Name _________________________________________________________________ Period ________
_____________ factors- all living organisms inhabiting the Earth
_____________ factors- nonliving parts of the environment (i.e. temperature, soil, light, moisture, rocks)
Levels of Organization in Ecology
• Organism → ______________________ → Population → Community → Ecosystem → ___________________ →
Biosphere
• Species - Group of organisms so similar to one another that they can ________________ and produce
______________________ offspring.
• Population - Groups of individuals that belong to the same ____________________ and live in the same
____________________.
• Communities - Assemblages of different _____________________ that live together in a defined area.
• Ecosystem - Collection of all _____________ and nonliving things in a determined place.
• Biome - Group of ecosystems that have the same ____________________ and similar dominant
________________________________.
• Biosphere – Part of the planet in which all life exists, including land, water, and air (All _______________ combined).
– It extends from about 8 kilometers above Earth's surface to as far as 11 kilometers below the surface of the ocean.
Niche
• Niche – An organism’s niche describes its role or _________________ in the ecosystem
• The niche describes the _____________________ of the organism in the food chain
• Can be compared to a person’s _____________________________
Eat and Be Eaten
1.
Decomposer– break down dead organic matter __________________________
• Includes: &
2.
Detritivore - _____________ on plant and animal remains
• Includes:
1.
maggots
2.
dung beetles
3.
________________________________
4.
sow bugs (rolly polly)
Food Chain vs. Food Web
1.
Food Chains follow just ____________ path as animals find food.
2.
Food Webs follows _______ possible energy paths
***Both food chains and food webs show the ______________of energy in an ecosystem.

Trophic Levels
• Trophic Levels - corresponds to the different ________________ or ________________ in the food chain.
– Represents the feeding ________________________ in a food chain such as primary producers, herbivore, primary carnivore, etc.
Food Chains Always Begin With _________________________ And End With ____________________.
Matter vs. Energy
• Matter – Has _____________, takes up __________________, is usually a “thing”
• Energy – Not like matter, does ___________ have mass,
_______________________take up space, energy moves matter
– Forms of energy: light, heat, sound, motion, and ___________________________
How Much Energy is Passed On?
• Only 10% is passed on to the next trophic ____________________
• The other 90% is lost/given off as ________________
Food Chains: Matter and Energy
• As you go along a food chain, the matter and energy ________________________.
• This can be represented in a ________________________.
Pyramids
• Pyramids are ___________________ at the bottom…more matter and energy are at the bottom of the pyramid!
• Ecological Pyramid - Diagram that shows the ____________________ amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web.
Two Types of Ecological Pyramids
1.
Pyramid of Biomass – Represents the biomass at each ____________________ level
 Biomass – Total amount of living
________________ within a trophic level
 Usually expressed in grams per unit area.
 As you go along a food chain, the amount of ___________________ decreases!
2.
Pyramid of Numbers – Represents the
_______________________ of organisms at each trophic level
 As you go further down a food chain, the numbers of organisms ____________________ because there is less energy available!
 Exception - If you have a large producer such as a tree), the pyramid of numbers may look _____________________ in shape.

Name ___________________________________________________________________ Period ________
Symbiotic Relationships
• Symbiotic Relationships – Interactions between two or more organisms; Two different species
__________________ a relationship (interact) in order to ensure ___________________________
Predation
• The capturing of _____________ as a means of maintaining life
– One organism benefits; One organism is _____________________
Parasitism
• One organism (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is _____________________, but is still _________________.
– Examples – ________________ and a dog, mosquitos and humans, __________________________ infections such as a sore throat
• Because the parasite needs the _______________ to remain alive, it is typically advantageous for the parasite NOT to ____________ its host
Mutualism
• Relationship that benefits ________________ species.
– Examples of Mutualism
1.
_____________________
2.
Seed Dispersal
3.
_____________________
Commensalism
• When one species benefits from the relationship and the second species is ______________________.
• Examples -Barnicles and ________________________
Carrying Capacity
• _____________________ of species that can be _______________________________ by an ecosystem.
• Population Growth is Represented by one of two graphs:
– Exponential - individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate (Ideally happens IF there are unlimited resources) = (J-curve)
– Logistic – The growth of a population slows or stops as resources become less available (Scurve) ***This is what our Population is represented with***
Factors that Affect Population Size
1.
Number of _______________
2.
Number of _______________
3.
Number of individuals that enter or leave a population
– __________________ = movement of individuals INTO an area (growth)
– __________________ = movement of individuals OUT of an area (shrink)
Limiting factor - any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment.

