1. Organization of the Environment
© Lisa Michalek

2. Ecology
The study of the interactions between organisms and the living and nonliving components of their environment.
An Ecologist is a scientist who studies Ecology.

3. Ecology Involves
Collecting information about organisms and their environment.
Looking for patterns.
Seeking to explain these patterns.

4. Environmental Organization
In Ecology, organisms and the environment are studied at various ecological levels.
Each level includes different factors.
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere

5. Environmental Organization
Population
A population includes all the members of a species found in a given area.
The dandelion species in your lawn is an example of a population.

6. Environmental Organization
Community
A community includes all the populations in a given area.
Your lawn has populations of dandelions, grasses, earthworms, and other living things.
These populations together make up a lawn community.

7. Environmental Organization
Ecosystem
A community (all the living things) and the physical environment (air, water, soil) interacting and functioning together make up an ecosystem.
Examples of ecosystems include your lawn, a balanced aquarium, ponds, vacant lots, woodlots, salt marshes, and forests.

8. Environmental Organization
Biosphere
The biosphere is the portion of the earth in which life exists.
It is very large and includes many complex ecosystems.

9. Stable Ecosystem Requirements
An ecosystem can support itself and is stable when the following requirements are met.
There must be a constant supply of energy.
The sun is the primary source of energy for life on Earth.
There must be living organisms that can incorporate the energy into organic compounds.
There must be a recycling of materials between organisms and the environment.

10. Ecosystem Components Abiotic Factors
The nonliving parts of the environment.
They directly affect the ability of organisms to live and reproduce.
These factors vary from one place to another.
Abiotic factors may act as limiting factors.
Limiting factors determine the numbers and kinds of organisms that can inhabit an ecosystem.

11. Abiotic Factors Light Climate (Temperature) Slope of the land
Type of Soil
Soil chemistry (Minerals)
Surface and ground water
Air

12. Ecosystem Components Biotic Factors
All the living things that directly or indirectly affect the ecosystem.
Biotic factors interact with other living organisms and with the physical environment.

13. Biotic Factors Producers
Any plant that manufactures food by photosynthesis.
Green plants are producers.
Consumers
Consumers eat producers and/or other animals.
All animals are consumers.
Decomposers
Decomposers break down dead organisms and make their materials available to other living things.
Bacteria and fungi are examples of decomposers.

14. Ecosystem Characteristics
Abiotic components combine to define the environmental characteristics of the ecosystem.
Biotic components interact with each other to determine the success of life in the ecosystem.
Biotic components interact with Abiotic components to determine the overall characteristics of the ecosystem.

15. Habitat The place in the ecosystem where an organism lives.
An organism’s habitat is determined by abiotic and biotic factors.
The factors an organism needs to survive determine where it lives.
Example: An earthworm’s habitat is moist soil.

16. Niche An organism’s role in the ecosystem.
Includes feeding habits, where it lives in the ecosystem, reproductive behavior, and contribution to its surroundings.
Example: In a pond, a snail scrapes algae from the leaves and stems of plants.

17. Biome
A geographical area described by its climate, plants, and animals.
The temperature and moisture in a biome determines which plants will grow there.
Biomes may be terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water) biomes.

18. Land (terrestrial) Biomes
Plant and Animal groups are determined by the major climate zones of the earth.
They are sometimes modified by local land and water conditions.
The presence or absence of water is a major limiting factor.
Climate conditions and communities are affected by
latitude (distance north or south of the equator) and
altitude (distance above or below sea level).

19. Terrestrial (Land) Biomes
Tundra (polar)
Taiga (coniferous forest)
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Grassland (savanna)
Desert

20. Tundra (Polar) Permanently frozen subsoil.
Animals: Caribou, snowy owl, arctic foxes
Plants: Lichens, mosses, grasses
Tundra Video

21. Taiga (Coniferous Forest)
Long, severe winters; summers with thawing of subsoil.
Animals: Moose, black bear
Plants: Coniferous Trees (produce their seeds in cones) spruce, fir, hemlock, cedar, and pine trees
Taiga Video

22. Temperate Deciduous Forest
Deciduous Forest Video
Moderate precipitation; cold winters, warm summers.
Animals: Gray squirrel, fox, deer, raccoons
Plants: Trees that shed leaves (deciduous trees), oak, beech, maple, elm trees

23. Tropical Rain Forest Heavy rainfall; constant warmth.
Animals: Snake, monkey, leopard, parrots
Plants: Many species of broad-leaved plants, bamboo, ferns
Tropical Rain Forest Video

24. Grassland (Savanna)
Rainfall and temperature vary; strong prevailing winds.
Animals: Antelope, prairie dog, bison, hawks
Plants: Grasses, cereal grains
Grassland (Savanna) Video

25. Desert Little rainfall; extreme daily temperature changes.
Animals: Lizard, kangaroo rat, coyotes, camels
Plants: Drought-resistant shrubs and plants, cactus
Desert Video

27. Water (aquatic) Biomes
Include marine (saltwater) and freshwater biomes.
Make up the largest ecosystem on earth.
More than 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, and more organisms live in water than live on land.
Water biomes are typically more stable than land biomes.
The temperature varies less because of the ability of water to absorb and hold heat.

28. Factors Affecting Water Biomes
Amounts of available oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Temperature and light.
Amounts of dissolved minerals and suspended particles.

29. Aquatic (water) Biomes
Marine (saltwater)
Freshwater

30. Marine (saltwater) Oceans, Intertidal Zones
Hold large quantities of solar heat
Help to stabilize the earth’s atmosphere
Contain a constant supply of nutrients and dissolved salts
Much of the photosynthesis on earth is carried out by algae near the surface of the oceans and coastal waters.
Light penetrates through water to a depth of 30 meters. Photosynthesis does not occur at greater depths.

31. Freshwater Less than 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water.
Ponds, Swamps, Lakes, Streams, and Rivers will vary by:
Size
Speed of current
Temperature
Concentration of dissolved gasses and suspended particles
Rate of change