eco means “home” Ecology is the study of our home, the Earth bio means “life” Biology is the study of living organisms eco means “home” Ecology is the study of our home, the Earth

Ecosystems all of the interacting parts of a living community and its environment. A community is a way of describing all the living things in one place or habitat.

Sustainability A sustainable ecosystem is one that can support itself & endure or last for a long time. If too many factors are changed in an ecosystem, it fails to support life & becomes unsustainable.

Easter Island was an unsustainable ecosystem.

Eg., competitors, their prey & predators, and their symbionts. Every ecosystem relies on two categories of factors to sustain it: biotic or “living” factors Eg., competitors, their prey & predators, and their symbionts. abiotic or “non-living” factors Eg., water, oxygen, light, seasons, soil quality & compositon.

The Biosphere That part of the planet that has all of the conditions to support life: lithosphere = soil, rock, minerals hydrosphere = fresh & salt waters atmosphere = oxygen & other gases

The Biosphere

Biotic & Abiotic factors need balance Too much rain, and you’re flooded. Not enough, and you’re in a drought. The plant & animal life of the habitat can’t handle either extreme. Similarly, too few of one type of organism, or too many of another, disrupts an ecosystem, too. Too many deer are a problem for the forest, but too few are a problem for wolves.

Artificial vs. Natural Ecosystems Artificial = created or maintained by humans Not sustainable without human intervention May include native & non-native species Parks, Zoos, Gardens, etc. Natural = found where they formed naturally Sustainable with no human intervention required Native species, but some non-native ones may be present. Forests, meadows, valleys, lakes, etc.

Native vs. Non-native species A species = any group of living things that shares common traits & which cannot reproduce with other such groups. Native species = have always existed in a certain habitat, and are adapted to that habitat. Non-native species = organisms that are from a different habitat. They can be invasive, naturalized or exotic.

Home Sweet Biosphere Earth is the only planet with the right combination of factors to support life. That’s worth protecting!