Ecology Organization Unit – Mr. Wise
I.
Classification of Living Organisms
a. Taxonomy – is the science of naming and classifying organisms based
on their similarities and differences
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
i. Kingdom – the most general grouping and contains the greatest
number of species.
ii. Species – the most specific and contains only one type of
organism
iii. Binomial Nomenclature - “two word naming system”
1. Genus name is capitalized, species name is not, and both
names are in italics
Dog – Canis domesticus
Coyote – Canis latrans
b. Kingdoms:
i. Monera - divided into Archaebacteria and Eubacteria
1. Includes bacteria and blue green algae.
2. Single celled organisms that do not have a nucleus, they
do have a cell wall
ii. Protista
1. Amoebas, euglenas, and algae
2. Most are single celled organisms with a nucleus and no
cell wall
iii. Fungi
1. Mushrooms, yeasts, and molds
2. Yeasts are single celled, most others are multicellular
3. Have a cell wall and a nucleus, are decomposers
iv. Plantae
1. Mosses, ferns and trees
2. Multicellular, has a cell wall, a nucleus, and make their
own food by absorbing sunlight
v. Animalia
1. Worms, shellfish, insects, and mammals
2. Multicellur, have a cell membrane (no cell wall), have a
nucleus, eat other life-forms for their nutrition, most
can move about freely
c. Vascular Plants – have specialized tissues that carry water and food,
includes trees, bushes, and flowers
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Ecology Organization Unit – Mr. Wise
i. Xylem – carries water and minerals from the roots to the rest
of the plant
ii. Phloem – carries food that the plant makes through
photosynthesis to the rest of the plant
iii. Cambium – divides the xylem from the phloem
d. Nonvascular Plants – do not have such tissues, includes moss and
liverworts
i. Do not have specialized tissues to move food and water from
areas of greater to lower concentration
ii. Tend to dry out quickly, grow best in damp, shady places
e. Body Plans - Animals have different types of body plans that meet the
demands of their environments.
II.
i. All members of phylum Arthropoda have a hard outer shell and
jointed legs. Insects, spiders, and crabs are all types of
arthropods.
1. Invertebrates – an animal without a backbone
ii. All members of phylum Chordata start out their lives with a
notochord – a long, flexible rod that runs along a central nerve
cord. Inside vertebrates, the notochord develops into a spinal
column with vertebrae.
1. Vertebrates – an animal with a skull and backbone;
includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish
Functions of Life
a. Homeostasis- The condition of a constant internal environment.
b. Metabolism - all the chemical reactions occurring within the cells of an
organism is called metabolism.
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Stopped Eating Grapes
c. Respiration all life processes requires a constant supply of energy.
i. Aerobic respiration - sugar or another food substance is broken
down to produce water and carbon dioxide. This requires oxygen
from the air.
ii. Anaerobic respiration - when organisms break down food
without using oxygen
d. Transport- process by which substances enter and leave cells and
become distributed within the cells.
e. Regulation - all the activities that help to maintain an organism’s
homeostasis make up the process of regulation.
f. Nutrition - organism takes materials from its external environment
and changes them into forms it can use.
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i. Autotrophs - Organisms can produce complex nutrients from
simple substances found in the environment.
ii. Heterotrophs - Organisms cannot make their own nutrients so
they obtain them ready made from the environment.
g. Reproduction - the process by which living things produce new living
things of their own kind
i. Asexual - a single individual produces offspring that are
identical to that parent.
ii. Sexual - there are 2 parents, the offspring are not identical to
either parent.
h. Synthesis - involves the chemical processes by which large molecules
are built from smaller molecules.
i. Excretion-the process where waste products of metabolism (when all
life functions are considered together, the chemical and biological
activities collectively are known as metabolism) are removed from the
organism.
j. Growth- involves increase in cell number and cell size. Cell growth
requires the manufacture of chemical components.
III.
Planet Earth – Our Home. In order to care for our home, we need to
understand how it works. The design of our Universe is consistent. The
interaction between the different parts provides for a perfect environment
that supports life.
Earth – 3rd planet from the Sun; its characteristics are determined by the
planet’s density, composition, and distance from the sun.
a. Atmosphere – the layer of air that surrounds Earth;
i. Troposphere – contains most of the gas molecules, water vapor
and weather occurs here
ii. Stratosphere – upper region contains the Ozone layer
iii. Ozone layer – layer that filters out most of the ultraviolet (UV)
radiation given off by the sun; without it, most of life on Earth
would be destroyed
iv. Mesosphere – Coldest layer of the atmosphere
v. Thermosphere – outermost layer of the atmosphere
vi. Exosphere – space just above atmosphere
b. Hydrosphere – all parts of Earth made up of water
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i. Surface water – 70% of Earth
ii. Oceans – 97% salt water, some lakes
iii. Lakes, ponds, streams, underground – 3% fresh water
iv. Frozen glaciers, ice caps – 2/3 of fresh water
v. Groundwater – beneath the surface, moves very slowly
1. Aquifer – porous rock that contains water, humans use
c. Lithosphere – the layer of land that forms Earth’s surfaces; three
main types of rocks
i. Igneous rock – when hot rock cools at the surface; volcanic lava
forms basalt; molten material forms granite
ii. Sedimentary rock – rock breaks down, sediments carried away
by wind and water, settle down in layers, become compressed
and cemented together; limestone and sandstone
iii. Metamorphic rock – pressure and heat change rocks from
igneous, sedimentary or other metamorphic into new rocks;
gneiss, marble and slate
d. Biosphere – all parts of Earth that supports and contains life from the
floor of the ocean to the tops of the highest mountains; includes air,
water, and land where organism can live, both above and below the
ground
i. All organisms obtain materials they need to live
ii. Organisms – all living things (identified by 8 specific
characteristics)
iii. Species – group of organisms that can breed with one another
iv. Adaptations – inherited characteristics that result from
changes in a species over time due to environmental pressures
(natural and manmade)
IV.
