1. End Show Slide 1 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Ecosystems

2. End Show Slide 2 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Levels of Organization Ecosystem Community Population Individual Biome Biosphere

3. End Show Slide 3 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Levels of Organization A species is a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. Populations are groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. Communities are assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.

4. End Show Slide 4 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Levels of Organization An ecosystem is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment. A biome is a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities. The highest level of organization that ecologists study is the entire biosphere itself.

5. End Show Slide 5 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Biotic and Abiotic Factors The area where an organism lives is called its habitat. A habitat includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors.

6. End Show Slide 6 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall The Niche A niche is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. No two species can share the same niche in the same habitat

7. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 7 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Producers Sunlight is the main energy source for life on Earth.

8. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 8 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Producers Only plants, some algae, and certain bacteria can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food. These organisms are called autotrophs. Because they make their own food, autotrophs are called producers.

9. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 9 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Consumers Many organisms cannot harness energy directly from the physical environment. Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply are called heterotrophs. Heterotrophs are also called consumers.

10. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 10 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Consumers There are many different types of heterotrophs. Herbivores eat plants. Carnivores eat animals. Omnivores eat both plants and animals. Decomposers, like bacteria and fungi, break down organic matter.

11. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 11 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships Food Webs and Chains

12. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 12 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs (producers) and then to various heterotrophs (consumers).

13. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 13 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships Food Chains A food chain is a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.

14. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 14 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships In some marine food chains, the producers are microscopic algae and the top carnivore is four steps removed from the producer. Algae Zooplankton Small Fish Squid Shark

15. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 15 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships Food Webs Ecologists describe a feeding relationship in an ecosystem that forms a network of complex interactions as a food web. A food web links all the food chains in an ecosystem together.

16. End Show 3–2 Energy Flow Slide 16 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Feeding Relationships This food web shows some of the feeding relationships in a salt-marsh community.

17. End Show - or - Continue to: Click to Launch: Slide 17 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 3–2

18. End Show Slide 18 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 3–2 The main source of energy for life on Earth is a.organic chemical compounds. b.inorganic chemical compounds. c.sunlight. d.producers.

19. End Show Slide 19 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 3–2 Organisms that feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter are a.detritivores. b.carnivores. c.herbivores. d.autotrophs.

20. End Show Slide 20 of 41 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall 3–2 How does a food web differ from a food chain? a.A food web contains a single series of energy transfers. b.A food web links many food chains together. c.A food web has only one trophic level. d.A food web shows how energy passes from producer to consumer.

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