Living Things and the Environment

ECOLOGYECOLOGYECOLOGYECOLOGY

Ecology 1. Ecology… the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. an interdependence. Organisms depend on all parts-living and nonliving

2. Habitat- the place where an organism lives out its life-their home An organism gets food, water, and other things it needs to live, grow and reproduce from its environment-habitat.

a. ABIOTIC-Nonliving dead organic matter nutrients in the soil and water Temperature sunlight b. BIOTIC-Living green plants Deer Rabbits Insects bacteria 3. Interdependent Parts

a. Organism An individual living thing 4. Levels of Organization

b. Population A group of the same species living in the same area that can interbreed. *Organisms may compete with each other for resources such as food, water, space, mates, etc.

c. Community A group of different species that live in the same place at the same time. One population can cause a change in another.

d. Ecosystem All the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment  Terrestrial : located on land  Aquatic: located in water

Ecosystems of Illinois prairie, wetlands, forest, lakes, streams, agricultural land, and urban areas

e. Biome A group of ecosystems that share a similar climate and typical organisms

Biomes of Illinois Deciduous Forest Grasslands

f. Biosphere Composed of many ecosystems Entire planet, with all its organisms and physical environments THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!