1. Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and their environment .

2. Levels of Organization
Ecologists have organized the interactions an organism takes part in into different levels according to complexity.
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3. 1st Level of Organization
Organism: An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows and develops, etc.
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4. 2nd Level of Organization
Population: A group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time.
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5. 3rd Level of Organization
Community: All the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time.
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6. 4th Level 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)
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7. Ecology
ecosystem
community
population
individual

8. What level of organization?
Organism
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9. What level of Organization?
Ecosystem
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10. What level of Organization?
Community
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11. What level of Organization?
Population
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12. Organism- any living thing
Individual- one single organism
Population- organisms of one species living together in the same
place at the same time
Community- populations of different species living in the same
place at the same time
Ecosystem- interaction of organisms and nonliving factors in a
specific area

13. Biotic- living organisms in an environment
Ex: plants, animals, bacteria
Abiotic- nonliving parts of an environment
Ex: soil, water, temperature, light, wind
Producer- organisms that make their own food, autotrophs
Consumers- organisms that rely on other organisms for food,
heterotrophs

14. Decomposers- organisms that uses dead material as a food and energy
source and return nutrients to soil, saprophyte
ex: fungus bacteria
Scavenger- organisms that uses dead material as a food and energy
source but do not return nutrient to soil ex: vulture
Food Chain- how energy in food moves through a community
Primary (10) consumer- organism that eats a producer
Secondary (20) consumer- organism that eats a primary consumer
Tertiary (30) consumer- organism that eats a secondary producer
Food Web- series of food chains that
represent energy flow through
an ecosystem

15. Adaptation- structures, characteristics, and behaviors that increase
an organisms’ chance of surviving and reproducing in an environment
Structural Adaptation- physical characteristic that increases
survival, ex: hawk’s talons
Behavioral Adaptation- way organism acts toward environment
Ex; bears hibernate, birds migrate for winter

16. Climate- average weather in an area, determined by rainfall,
temperature, and sunlight
Biome- large geographical areas that have similar climates and
communities
Habitat- place where an organism lives in a community
Niche- role of a species within a community
Ex; what it eats, how it gets its food, interaction with others

17. 5th Level of Organization
Biosphere: The portion of Earth that supports life.
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