1. Chapter 2: Ecology Flushing High School Trisha Ferris

2. Ch. 2 Learning Targets I can define biology I can identify possible benefits from studying biology I can summarize the characteristics of living things I can describe the levels of biological organizations. I can explain the difference between abiotic factors and biotic factors. I can differentiate between an organism’s habitat and its niche. I can describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem. I can identify the ultimate energy source for photosynthetic producers. I can describe food chains, food webs, and pyramid models. I can describe how nutrients move through the biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem. I can explain the importance of nutrients to living organisms. I can compare the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients.

3. Chapter 2 - Vocabulary Biology = The study of living things Organism = Anything that is or once was a living thing Organization = Orderly structure shown by living things Growth = Process that results in mass being added to an organism; may include formation of new cells and new structures Development = Changes an organism undergoes in its lifetime before reaching its adult form Reproduction = Production of offspring Species = Group of organisms that can interbred and produce fertile offspring Stimulus = Any change in an organism’s internal or external environment that causes the organism to react Response = An organism’s reaction to a stimulus Homeostasis = Regulation of an organism’s internal environment to maintain conditions needed for life Adaptation = Characteristics of a species that are passed on from generation to generation that develops over time in response to the environment, enabling a species to survive

4. Chapter 2 Vocabulary Abiotic factors = nonliving factor in an organism’s environment Autotroph = organism that captures energy from sunlight or inorganic substances to produce its own food Biological community = all the interacting populations of different species that live in the same geographic location at the same time Biomass = total mass of living matter at each trophic level Biome = large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities Biosphere = relatively thin layer of Earth and its atmosphere that supports life Biotic factors = any living factor in an organism’s environment Carbon and Oxygen Cycles = process by which oxygen released into the atmosphere by photosynthetic organisms is taken up by aerobic organisms while the carbon dioxide released as a by-product of respiration is taken up for photosynthesis Carnivore = heterotroph that preys on other heterotrophs Commensalism = symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is neither helped nor harmed Detritivore = heterotroph that decomposes organic material and returns the nutrients so they are available to other organisms Ecology = scientific study of all the interrelationships between organisms and their environment Ecosystem = biological community and all the nonliving factors that affect it Food chain = simplified model that shows a single path for energy flow through an ecosystem

5. Chapter 2 Vocabulary Food web = model that shows many interconnected food chains and pathways in which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem Habitat = physical area in which an organism lives Herbivore = heterotroph that eats only plants Heterotroph = organism that cannot make its own food and gets its nutrients and energy requirements by feeding on other organisms Matter = anything that takes up space and has mass Mutualism = symbiotic relationship in which both organism benefit Niche = role, or position of an organism in its environment Nutrient = chemical substance that living organisms obtain from the environment to carry out life processes and sustain life Omnivore = heterotroph that consumes both plants and animals Parasitism = symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of another organism Population = group of organisms of the same species that occupy the same geographic place at the same time Predation = act of one organism feeding on another organism Symbiosis = close mutualistic, parasitic, or commensal association between two or more species that live together Trophic level = each step in a food chain or food web Water cycle = the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration

6. Nonliving Vs. Living Nonliving: Plant A How do we know that this plant ISN’T alive? Living: Plant B How do we know that this plant IS alive?

7. Made of Cells: All living things are made of one or more cells Grow and Develop: All living things grow and change over time Sense and Respond to Change: Living things react to stimuli in their surroundings Take in and Use Energy: All living things require energy for daily processes Share Similar Chemicals: Living things contain proteins, DNA, etc… Reproduce: All living things spread their genes via sexual or asexual reproduction

8. life air bacteria sunlight reproduction

9. It provides organisms with energy for life functions. It helps organisms to: breakdown food, grow, move substances within their bodies or cells, and reproduce. It provides organisms with: A place where they can get food, water, find shelter, appropriate temperature, amount of sunlight, and air. Homeostasis: It allows organisms to: maintain stable conditions inside the body (control temperature and amount of water) and maintain cell functions.