1. Ecology

2. What is Ecology?
the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
- the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms
How organisms and their environment affect one another

3. Organism
- an individual living thing

4. Population
- group of individuals in a particular geographic area that belong to the SAME species

5. Community
-all of the populations of an area

6. Ecosystem
Includes all of the organisms as well as the soil, climate, water, rocks and other nonliving things in a given area

7. Biotic and Abiotic Factors
An ecosystem includes both biotic and abiotic factors
Biotic Factors- Living things such as plants, animals, fungi and bacteria
Abiotic Factors- Nonliving things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight and soil.

8. Biome A major regional or global community of organisms
Characterized by
the climate conditions and plant communities that thrive there

9. Biosphere the portion of Earth that is inhabited by life
a thin layer of water, atmosphere and soil

11. Ecological Methods
Regardless of the tools they use, scientists conduct modern research using 3 approaches:
Observing
Experimenting
Modeling

12. Energy Flow Producers (autotrophs) Consumers (heterotrophs)
sun's energy
Producers (autotrophs)
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Environment

13. Heterotroph- Organism that obtains energy from the food it consumes
EX: Animals
Autotroph- organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food
EX: Plants

14. Heterotrophs Herbivores: eat plants, also called a primary consumer
Carnivores: eat other animals, also called secondary consumers

15. Heterotrophs: Omnivore
eats both plants and meat.
ex. People
and mice

16. Heterotrophs: Detritivores
Feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
EX: Mites, Earthworms, snails, and crabs

17. Heterotrophs:
decomposers - cause decay and recycle raw materials. Very important in carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Ex. Fungi
and bacteria

18. Energy Flow
Energy flows through an ecosystem in ONE direction, from the sun to autotrophs
and then to heterotrophs!

19. Food Chain the series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by
eating and
being eaten

20. Food Chain

21. Energy Transfer producer  primary consumer  secondary consumer
 tertiary consumer
 quaternary consumer

22. Energy Transfer
plant
 grasshopper
 frog
 snake
 hawk

23. Energy Transfer
The arrows in food chain and food web diagrams represent the flow of energy.

24. Energy Transfer
This means that the energy of the grasshopper flows to the frog

25. Food Web
-the feeding relationship in an ecosystem. It looks like a web, or net.

26. Food Web

27. Trophic Levels Trophic level – A step in a food chain or food web
1st trophic level
2nd trophic level
3rd trophic level

28. Food Chain Activity
Construct a food chain. It must contain a producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer. Be specific when identifying the organisms that you choose.