1. Ecology and Energy Flow

2. Vocabulary  Ecology: the study of the interactions among organisms and their environments  between biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) things  Biosphere: the region of the Earth where life exists, including;  Biotic components (plants, animals, etc.) and  Abiotic components (land, water, air/atmosphere)

3. Levels of Organization in the Biosphere (from smallest to largest)  Species: organisms that can breed & produce fertile offspring  Population: group of the same species that live in the same area  Community: populations of different species living in the same area  Ecosystem: all living things in an area plus their nonliving, physical environment  Biome: group of ecosystems with the same climate

4. Energy Flow  Sunlight is the main source of energy for life on Earth  Autotrophs/producers: use the sun’s energy to produce their own food  Plants, some algae & some bacteria  Heterotrophs/consumers: eat other organisms for food  Animals, fungi

5. Types of Heterotrophs  Herbivores: eat plants  Carnivores: eat animals  Omnivores: eat plants & animals

6. Types of Heterotrophs  Detritivores: eat dead remains of plants & animals  Earthworms  Decomposers: break down organic matter  Bacteria and fungi

7. Energy flows in one direction: SUN >>autotrophs >>heterotrophs  Food chain: Shows one path of energy flow through an ecosystem  Food web: Shows ALL the food chains in an ecosystem

8. Trophic Levels  Steps/levels of energy in the ecosystem  1 st level = primary producers  2 nd level = primary consumers (usually herbivores)  3 rd level = secondary consumers (usually omnivores or carnivores)  And so on...

9. Arrows point in the direction of energy flow  What is a primary consumer?  What is a secondary consumer?  What is the main source of energy?  What is the primary producer?

10. Community Interactions

11. Vocabulary  Habitat: the area where an organism lives, including biotic and abiotic factors  Niche: full range of physical and biological conditions an organism lives in plus how it uses them, includes:  Place in the habitat  Place in the food web  Range of temperature needed for survival  Physical conditions necessary for survival  When and how reproduction occurs

12. Resource Partitioning  Within an ecosystem, there is competition for resources  Water, nutrients, light, food, or space  By occupying different niches, organisms avoid competition  Example: Spruce tree habitat/different species of warblers

14. Mutualism +/+  Both species benefit from the interaction  Honeybees/plants  Remora/shark  Sea anemone/clown fish  Humans/intestinal bacteria

15. Commensalism +/0  One species benefits while the other is unaffected  Barnacle/whale  Orchids/trees

16. Parasitism +/--  One organism benefits by harming the other  Tapeworms/human  Flea/dog  Lice/human