1. INTRODUCTION TO THE ECOLOGY UNIT

2. WHAT IS ECOLOGY? Ecology (Def.): The study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment

3. Organism (def.) – An individual living (ONE) thing

4. What are the characteristics of an organism (living things)?

5. All living things have an organized structure: composed of one or more cells.

6. All living things need energy

7. All living things reproduce.

8. All living things grow and develop.

9. All living things adjust to changes in the environment. Ex. Trees adjust to cold, dry winter weather by losing their leaves.

10. Living things adapt and evolve.

11. Review: What does bio- mean? Biotic (Def.) Factors: Are all the living parts of the environment. Example: Animals, plants, bacteria The prefix ‘a-’ means opposite of Abiotic (Def.) Factors : Are all the non-living parts of the environment. Example: Dirt, Rock, Water, Air

12. Habitat (def.): a place where an organism lives out its life Ex: lawn, bottom of a stream, forest, pond Niche (def.): strategies and adaptations a species uses in its environments – how it meets its specific needs for food and shelter, how and where it survives, and where it reproduces

14. Population - a group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area. Community - interacting populations that live in the same area. Ecosystem- made of 1 or more communities; an environment of biotic and abiotic factors. Biosphere : ALL ecosystems put together

15. POPULATION

16. WE ARE A POPULATION TOO SCHURZ POPULATION

17. COMMUNITY

18. ECOSYSTEM

19. BIOSPHERE

20. POSTER OrganismPopulation CommunityEcosystem

21. POPULATION DYNAMICS (WHAT SHAPES & CHANGES THE POPULATION) Characteristics of Dynamics Size Immigration Emigration Births Deaths Survivorship

22. What can cause a population to decline?

23. LIMITING FACTOR Anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population. Includes biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) features of the ecosystem

24. POPULATION SIZE IS LIMITED BY: DENSITY-DEPENDENT FACTOR Disease Disease Competition Competition Predators Predators Parasites Parasites Food Food Crowding (space) Crowding (space)  The greater the population, the greater effect these factors have.  Most are  Most are BIOTIC factors DENSITY- INDEPENDENT FACTOR Volcanic eruptions Temperature Storms Floods Drought Flooding Most are ABIOTIC factors

25. What kind of factor do you think influenced the deaths of these cows? Was it density-dependent or Independent? Explain.