1. Chapter 3: Ecology

2. 3-1: What is Ecology

3. Daily Objectives Describe the study of ecology.
Explain how biotic and abiotic factors influence an ecosystem.

4. Ecology
The scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments, focusing on energy transfer.
Ecology is a science of relationships

5. Environment The environment is made up of two factors:
Biotic Factors- all living organisms inhabiting the Earth
Ex. Plants and Animals
Abiotic Factors- nonliving parts of the environment
Ex. Temperature, soil, light, moisture, air currents, and water

6. Abiotic and Biotic Factors

7. Levels of Organization
Biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism

8. Organism
Any unicellular or multicellular form exhibiting all of the characteristics of life, an individual.
The lowest level of organization in ecology

9. Population
A group of organisms of one species living in the same place at the same time that interbreed
Produce fertile offspring
Compete with each other for resources (food, mates, shelter, etc.)

10. Community
Several interacting populations that inhabit a common environment and are interdependent.

11. Ecosystem
All the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment

12. Biomes
A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

13. Biosphere
Our entire planet, with all its organisms and physical environments
The highest level of organization

14. Humans in the Biosphere
Humans live within the biosphere and depend on natural resources for essentials like water and other goods and services that can be bought and sold.

15. Ecological Methods Ecologists use 3 methods in their work Observation
Experimentation
Modeling