1. ECOLOGY Ch. 4

2. Section 1: Ecosystems Everything is connected Ecosystems are all the organisms living with all the abiotic factors in an area Each made up of layers of organisms 1.) Organism: living thing 2.) Species: group of living things that can produce a viable offspring Ex.) Horse: YES, Mule: NO 3.) Population: all the members of the same species in a given area or habitat Ex.) Humans in Mr. Eidsmoe’s room 4.) Community: group of populations that live in the same area Ex.) Bacteria, Flies, Humans in Mr. Eidsmoe’s room

3. Section 2: Evolution Organisms tend to be well suited for their environments 1859 Charles Darwin proposed an answer why Traveled on the HMS Beagle and studied different animals Ex.) Finches, Blue-footed boobie, Marine Iguanas, Tortoises Darwin stated that the environment selects traits that make animals better suited to survive in nature (Natural Selection) Gives the “better or stronger” animals a better chance to survive Evolution: change in genetic variations in a population from one generation to the next Ex.) Opposable Thumbs (Humans)

4. Evolution continued… Darwin thought nature selected the best traits to survive Survival of the fittest These selections over time (millions of years) gives rise to new species Ex.) Fig. 8 (pg. 99) Darwin proposed Adaptations Inherited trait that increases the organism’s chance of survival

5. Evolution…is…ongoing Coevolution: two species evolving in response to long- term interactions with each other Ex.) Hawaiian honey-creeper & lobelia flower Evolution by Artificial Selection: This is what happens when humans get involved Ex.) Chihuahua & The Wolf (Both closely related since all dogs derived from today’s wolves) Humans artificially select traits instead of nature selecting traits Ex.) All fruits, grains, vegetables have been affected by artificial selection Why? Evolution of resistance: When an organism evolves the characteristics to survive against a certain chemical Ex.) Anti-bacterial soaps (How does it work?)

6. Section 3: Diversity of Life