Populations and Communities
HABITAT: An environment that provides the things an organism needs to
, and
.
o
One area may contain many
o
Organisms live in different habitats because they have different needs for
BIOTIC FACTORS: the
,
parts of a habitat (
,
parts of a habitat (
,
)
ABIOTIC FACTORS: the
,
,
,
,
belongs to a
: All the members of one
species in a particular area (all the pigeons in NYC)
combine to form
: All the populations that live together
in an area. Organisms must interact. (holes of prairie dogs are
used by burrowing owls)
combine to form
: the community of organisms
that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving
surroundings (prairie, deep oceans, evergreen forest)
)
Interactions Among Living Things
Natural Selection

A

Nature “

The

The result is an
makes an individual better suited to its
“ this individual to survive
is passed on to its young
o
and/or
that allow organisms to live successfully in an environment
NICHE: the role of an

The

How it obtains

Which other

When and how the organism

The
use the organism for food
it needs to survive
compete for
resources
Organisms may share resources (one hunts
hunts

. Can include
it eats
Competition:

in its
, one
)
Organisms may use different
(birds eat
at different areas of a tree)
Predator-Prey Relationships

Predator: the

Prey: the

When predator population is

As predator population
(It “prays” it won’t get caught.)
, prey population is
, prey population
Examples of predator adaptations
Cheetahs run
.
Bats use
Jellyfish have
Some plants are
to catch insects
Examples of prey adaptations
Skunks have
Bright colors warn that they are
Camouflage (walking leaf insect)
Protective
(African pangolin)
Mimicry (hawkmoth caterpillar, coral snake vs. milk snake)
Roles of Organisms
: an organism that can make its own food (autotrophs)
CONSUMERS: an organism that gets its
from eating other organisms

: only eats plants

: only eats animals (meat)

: eats plants and meat
Decomposers: breaks down wastes and dead organisms (bacteria and fungi)
Food chains: a list of what eats what starting with producers
Food Webs:
food chains
Cycles of Matter
Water Cycle
Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
BIOME: a group of land
with similar
and
.
Six major biomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
It is mostly the climate in an area that determines its biome.
and
-
Rainforest Biome
Rainforest: Tropical

Found above and below the

Tropical rainforests are

Humidity is

Yearly rainfall ranges from
.
all year long (average
)
.
. It can rain as much as 2
inches an
.
Rainforest: Temperate

Temperate rainforests are
, but not as
as tropical
rainforests

Found along the coasts in ”
“ regions
from
o


to Oregon
Inches of rain per year
The temperatures are
and there are usually
seasons: a long wet
and a short drier
Plants in the Rainforest

EPIPHYTES: plants that live on the
the
and
o

of other plants, especially
.
Examples: mosses, orchids
Trees in temperate rainforests are mostly
for up to
years
and can live

Trees in tropical rainforests are more
and live for 50-100
years

Trees in tropical rainforests have
,
bark to aid in
water absorption and prevent epiphytes from growing

Trees has
roots and grow tall to reach the sunlight. Many
trees have
.
Zones of a Tropical Rainforest

: top layer, contains
the tallest trees.

: contains trees that
are 60-150 feet tall. The branches connect and
form a ”
o
“
Vines climb up the trees to reach the
.

: dark, cool area
below the canopy but above the ground. Shaded
from much of the

.
: bottom layer.
Contains fallen,
plants and trees. Many
live here
Temperate rainforests have all the zones except the
layer.
Animals of the Rainforest

Tropical rainforests are home to

Animals are

Most animals live in the
the plant and animal species on the planet
to live in the trees. (birds, monkeys, snakes, etc.)
and some never travel to the forest
floor.

Birds are important because they

Insects make up the
rainforests
the seeds.
single group of animals that live in tropical
Desert Biome

Covers about

There are
of the earth’s suface
and
deserts
o
Is the largest desert in the world
o
in Africa is the largest of the hot deserts

Two seasons:

Deserts are

Average rainfall is usually

Rain is often
or comes in

Plant
are shallow and widely spread to
and
: extremely dry area that receives little moisture
inches
concentrated bursts
water
quickly

Plants are good at storing
and many have seeds that can stay
until there is enough rain to grow

Plants include:
,
, sagebrush, and
ocotillo
Grassland Biome

Also known as

Composed mostly of

Average yearly rainfall is
inches of water

Very large
swings in the prairie

The
in the US and
in Africa
with a few scattered
has a 4-6 month dry winter with a
month wet summer


The Savanna has
,
horses, giraffes, etc. Think “
“
The prairie has bison, antelope, birds, gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes, and insects. Most
animals on the prairie are

,
Summers can be very
and lightning strikes can start
fires
Deciduous Forests

This is our biome here in

Also known as

: plants that shed their leaves in winter, trees become
dormant in winter

Five zones of trees
: trees can be 60-100 feet (oak, elm, maple,
o
etc.)
o
: younger, shorter trees
o
: mountain laurel, huckleberries, etc.
o
: short herbal plants like ferns
o
: non-vascular plants

Four
due to the tilt of the earth

Yearly rainfall is
inches, just behind the rainforest

Animals need to
for winter
o
Bears
o
Birds migrate to
o
Animals’ fur changes
climates, like the rainforest
in the winter
Boreal Forest

Also known as
or

Long cold
and short wet

Winter days are
and summer days are
forest
due to the tilt of the earth

Yearly precipitation is

Relatively little plant
inches
. The most common type of tree is
the

(
)
Animals include squirrels, small mammals such as ermine and moles, and grazing
animals such as deer, moose, elk, and hares.

and
provide breeding grounds for
insects in summer and many
migrate to the boreal forest
in summer
Tundra Biome

Covers about

The word tundra comes from a Finnish word that means
of the land on earth

Located in the

and
of all the biomes on the
earth

Yearly rainfall is less than

Winter temps can be as low as

Summer days are
rarely get above

inches
long and summer temperatures
.
: permanently frozen soil. The top 6 inches of soil
thaws and becomes soggy but the bottom layer of gravel stays frozen all year long.

Plants include

Animals include lemmings, caribou, hares, polar bears, seals, walrus
and