1. Lesson 1 , 2 and 3 Living Things and the Environment
Ecology Unit
Lesson 1 , 2 and 3
Living Things and the Environment

2. Do Now Open your books to page 6 and take a picture walk through the chapter to page 10.

3. What do I need to know as I read?
What needs are met by an organism’s surroundings?
What are the two parts of an organism’s habitat?
What are the levels of organization within an ecosystem?

4. Chapter Vocabulary Organism Habitat Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors
Species
Populations
Community
Ecosystem
In the back of your packet on the vocabulary page, write the following terms:

5. Vocabulary check
Organism: any living thing
Habitat: an environment that provides the things the organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce.
Biotic Factors: the living parts of a habitat
Abiotic Factors: the non-living parts of an organism’s habitat – water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, soil
Species: a group of organisms that are physically similar and can mate with each other to produce offspring
Population: All the members of a one species in a particular area
Community: all the different populations that live together
Ecosystem: the community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their non-living surroundings

6. How are ecosystems organized?
1. Organism – one prairie dog
2. Population of Prairie dogs
3. Community of different organisms
4. Ecosystem- all living and nonliving things interacting on the prarie

7. Hierarchy of Ecosystems
In the diagram, where would you place…
Organisms? Populations? Community? Ecosystems?
Organization of an ecosystem.

8. Ecosystem Organization Hierarchy
Organisms
Populations
Community
Ecosystems

9. Do Now
Using pages 6-10, complete the workbook pages numbers 1-18
You may work in pairs if you choose to.

10. DO NOW Get a book from the side.
Take your ecology packets out and open to last nights homework.

11. Let’s check our answers for 1-18!
organism
Habitat
Needs food, water, and shelter
False
a, b, d
Biotic factors
Abiotic factors
Water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, soil
a, c
Photosynthesis
b, d
A species is a group of organisms that can mate and reproduce offspring.

12. More answers! 13. A, b, c 14. False 15. Community 16. D 17. True
18. An ecosystem also includes abiotic factors

13. Do Now Find pg. 51 in your packet.
Use the picture on page 11 to help you answer questions 1-3
Use your vocabulary page in the packet to help you answer #4-8

14. Answers to Page 51 1. organism – population – community – ecosystem
2. a.) Buffalo, grass, hawks, snakes, owls, flies
b.) water, soil, sunlight, oxygen, temperature
c.) Trees- hawks underground – worms
prairie – buffalo water – fish
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment.

15. Lets Analyze an Ecosystem – pg 52 in packet
Biotic factors found in this picture: blue-jay, bear, dragon fly, frog, lizard, fish, squirrel, cattail plant, ferns, grass, trees
Abiotic factors found in this picture: warm temperatures, oxygen in the air, soil and rocks, sunlight, water
Habitats (homes of the animals)
Bear – forest
blue jay – trees, ground, sky
squirrel – trees, ground
Fish – water
Lizard – ground, under rocks
Dragonfly – weeds, sky, near water
Frog – pond, stream, lake

16. Studying Populations Do Now
In the back of your packet on the vocabulary page, write the following new vocabulary words
Birth Rate
Death Rate
Immigration
Emigration
Population Density
Limiting Factors
Carrying Capacity

17. Reading the chapter First, open your books to page 13.
Then, lets discuss your new vocabulary words.
Now, help me with a little demonstration…
Have 1 person in the first square, 2 in the second and 4 in the third. Have them pick up a hanful of paperclips (food). Show how more individuals in a fixed area makes it hard to move and compete for food

18. Do Now
Get a Science book from the side. Using pages 13-19, define the vocabulary words you wrote yesterday.
rabbit

19. Vocabulary Check
1. Birth Rate: the number of births in a population in a certain amount of time
2. Death Rate: the number of deaths in a population in a certain amount of time.
3. Immigration: moving into a population
4. Emigration: leaving a population
5. Population Density: the number of individuals in a specific area – population density = number of individuals / unit area
6. Limiting Factors: an environmental factor that causes a population to decrease ( things like food, water, weather and space are limiting factors)
7. Carrying Capacity: the largest population an area can support.

20. Use the equation to see how many frogs are in 1 sq. meter
Use the equation to see how many frogs are in 1 sq. meter Population density = # of individuals Unit Area
5 meters
Count the X’s = divide 20 by 500
5 meters

21. How to solve the problem
Count the number of x’s
Divide that number by the unit area which is 25 meters. ( 5x5)
Your answer should be 1 frog per sq meter.
X= 25 frogs
Use board to show math

22. Do Now Open packet to p. 58
Fill in the missing information in your guided notes packet.
Hand out homework sheet as study guide (living things---two sides)

23. Do Now
Please get a science book and then get your homework out (worksheet pg. 58 in packet)

24. Page 58 Answers Take out your packet and open to page 58
Populations can change in size when new members are added or when members leave the population.
6. Through the birth of offspring
7. Birth Rate
8. Dying
9. Death Rate
10. False
11. B – moving into a population
12. A - Leaving a population
13. True
Limiting factors
food, water, space and weather are the limiting factors.
Carrying capacity
True
Frost can kill organisms, floods and hurricanes can wash away nests and burrows

25. Answers to Study Guide Any living thing Environment Habitat
Living – nonliving
Alive (has the 7 characteristics of life)
Any living organism
Abiotic Factors
Sun
Water
Oxygen
Temperature
Soil
Levels of organization
Species
Population
Community
ecosystem

26. Answers to Study Guide 1a. Food, water, shelter
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION organism, population, community, ecosystem
1a. Food, water, shelter
1b. It would either leave or die
2a. Biotic factors are the living things in an ecosystem and abiotic factors of the non living things in an ecosystem
2b. sunlight, water oxygen, temperature and soil (SWOTS)
2c. Without sunlight, there would be no plant life and we need plants not only for food but also for oxygen. Without water, no living organism could survive. It is essential for life.
3a. Organism, population, community, ecosystem
3b. A community because a community means all the different populations in an area living in the same ecosystem.
3c. If one population decreases, another might also because they depend on one another for food. For example, if the numbers of mice were low, then the hawks and owls would have a hard time finding food and their numbers could be in trouble too.