1. Ecology

2. Ecology - the study of the interaction between living things and their environment

3. What is the Biosphere? The portion of the earth in which all living things exist Only about 20Km of total diameter of earth From 11km below oceans surface (hydrosphere) to about 8Km above earth’s surface (atmosphere)

4. Consists of two types of factors Biotic and Abiotic What’s the difference? What are some examples of each?

5. Organized into a hierarchy: Population: all individuals of a certain species within a certain area Community: all the populations of different species within an specific area

6. Many subcategories Ecosystem: includes a community and its physical environment –Includes both biotic and abiotic

7. Many subcategories Biome: includes all the ecosystems in a particular climate –Examples:

8. Individuals have a habitat and a niche Habitat: where an individual organism lives; its home – where is yours? Niche: the role that organism plays in its ecosystem –What is yours?

9. What are some of the niches of the 6 kingdoms?

10. Relationships between organisms Competition: if two individuals occupy the same niche they will compete –Limited resources like? –Only one will win

11. Relationships between organisms Symbiosis: two organisms living in close association –Three types: mutualism, commensalism and parasitism

12. Relationships between organisms Mutualism: both species benefit Example? Why?

13. Commensalism: one benefits; the other is neither hurt nor helped Relationships between organisms

14. Parasitism: one species benefits at the other’s expense Relationships between organisms

15. Predator-Prey Relationship Predator: organism that eats another organism; Receives energy Prey: organism that is eaten; donates energy An organism can be both!

16. To examine ecosystems and biomes we must add in some abiotic components

17. All organisms require Energy As one organism eats another energy moves through ecosystem Forms food chain Many food chains make food web

18. Food Chain

19. Food Web

20. Also depicted by Energy pyramids 100,000J 10,000J 1,000J 100J

21. Additionally we need materials to make up living things Biogeochemical cycles! Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Water All these recycle in unique ways

25. Biomes of the World

27. Succession: the changes an ecosystem goes through over time –Starts simple and the gets more complex –Example: abandoned parking lot

28. Succession Who are the pioneer species? What is a climax community? What are disturbances and how do they affect succession?

29. Carrying Capacity An ecosystem has only enough resources to support a certain number of organisms –This number is the ecosystem’s Carrying Capacity

30. What happens as we approach the carrying capacity?