What is Ecology?
Ecology is the study of the relationships between living things and their environments.
Environment is everything around you. Living elements and non-living elements.
Interactions
How do you depend on cattle, and how do they depend on you?
we depend on cattle for food (meat, milk), clothing (leather, suede), fertilizer (manure)
cattle depend on us for food, water, shelter, protection
How do you interact with the trees......what do they do for you and what do you do for them?
trees provide us with oxygen, lumber, pulp & paper products, food, medicines
we provide trees with carbon dioxide
How do the cattle interact with the grass and does the grass need them?
cattle depends on grass for food
grass depends on cattle for fertilization (manure)
How do the trees and cattle depend on the soil?
Trees depend on soil for nutrients, water, stabilization
Cattle depend on soil for growth of food
How do the plants and animals depend on the air?
Plants and animals need gases in the air
How do plants and animals affect the air?
Plants take carbon dioxide from the air producing oxygen (photosynthesis)
Animals take oxygen from the air producing carbon dioxide (respiration)
Levels of Biological Organization
Organ system
Organ
Population
Community
Is a group of members of the same species that live and in the same
area
Is made up of populations of different species that live and interact in an area
Ecosystem
Biome
Biosphere
Is a large geographical area that contains similar ecosystems ex. aquatic
Is the part of the planet, including water, land and air, where life exists.
What is a species?
A group who’s members can breed and create new offspring that can reproduce.
BIOSPHERE: Read pgs. 18-19 Investigating Science textbook and copy or create a diagram that illustrates the
relationship between the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. Be sure to include labels and
very brief descriptions beside any images you create or copy.
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Atmosphere
lithosphere – the hard part of the Earth’s surface (the Earth’s crust)
atmosphere – the layer of gases above the Earth’s surface
hydrosphere – all the water found on Earth, including lakes, oceans, ground water (even the frozen water and
water that is in gas form in the air)
biosphere – the regions of Earth where living organisms exist
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is an interacting system that consists of groups of organisms and their non-living environment.
Biotic
Abiotic
Non- Living
Living
_________--
Biotic: [6 Kingdoms of Life]
_________--
_________--
1) Animals
2) Plants
e.g./ mammals, Includes all
birds, reptiles,
plants, both
fish, etc.
terrestrial and
aquatic
3) Fungi
4) Protists
5) Bacteria
6) Archaea
e.g./
mushrooms,
molds, yeasts,
truffles
e.g./ amoeba,
euglena,
paramecium,
etc. Single
celled but has a
nucleus
Also known as
“Eubacteria” or
true bacteria.
No true
nucleus.
Also knows as
“Archaebacteria”,
live in extreme
environments
like very hot or
cold, high sulphur
conditions.
No true nucleus.
Abiotic:
Water
soil
temperature
wind/air
light (sun)
rock
Sustainable Ecosystem Definition
An ecosystem that can be manipulated at a constant level without damage to the environment or depletion of natural
resources and support a variety of organisms indefinitely.
Sometimes human disturbance can threaten the sustainability of an ecosystem by causing change to occur too rapidly
for it to recover naturally.

In the boxes below, DRAW A PICTURE of what you envision a SUSTAINABLE FOREST ECOSYSTEM to look
like. Then draw a picture of how that ecosystem would look if it were non-sustainable.
Sustainable Ecosystem
Non-Sustainable Ecosystem