1. ECOLOGY TERMINOLOGY Ecosystem: all the abiotic and biotic factors in an area/environment surrounding a species Community: all the organisms present in an area/habitat/ecosystem Population: all the individuals of one species in an area Environment: sum of all conditions in the ecosystem outside the organism

2. ECOLOGY TERMINOLOGY Habitat: place within an environment in which specific organisms live Niche: species function in its habitat, the way the organism uses the abiotic and biotic resources of the environment of the organism to make the most of those opportunities Ecological niche – opportunities provided by the habitat and the adaptations

3. ECOLOGY TERMINOLOGY Two species occupy different niches when they DO NOT compete for resources e.g. Feeding at different times on different organisms e.g. Notch and window caterpillars feed on different parts of the flax

4. ECOLOGY TERMINOLOGY Two species NO LONGER occupy the same niche when: one species displaces the other species (better adapted) one species survives or none survive due to: - competition for abiotic and biotic resources Gause’s Principle - no two species with identical ecological niches can co-exist for long in the same place

5. Abiotic factors – the physical factors in the environment that can act as the stimuli for the organisms’ responses. Prefixes: Light (photo-) - intensity, colour, direction, duration Gravity (geo-, gravi- in some texts) - up, down, orientation in space The Environment

6. Temperature (thermo-) - average and range Water (hydro-) - humidity, salinity, depth, average rainfall, turbidity, speed of current Current (rheo-) - align with current The Environment

7. Chemical (chemo-) - CO 2, O 2, salinity, pH, pheromones, toxins, inorganic nutrients, Macro/micronutrients Touch (thigmo-) - response to solid objects Sound – pitch, loudness, range Pressure – ocean depths, atmosphere, weather pattern formation

8. Wind – velocity, gustiness, direction Substrate – composition Fire - recycling nutrients, seed germination

9. Adaptations  Adaptations are features that help an organism to make the most of the opportunities provided by the environment.  Organisms with adaptations more suited to the environment are more likely, through the process of natural selection, to pass on their genes to the next generation.

10. -Structural – morphological, e.g. colour, appendages -Physiological – biochemical/metabolic e.g. hormones -Behavioural – responses to the environment e.g. diurnal, aggression, courtship -Life History – reproductive strategies for survival

11. Tolerance  Narrow range of physical factors that makes up the optimal range of tolerance for most organisms. If a factor is to extreme in either direction the organism suffers from physiological stress.  If a factor becomes too extreme (too high/too low) the environmental condition leads to death.

12.  Many animal and plant behaviours are to ensure the organism maintains an optimal condition for survival and ultimately reproduction  Animals must detect and be able to respond to key physical factor changes in their environment

14. Biotic Factors – all relationships between members of the same species (intraspecific) and with members of other species (interspecific) Intraspecific relationships: Competition – for same resources; food, space, light, water, nesting sites, territory, nutrients etc

15. Reproduction – availability of mates, competition between males, courtship, pair-bond formation, parental care Aggressive interactions - territories, hierarchies Co-operative interactions – group formation for defence (prevent predation/grazing), aid survival (hunt in packs)

16. Biotic Factors – Interspecific relationships:  Competition – for same resources; food, space, light, water, nesting sites, territory, nutrients etc  Predator / prey relationships  Plant / Animal – grazers, browsers  Succession – replacement of one species by another over time, each species modifying the environment to allow the new species to be established

17.  Stratification – vertical relationships in space with other organisms  Zonation – bands of organisms that form in relation to a gradient in a major environmental factor  Animal / Animal  Plant / Plant

18. Symbiosis – variety of interactions involving close species contact. Involves a host and a symbiot.  Mutualism (cooperation) - both species benefit  Commensalism - one species benefits, the other is unaffected

19.  Parasitism (exploitation) - one species benefits, the other is harmed  Competition - neither species benefits  Neutralism - both species are unaffected Note: endoparasites – live in the host ectoparasites – live on the host