1. Levels of The Environment

2. Grab your notebook

3. Questions to ponder…
If there is no water…can anything grow or survive? Why?
If it is extremely cold one winter, will that effect whether an animal makes it to spring? How?

4. What is Ecology? Study of the interactions between organisms and
their environment

5. LIVING THINGS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT
Environment– all the living and nonliving things with which an organism interacts.
All the living and nonliving things in an environment are interconnected. If one factor is affected another factor is thrown off balance. Nature is always trying to stay in balance.

6. Biotic VS. Abiotic
The living (or once-living) parts of an ecosystem are called BIOTIC factors
Examples: 6 Kingdoms, trees, plants, flowers, insects, animals

7. Biotic VS. Abiotic The non-living things in an
ecosystem are called ABIOTIC
factors
Examples : water, rocks, soil, air, temperature, wind, carbon dioxide, nutrients, sunlight.

8. ABIOTIC FACTORS AND THEIR AFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
(AN OVERVIEW)

9. ABIOTIC FACTORS Sunlight
Plants need the sunlight to make glucose by photosynthesis.
Without plants, the food chain dies.
Sunlight produces heat that changes the temperature of the Earths atmosphere and surface.

10. ABIOTIC FACTORS
Water
Organisms are mostly made of water. The cytoplasm of cells are mostly water.
Plants need water to do photosynthesis.

11. ABIOTIC FACTORS Climate
Includes the average temperature and rainfall for a region. All organisms are adapted for the climate they live. Climate determines the different biomes.

12. ABIOTIC FACTORS Soil Plants need the soil for the
nutrients and water it provides. NOT FOOD!!!.
Many animals live in the soil.
The type of soil in an area determines the types of plants and animals that can live in the area.
EX: Venus Flytraps

13. ABIOTIC FACTORS Severe Disturbances
1. Fire – Fire can be good or bad. It
destroys habitat and food. Some plants
need a fire for their seeds to germinate.
2. Hurricanes
3. Volcanoes
4. Floods
5. Storms
6. Droughts

14. ABIOTIC FACTORS Introduced Species
Humans sometimes move organisms to a location where they do not belong. Sometimes they die, but often they prosper.
If the organism has no predators, then its population will grow. An example of this occurring this the kudzu plant. It was transplanted to American and nothing eats it here. So, it grows out of
control.

15. Organization in the Environment
Ecologists have arranged the environment in different levels
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere

17. The 5 Levels: #1 Organism 1. An individual is a single organism.
Ex: an alligator, a human, an oak tree

18. The 5 Levels: #2 Population
A population is a group of individuals of the same
species in the same area.
Ex: group of alligators, herd of deer

19. The 5 Levels: #3 Community
A community consists of all of the populations of different species that live and interact in an area.

20. The 5 Levels: #4 Ecosystem
An ecosystem is made up of a community of organisms and its abiotic environment

21. The 5 Levels: Level #5 Biosphere
The biosphere is the part of Earth where life exists

22. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Biosphere - the entire Earth
Animals & plants adapt to best survive in the conditions of each Earth region. These regions are called the biomes.

23. Salt Marsh Ecosystem
Organism- egret, Seaside sparrow, Periwinkle snail, oyster, Laughing gull
Population- Laughing gull, Codgrass
Community- Sparrows eat the crabs, algae grows on grass, snail uses grass as shelter and protection
Ecosystem- how does temp., precipitation, soil affect the organisms?,
river brings in nitrogen
which helps the algae
grow
Biosphere- where all life
lives

24. Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Biotic: Laughing gulls, seaside sparrow, codgrass, snail, algae, jellyfish (any of the animals or plants)
Abiotic: sunlight, river (water), temperature, soil, rain (weather), nutrients from the nitrogen

28. ECOSYSTEMS
An ECOSYSTEM must provide what an organism needs to survive, or the organism must move, adapt, or die.
To stay alive, organisms need
4 things:
Energy (food)
Water
Oxygen
Living space

29. An Organism and Its Environment
Habitat: Place where organism lives which is determined by climate and adaptations.