1. Unit 2: Ecology and Biodiversity

2. Remember!!!!!
Write all notes in your note book, using the indents and titles
If the title repeats, then you do not need to rewrite it again
Highlight all vocab words that are bolded, and highlight all things that say definition so you will be able to find them later
If there are directions for you to draw something, you must draw that in your notes.

3. How is the biosphere related to ecology?
What is the biosphere?
Definition All living things on this planet
Examples: Animals, plants, insects, bacteria, fungi, humans
What does ecology study?
Definition The study of relations between organisms and their physical environment
So ecology studies all the organisms in the biosphere and the places that they live

4. Ecology studies Ecosystems
Definition A community of organism and the environment they live in
Ecosystems are made of abiotic and biotic factors
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
Definition A living factor that affects an organism
Examples: Food Predators Diseases
Definition Nonliving condition that affects an organism
Examples: Climate Water Gases Soils

5. Ecosystems are everywhere
Ecosystems have their abiotic and biotic interact with each other all the time
Examples
Plants (biotic) need sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients (abiotic) to survive
Animals (biotic) need food (biotic), water, and oxygen (abiotic) to survive

6. Food webs
Because all of the organisms in an ecosystem are connected, they are all joined together in large food webs of interconnectedness.
Definition as collections of food chains, where one species is eating another, which eats another, which eats another until you reach a top predator
Minor to major changes in food webs can lead to ripples that can flow from one part of the web to the next
If a top predator dies, then there will be an increase in the population that it eats
If a drought occurs, then your producers (plants) die off which means a lot of animals that each plants is have a decrease in their populations

7. Food webs Producers  Plants located at the bottom of a food web
Get their energy from the sun and make their own food
Primary Consumers  Organisms that are located in the second level of a food web
Get their energy from eating producers (plants), and are known as herbivores
Secondary/Tertiary Consumers Animals located in the upper levels of the food web
Get their food from eating lower levels of food
Most are carnivores (meat eaters) but some can be omnivores (eats both animals and plants)

8. Biodiversity
Definition The total amount of species living in a given area
This accounts from the single celled bacteria to the largest of the top consumers
What causes biodiversity?
Differences in our genetic code are what make us unique and special (mutation in our DNA change the way that we look)
This is called genetic variation, which is the driving force of evolution (Best genetics survive for the next generation

9. Adaptations from Genetic Variation
Each biome has created their own adaptation through genetic variation
Tundra  thicker leaves on plants and more fat/fur on animals
Taiga  needles and cones on plants and more fat/fur on animals
Temperate Forest both animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes
Grassland  Plants require less water and animals are mostly herbivores
Desert Both animals and plants require very little water
Tropical Rainforest Plants learned to absorb water out of the air and animals have bright colors to be seen by mates

10. Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is very important to humans because many of our resources have come from the different animals and plants on this Earth
But because of the extinction of 3-4 species a day, we are losing resources that could have ben used in the future
Resources that are being lost include
Cures for Diseases
Food Resources
Building materials
Natural pesticide and fertilizers