Ecology Biosphere – entire part of the Earth where living exists. Soil, water, light, air. Ecosystem – interactions between living and non-living matter Community – group of interacting populations Population – individuals that belong to the same species

Biomes Pg. 220 of Princeton Review – know them

Ecosystems Interactions between living and non-living matter Cycles – carbon, water, nitrogen

Carbon Cycle

Water Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Community Producers, Consumers, Decomposers – food chains Niche – an organism’s position and function in the community. 10% Rule – only 10% of energy is transferred from one level to the next Energy pyramid on pg. 223 in princeton review. Read paragraph on DDT.

Food Chain

Pyramid of Energy

Community Ecology Interspecific competition – competition between different species Resolved by: 1.Competitive exclusion – Gause’s principle – one individual outcompetes the other and replaces them in the niche 2.Resource partitioning – when different species can occupy a slightly different niche and live together

Resource partitioning

More ways to resolve competition 3.Character displacement – a slight difference can change an organism’s niche and reduce competition. Ex. Bird beaks on the Galapagos 4.Realized Niche vs. fundamental niche – fundamental niche is the one without competition, realized is one that the organism settles for. Ex. Barnacles

Fundamental and Realized Niches

Predation True predator – kills and eats its prey Parasite – living off of the host without killing the host Parasitoid – lays eggs in a host Herbivore – eats plants, granivores, grazers, browsers

Symbiosis Mutualism – both benefit Commensalism – one benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed Parasitism – host is harmed, parasite benefits