Organisms and the Environment

Key Understandings Biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem. Different environments support different organisms. The greater the variety of species, the healthier the ecosystem. Genetic variation leads to population stability. Change occurs in ecosystems, including predator/prey relationships, food, water, air and shelter balances, range shifts in flora and fauna, and changes in climate .

Misunderstandings Students may think the climax community is usually the final stage- long lasting and self-perpetuating. Students may think that communities change little over time. Students may think traits are developed by individuals in response to the needs of the individuals.

Vocabulary Biodiversity Pioneer Species Sustainability Climax Community Ecological Succession Limiting Factors Microhabitat Organism Ecosystem

Warm-Up: Biodiversity the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environments

Warm-Up: Sustainability not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance

Warm-Up: Ecological Succession the gradual change in an ecosystem brought about by the replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established

Warm-Up: Microhabitat an extremely localized, small-scale environment, as a tree stump or a dead animal.

Warm-Up: Organism any living biological entity, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or bacterium You need to get the same sheet as yesterday.

Warm-Up: Ecosystem a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.

Warm-Up: Pioneer Species The first species of plant or animal to inhabit an ecosystem

Warm-Up: Climax Community An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment. The final stage of succession.

Warm-Up: Limiting Factors an environmental factor that tends to limit population size