1. ECO: “home”
OLOGY: “study of”   …the scientific study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environments.

2. 34.1 The biosphere is the global ecosystem.

3. Biotic Factors - “Living factors”
include all living organisms (plants, animals, microbes)

4. Abiotic Factors - “Non-living factors”
include all nonliving physical and chemical conditions (light, air, water, temperature, minerals, soil, climatic aspects)

5. The 5 Levels of Ecology Biosphere Ecosystems Communities Populations
Organisms
The 5 Levels of Ecology

6. Individual organisms
The smallest unit of ecological study

7. Populations
A group of individual organisms of the same species living together in a specific area

8. Communities
All of the organisms of all species that inhabit a particular area

9. Ecosystems
Includes all of the biotic and abiotic factors in an area

10. Biosphere
Includes all of the ecosystems in the world

11. Habitats
specific environments in which organisms live

12. Niche
unique living arrangement of an organism defined by its habitat, food sources, time of day it is most active, and other factors

13. Symbiosis “Sym—biosis” = “Together—Living” Definition:
Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species.  

14. Who Benefits?
Sometimes a symbiotic relationship benefits both species, sometimes one species benefits at the other's expense, and in some cases neither species benefits.

15. Types of Interactions
Commensalism, Mutualism, Interspecific Competition, Predation, and Parasitism are all examples of symbiotic relationships.

16. Interspecific Competition
Table of Interactions
Type of Interaction
Effect on Species 1
Effect on Species 2
Neutral relationship
Commensalism +
Mutualism
Interspecific Competition -
Predation
Parasitism

17. Neutral Relationship
Neither species benefits from the interaction

18. Commensalism
One species benefits, the other is unaffected

19. Mutualism
Both species benefit from the interaction

20. Interspecific Competition
Neither species benefits from the interaction

21. Predation
One species (predator) directly harms the other (prey)

22. Parasitism
One species benefits (parasite), the other is harmed (host).