Introduction to Ecology
Terminology
What is Ecology?

ecology is the study of the interaction of
the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving)
things
◦ biotic = ie: plants, animals, bacteria
◦ abiotic = ie: soil, wind, sunlight, temperature

all living things interact with abiotic
factors
Biological Organization
living things are organized into groups
which interact with each other in specific
ways to form the ecosystem
 an INDIVIDUAL (1 living organism) is
part of a POPULATION of organisms that
are the same
 several populations will interact and form
a COMMUNITY
 many communities will form an
ECOSYSTEM which will form a BIOME

Types of Ecosystems

in this class, we’ll be looking at 2 different
ecosystems:
◦ 1) Terrestrial ecosystem = land
◦ 2) Aquatic ecosystem = water
there are several more but we’ll focus on
local ecosystems (ie: schoolyard, pond)
 both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
interact with each other to create a
healthy biosphere

Other Terms used in Ecology

the ENVIRONMENT refers to an
organism’s surrounding
◦ includes both biotic and abiotic factors
◦ how an organism interacts with its environment
affects its growth, reproduction, and feeding
habits

for an ecosystem to be considered
healthy, it has to have lots of
BIODIVERSITY
◦ many different living organisms
Homework
Worksheet: Review Questions
 Activity: Comparing Ecosystems

◦ “Science 10” – pages 28 – 29
 answer a) – m)
 answer Understanding Questions #1 – 3