Ecology Notes
Name:
Period:
What are some characteristics of living things?
What are some examples in the environment of important non-living things?
Biotic – ______________ organisms
Abiotic – __________________ matter
All living things (biotic) and non-living things (abiotic) in an environment are
interconnected
Ecology – The study of ____________________ of organisms and their environment
Ecosystem – Interaction of ____________ and __________________ things
ORGANIZATION IN THE ECOSYSTEM
•___________________ the part of the earth where life exists
•__________________ a community of organisms and their non-living environment
•__________________ all the populations of different species (biotic factors) that live
and interact in an area
• ___________________ a group of individuals of the same species that live together
in the same area at the same time
•__________________ anything that can independently carry out life processes
Species - Group of organisms that are __________________ similar and can
________________ with each other and produce _______________ that can also mate
and reproduce.
An _________________ includes biotic and abiotic factors
Habitat - The place an organism is usually found in a ______________; Provides food,
shelter, and other resources an organism needs to survive; the ___________________
are both biotic and abiotic
Niche - The role an organism plays in its environment – no two organisms will have the
same niche! Why? (Describe a niche)
Every organism will fall into only one of the following niches:
1. Producers – organisms that can ______________________ their own food…. for
example, plants.
2. Consumers – organisms that eat other organisms
a. Herbivores____________________________________________
b. Carnivores____________________________________________
c. Omnivores____________________________________________
d. Scavengers____________________________________________
3. Decomposers – organism that _______ __________ dead organisms into simpler
substances puttering nutrients back into the group (mushrooms, bacteria). Also
known as recyclers.
Relationships
 Predator- Prey
 Competition
 Symbiosis
________________ – Animal that captures other animals for food
________________ – The animal being hunted or captured
ENERGY IN THE ECOSYSTEM
_____________________Pathway of food and energy through an ecosystem
_____________________Complex network of feeding relationships – made
up of many interconnected food chains
Energy Pyramid:
Chart showing the _______________ ____ ________through
the food chain
________% of energy is lost per level as you move up pyramid
Always needs to be more ________________ than consumers
Competition: __________________________________________________________
Symbiotic Relationships (3 types = mutualism, parasitism & commensalisms)

_______________________ – Relationship where each organism benefits

_______________________ – Relationship where one organism benefits and the
other one is being hurt

_______________________ - Relationship where one organism benefits and the
other one is not affected.
CHANGES OVER TIME
-
-
Population size is mainly affect by birth rate, death rate, immigration and
emigration
There may be changes in these factors for many reasons:
o ____________________
o ____________________
o ____________________
o ____________________
Limited resources exist
Carrying Capacity- largest ______________________________ that an area and its
_____________________ can support
Adaptations
Behaviors and physical adaptations that allow an organism to __________________ in
its environment
Natural Selection:
Animals that have the ______________________ and adaptations suited for a
____________________ environment survive and produce offspring
Succession
- Succession – the gradual ____________ in a community over _______________
-
Example:
------------------
(Fish & water
plants die &
(frogs, turtles,
plants)
slowly fill
grasses,
in the pond
small shrubs)
-------------------
open water is
(small mammals
completely
birds, & trees)
filtered in
7 LAND BIOMES OF THE WORLD
1. Desert
2. Grassland
3.
4. Coniferous Forest (Taiga)
5.
6. Tropical Rain Forest
7.
WATER BIOMES
I. WATER CYCLE
1. Watershed – a) section of
from which
b) help resupply water reserves
2. Processes of the water cycle:
a.
b.
drains into a river or lake
- water changes from liquid to vapor (gas)
tiny holes called
- evaporation from the leaves of plants (through
)
(forming
- water vapor becomes liquid drops
)
c.
d.
- water that drops to Earth (rain, snow, hail, sleet)
e.
- water that flows over the
f.
- water seeps through the soil and becomes
groundwater
II. EXAMPLES OF WATER BIOMES:
1. MARINE BIOMES – Salt water ______________ & _________divided into many life zones
2. FRESHWATER BIOMES – Usually inland- ______________________________________
3. ESTUARIES
a.
between freshwater and marine biomes
Examples  bays, lagoons, wetlands
b.
is the largest estuary in the U.S.
4. WETLANDS
a. Areas of land that are underwater for extended periods of time, and whose soil
supports water loving plants (
) and animals
b. Types of Wetlands:
1)
- areas usually flooded & support variety of wetland plants and
trees
2)
- low, wet land, often treeless & periodically flooded (as in tidal
zones
3)
- water-logged ground whose soil is made up mostly of layers of
decayed plant matter & whose lack of nutrients leads to many biological
adaptations (Example: carnivorous plants)
c. Wetland Soil:
1) saturated with water
2) upper part is
(lacks oxygen) – only some bacteria can
survive (they produce sulfur compounds  stinks!!)
3) soil is either
4) generally
d. Plants:
1)
(made of dead things) or mineral
in color
- muskgrass, sea lettuce
2)
- cypress, gum, mangrove, tree of heaven
3)
Vegetation - water lilies, American lotus
e. Animals:
1)
- muskrat, beaver, mink, otter
2) Reptiles & Amphibians - alligators, turtles, frogs
3)
- ducks, heron, great egret
f. Importance of Wetlands:
1)
Importance – timber, animal pelts, hunting &
fishing, industries, recreation
2) Habitat for many plants & animals % of endangered animals
depend on wetlands (Example = alligator, great egret)
3) Absorb excess water & prevent
4) Improve water quality – wetland plants
out impurities from
the water and they are then buried deep within the soils
5) Bacteria living in wetlands help recycle
into plants or the atmosphere
(like nitrogen) back