1. Groups of living things interact within ecosystems.
Chapter 2
Section 1

2. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
Species: A group of living things that are so closely related that they can breed with one another and produce offspring that can breed as well

3. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
Population: A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area. For example, a desert will have populations of different species of lizards and cactus plants.

4. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
• Members of the same
species form a
population with in a
habitat.

5. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
Habitats: The natural environment in which a living thing gets all that it needs to live; examples include a desert, a coral reef, and a freshwater lake.

6. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
Niche: The role a living thing plays in its habitat. A plant is a food producer, whereas an insect both consumes food as well as provides food for other consumers.

7. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
• Each species has a distinct role with in a habitat. This is its niche.

8. Organisms occupy specific living areas.
Communities: All the populations that live and interact with each other in a particular place. The community can live in a place as small as a pond or park, or it can live in a place as large as a rain forest or the ocean.

9. The environment can be organized into five levels.
1. Biome: In general terms describes the climate and types of plants that are found in similar places around the world
2. Ecosystem: Within each biome are many ecosystems where living and non-living factors interact to form a stable system

10. The environment can be organized into five levels.
3. Community: made up of the living components of the ecosystem, plants, animals, and other organisms interact
4. Population: A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area
5. Organism: A single individual animal, plant, fungus, or other living things

11. The environment can be organized into five levels.