food PLANTS!!!! Heterotroph – relies on autotrophs for their source of nutrients ANIMALS!!!

CAN BE BASED UPON WHAT THEY EAT Herbivore – eats autotrophs (plants) Carnivore - eats other heterotrophs; kills for food Omnivore – eats both autotrophs and heterotrophs

CAN BE BASED UPON WHAT THEY EAT Scavenger – eats other heterotrophs that are already dead Decomposers – organisms who break down and absorb nutrients from dead organisms

Niche PREDATION – one organism (called predator) kills and eats another (called prey) * what is an example of a predator/prey relationship?

Niche COMPETITION – two or more organisms trying to obtain the same limited resource Both organisms are at a loss because they spent energythe organism who eats simply replaces some of the energy

COMPETITION Intraspecific: 2 or more organisms in the same species are competing (intra = within) Interspecific: 2 or more organisms from different species are competing (inter = between)

Symbiotic Relationships SYMBIOSIS – close, long-lasting physical relationship between two different species Why isn’t predation and competition considered symbiosis?

Symbiotic Relationships Commensalism – one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited Mutualism – both species benefit Parasitism – one organism benefits at the expense of the other (tends to harm and not kill)

Commensalism Clown fish live in sea anemones Protects the clown fish from other fish but doesn’t affect the sea anemone

Commensalism The bird finds a place to build a nest (benefits), while the tree neither gains nor loses

Mutualism A bee moves pollen from one flower to another, thus fertilizing the flowers. At the same time, the bee satisfies its need for food by feeding on nectar produced by the flower

Parasitism Fleas on a dog would be an example of parasitism.

Food Chain ALWAYS moves from autotroph to heterotroph & eventually decomposers autotroph 1st-order heterotroph 2nd order heterotroph decomposer Grass to deer to bear to bacteria

Arrows represents the direction of energy flow

Levels of Organization Organism

Levels of Organization Population- all members of a single species that live in one place at one time Covers terms such as herd, flock, grove, swarm, pod, pride, school

Levels of Organization Community- several populations living together & interacting

Levels of Organization ecosystem - a community and its abiotic factors

Levels of Organization biome - areas with a similar physical appearance

Levels of Organization biosphere - the entire area of the earth where life exists

Make your own biosphere

Ecology Report Report on a ecological situation Problem/solution An Animal’s life cycle Use at least 10 ecological terms Highlight or underline the term Define the term in your paper