Ecology
a. Ecology is a branch of science which studies the interactions between
organisms and their environments.
b. Environment – everything that surrounds an organism. Provides food,
water, shelter, air, and other resources organisms need to live
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c. Biotic factors are environmental factors related to or produced by
living organisms (humans, microbes, plants, birds, mushrooms, insects,
etc ) which impact other living organisms.
d. Abiotic factors are nonliving factors or elements (e.g., light, water,
heat, rock, energy, mineral) which impact living organisms.
V.
Needs of Organisms – every kind of organism has different set of specific
needs, but all have the same needs in common: water, energy, living space, and
suitable climate
a. Air – a mixture of different gases, including oxygen and carbon
dioxide.
i. Animals, plants, and most other living things use oxygen
ii. Green plants, algae, and some bacteria need carbon dioxide gas
in addition to oxygen.
b. Water – Fresh water necessary to support life
i. Cells of almost all organisms are approximately 70% water.
ii. Most chemical reactions involved in metabolism require water.
iii. Rainfall on area of land directly affects the characteristics and
abundance of life in the area
iv. Water quality – organisms, especially those which live in or
directly depend on water; temperature, nutrients, dissolved
oxygen, chemicals, and kinds and numbers of organisms
determine water quality and affect life of organisms
c. Nutrients – all the substances that an organism requires from food;
food provides energy, has minerals, vitamins and other chemicals
i. Producers – aka autotrophs – green plants and other organisms
that produce their own food; captures energy from sunlight or
inorganic substances to produce food, make energy available for
other organisms; photosynthesis
ii. Consumers– aka heterotrophs – organisms that obtain energy by
consuming other organisms
d. Energy – all living things get their energy from the sun (directly with
producers or indirectly (consumers)
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i. Photosynthesis – plants and algae make food by capturing
energy from sunlight, animals and other organisms get their
energy by eating plants or other animals
CO2 + H2O + light energy  C6H12O6 + O2
1. Chloroplasts – an organelle found in plant and algae cells
where photosynthesis occurs
ii. Cellular Respiration – the process of producing ATP in the cell
from oxygen and glucose; releases carbon dioxide and water
C6H12O6 + O2  CO2 + H2O + energy (ATP)
1. ATP – Adenosine Triphosphate is the major fuel used for
all cell activities. Stored in food molecules such as
carbohydrates and fats.
2. In most organisms, cellular respiration occurs in the
mitochondria. Aerobic respiration produces 36 ATP,
anaerobic respiration produces 2 ATP.
3. Fermentation – break down of sugars to make ATP
without oxygen. In muscle cells of most organisms,
fermentation produces lactic acid. In bacteria and yeast,
fermentation produces carbon dioxide and alcohol.
e. Living Space – space to live that allows organism to get the materials
they need from the environment
i. Territory – area claimed as living space by individual animals or
groups of animals
ii. Space provides food, water, shelter, mates, and sunlight
iii. Size is dependent on dependent on animals needs
f. Climate – average year-to-year conditions of temperature and
precipitation in an area over a long period of time
i. most organisms survive within a certain range of temperatures
ii. Cold-blooded - most organisms’ body temperature is determined
by the environment
iii. Warm-blooded - many organisms maintain a high body
temperature regardless of environment temperature
iv. Homeostasis – the ability of an organism body to regulate its
internal systems
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v. Dormant – organisms method of survival by slowing down life
processes
vi. Hibernation – dormancy, heart rate and breathing slow, body
temperature drops, animal enters a sleep like state; enable
them to go long periods without food
VI.
Organization in the Environment: Biology is generally categorized in different
levels starting with the smallest and widening out to include everything on
Earth.
a. Atom- smallest unit of matter that maintains the properties of an
element
b. Molecule- group of atoms held together by bonds; make up cells
c. Cells- membrane covered structure that contains all materials necessary
for life.
d. Tissues- a group of similar cells that work together to perform a specific
job in the body.
e. Organs- a group of two or more that work together to perform a specific
function in the body.
f. Organ System- a group of organs that work together to perform body
functions
g. Organism- one individual, anything that can independently carry out life
processes.
i. Habitat – area where an organism lives
ii. Niche – the role organism has in its environment (job)
h. Population- a group of individuals of the same species (organism) that live
together in the same area at the same time.
i. Community- all the populations of different species that live and interact
in an area.
i. Competition – strong, larger numbers of organisms have better
access to food, water, space, light within an area
ii. Native species – an organism that is a part of the balance of
nature that has developed over hundreds or thousands of years
in a particular region or ecosystem
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iii. Non-native species – an organism introduced with human help
(intentionally or accidentally) to a new place or new type of
habitat where it was not previously found.
iv. Invasive species – an organism that is both non-native and able
to establish on many sites, grow quickly, and spread to the point
of disrupting communities or ecosystems.
j. Ecosystem a community of living organisms and their nonliving
environment. They are composed of biotic and abiotic components.
k. Biosphere- is the portion of Earth that supports life, consisting of large
masses of air, water and land, the sum of all ecosystems
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