Limiting factors: a. Density independent: factors that affect all members of the population ___________ if population is dense or not.
 Natural disasters: floods, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes, mudslides, pollution, habitat destruction b. Density dependent: factors that affect ________________ populations
 EX: competition, predation, crowding and stress, parasitism, and disease
Competition
• Competition – A ____________________ between organisms for the same ________________________; The fitness of one of the organisms is __________________________ by the presence of another.
– Limited supply of at least one ________________________ used by both organisms is required
• Example: Animals compete for food, mating, or ______________________ and plants can compete for water, food, minerals, ___________________________.
Predators
• Organism that ___________________ and _______________ other organisms.
– Can be _________________________ or omnivores
• The Importance of Predators
– We need them to control the ______________________________
– They also get rid of weak, crippled, stupid, stunted, and diseased organisms (survival of the fittest)
Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances. Succession is a series of predictable ______________ that occurs in a community over ____________.
Causes:
1. _________________________________________ land
2. Climate ___________________________________
3. Introduce nonnative species
4. ______________________________________________________________
 Natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary
1.
Primary succession a.
Begins in a place ___________________________________________(Ie. )
Called Pioneer species b.
Starts with the arrival of living things such as ______________ that don’t need soil to survive c.
Lichens add organic matter and break down rock into soil d.
Then simple plants like ________________ & ___________________ start to grow in new soil e.
Simple plants start to die, soil thickens allowing flowering plants to begin to grow then small shrubs and trees, then ______________ and small animals can survive.
2.
Secondary Succession a.
Begins in a place ____________________________________ and once was home of living organisms b.
Occurs faster and has different pioneer species than primary succession. (ie. )
Climax Community
A ______________ group of plants and animals that are the end result of succession.
_ Grasses in ____________________ or ___________________in deserts.

Name _________________________________________________________________ Date_______________________ Period _________
Why is Carbon important?
• All _________________ things are made of carbon!!!
–
–
Carbon Does Not Stay Still – It Is On the Move!
1.
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to some oxygen in a gas called ______________
______________________.
2.
Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and grow. The carbon becomes part of the plant.
3.
Animals consume plants. The carbon becomes part of the ______________________.
4.
Plants that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like _______________ and oil over millions of years.
5.
When humans _______________ fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as
________________________________.
Photosynthesis
 Using light energy, plants combine carbon dioxide (CO
2
) from the atmosphere and water (H
2
0) to form ____________________ and ________________________ in the process of photosynthesis.
 What is Sugar (Glucose) Used For? sunlight
Carbon Dioxide + Water → Sugar + Oxygen
1.
Source of _________________________
2.
Building _______________________ for other compounds such as proteins, oils, and starches.
Respiration
 In respiration, the compounds containing carbon are ________________________________, and carbon dioxide is ______________________________.
 Plants, _________________________, and microorganisms all carry out respiration!
Is the Carbon Cycle Balanced?
• The Carbon-Oxygen cycle is _____________ of balance.
• There is more carbon dioxide being _________________________ into the atmosphere than is being
_________________________.
Combustion
• Most of the carbon dioxide is produced during the process of ________________________ called
combustion.
• When compounds containing carbon (wood, coal, or oil) are burned, the carbon is chemically combined with oxygen, and _________________________________is released.
• The use of carbon dioxide by plants during photosynthesis is a much ____________________ process.

• As a result of the imbalance between these two processes, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is ______________________.
Decomposers
• When organisms die, decomposers break down the _____________________ compounds in their bodies, and carbon dioxide is _______________________ to the atmosphere.
• During decomposition (decay), other chemicals are also ____________________ to the soil or released into the air. One of these chemicals is ____________________.
Nitrogen
• Plants and animals need nitrogen to make ______________________.
• How Do PLANTS Get Nitrogen?
– Special _________________________, in the soil and water, must change or “fix” nitrogen gas (N
2
) into nitrogen ________________________ (NO
3-
) or ammonium ions (NH
4+
) that plants can
_________________.
– These bacteria are called nitrogen-fixers.
• Most nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in little houses, or _________________, on the
__________________ of plants called legumes.
• Legumes - Members of a large family of plants that include _______________, beans, alfafa, and ___________________.
• Nitrogen Fixers have a ____________________________ relationship with the plants
• The plants provide food and cover for the bacteria, and the bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ______________________ for the plant.
• How Do ANIMALS Get Nitrogen?
– Animals get nitrogen from plants or from other plant-eating animals, in the _________________ of protein.
– Animals must ____________ protein to get nitrogen! We can’t _____________________ in nitrogen!
How is Nitrogen Recycled?
 Nitrogen is recycled by special ______________________ that break down the nitrogen compounds
(proteins) in _________________ plants and animals, and in animal wastes.
 If plants do ________ use the nitrogen compounds as fertilizer, special forms of bacteria may
____________________ it. These bacteria convert the unused fertilizer into nitrogen ___________ and release it into the atmosphere.
Lightning and the Nitrogen Cycle
• Lightning plays a __________________ role in the nitrogen cycle.
• Lightning _________________________ nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere.
– The “fixed” nitrogen, (which is dissolved in the _______________) enters the _________________.
• The burning of ___________________________________ is another source of nitrogen.
– Combustion causes nitrogen and oxygen to _________________________ creating nitrogen oxides
(NOx).