1. What is Ecology?

2. Organisms and Their Environment

3. What is Ecology??
The study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment.
It explains how living organisms affect each other and the world they live in.

4. Habitat & Niche Habitat is the place a plant or animal lives
Niche is an organism’s total way of life

5. The Nonliving Environment
Abiotic factors- the nonliving parts of an organism’s environment.
Examples include air currents, temperature, moisture, light, and soil.
Abiotic factors affect an organism’s life.

6. The Living Environment
Biotic factors- all the living organisms that inhabit an environment.
All organisms depend on others directly or indirectly for food, shelter, reproduction, or protection.

7. Abiotic or Biotic?
Biotic

8. Abiotic or Biotic?
Abiotic

9. Abiotic or Biotic?
Abiotic

10. Abiotic or Biotic?
Biotic

11. Levels of Organization

12. Biological Levels of Organization
Atom: P, N, E
Molecule
Organelle
Cell: Life Begins. Smallest unit of any living thing.
Tissue: group of cells
Organ: group of tissues
System: group of organs.

13. Levels of Organization
Ecologists have organized the interactions an organism takes part in into different levels according to complexity.

14. Biological Levels of Organization
Organism: An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows, and develops

15. Biological Levels of Organization
Species: A group of individuals who can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. This means they, too, can reproduce.

16. Biological Levels of Organization
Population: A group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.

17. Biological Levels of Organization
Biological Community: All the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time.

18. Biological Levels of Organization
Ecosystem: Populations of plants and animals that interact with each other in a given area with the abiotic components of that area. (terrestrial or aquatic)

19. Biological Levels of Organization
Biosphere: The portion of Earth that supports life.

20. The Biosphere
Life is found in air, on land, and in fresh and salt water.
The BIOSPHERE is the portion of Earth that supports living things.

21. What level of organization?
Organism

22. What level of Organization?
Community

23. What level of Organization?
Population

24. Biodiversity
Biodiversity: the many complex interactions among different organisms within an ecosystem.
Example: Humans interacting with domesticated and non-domesticated animals.

25. Survival Relationships
Symbiosis: The relationship in which there is a close and permanent association between organisms of different species.

26. Mutualism A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.
Example: Ants that live on Aphids. The ants care for the aphids by protecting them from predators. In return, the aphids provide the ants with a sweet nectar to drink.

27. Commensalism
A symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is nether harmed nor benefited.
Example: Barnacles attach themselves to whale’s skin. They provide no known service to the whale nor harm it. However, they are provided a service when the whale swims because the passing water provides them with food.

28. Parasitism
A symbiotic relationship where one species is benefited and the other is harmed.
Example: Ticks that live on dogs are benefited by the dog’s blood. The dog is harmed because ticks can cause diseases.
If the host was to die, the parasite would soon die too unless it can find another host.