1. Species - interbreed + produce fertile offspring
Ecology-
study of organisms
and their environment
Levels of organization- organism, population, community, ecosystem, biomes
Species - interbreed + produce fertile offspring
Keystone Species - sea otters, alligator
Niches - producers, consumers, predators, prey
Food Chain - organism feeding levels
Food Web - many organisms
Pyramid – feeding levels (trophic levels), energy, biomass + number
**As you go higher there is a decrease Ex. Energy 90%, 10% goes up
Carbon: Photosynthesis/Respiration
Oxygen: balance between photosynthesis/respiration
Nitrogen: nitrogen fixation in soil by bacteria
Nitrification to denitrification (puts N2 back)
Bio-geochemical Cycles
Primary – bare rock: volcanic eruptions/new land
Secondary – after some event: fire/flood
Succession:

2. Relationships: Predator/Prey: camouflage, mimicry, co-evolution Symbiosis : 1. mutualistic: anemone/fish 2. commensalistic: epiphytes 3. parasitism: worms/ticks Competition: Limited resources: 1. resource partitioning 2. competitive exclusion Interspecific: between sp: food Intraspecific: within sp: mates Population density: # of individuals/area -increase pop = immigration, births/decrease pop = emigration, deaths -logistic growth = S curve (carrying capacity); Exponential: J curve Bell curve = population decrease -Limits a population= resources (food, water, space) Density dependent = food, disease, famine Density independent = hurricanes, etc.