SUMMER SCHOOL – BIO B
NAME: _________________________________
Ecology: Connections in Nature
I.
Ecology
A. Ecology – from the Greek oikos (“house” or “place to live”)
B. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with one another in their environment.
C. Ecology deals mainly with the interactions between organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems,
and the environment.
II.
Organisms and Species
A. An organism is a form of life. Organisms can be classified into species
B. Scientists have no concrete idea how many species exist on earth. Estimates range between 5 million to
100 million species exist (most microscopic organisms and insects)
C. So far scientists have named only about 1.4 million species.
III.
Populations and Biological Communities
A. A population is a group of individuals of the same species occupying a given area at the same time
B. Ex. Cactus in the desert, frogs in a pond
C. In most populations individuals of the same species vary in their genetic makeup – they don’t all look
alike.
D. This is called genetic diversity. It is crucial if a population is to survive.
E. The place where an organism normally lives is its habitat.
F. Populations of all the different species occupying a particular habitat make up a biological community.
IV.
Ecosystems
A. An ecosystem is a community of different species interacting with one another in a non-living
environment
B. All of the earth’s ecosystems/biomes together make up the biosphere
C. Climate– long term weather – is the main factor in determining what type of life can live in a certain
area.
D. Biomes are large regions characterized by certain climate and inhabited by certain types of animals and
vegetation.
V.
Biodiversity
A. Biodiversity (biological diversity) means different kinds of life.
1. Genetic Diversity– the variability in genetic make up within a population
2. Species Diversity– the variety of species on earth
3. Ecological Diversity – all the different types of biological communities on earth. Ex. Wetlands,
forests, estuaries.
Name: _______________________________
ECOLOGY WORKSHEET
Match the following words.
_______ 1. Species
_______ 2. Population
_______ 3. Biosphere
_______ 4. Community
_______ 5. Ecosystem/Biome
_______ 6. Organisms
a. Individual form of life
b. Biomes together make up this
c. A group of individuals of the same species
occupying a given area at the same time
d. Population of different species occupying a
particular habitat
e. Collection of same organisms are
f. Community of different species interacting with
one another in a non living environment
For you food web project you had to find an article or current event about how human activity
or pollution affected you biome. In the space below right down your article name or website
address.
1. Summarize in one or two paragraphs what your article was about.
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2. Hypothesize what would happen if a species in your food web became instinct due to
human activity/ pollution. What would happen to the genetic, species or ecological
diversity?
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Name: _______________________________
Ecological Pyramid
The diagram below shows how to organize an ecological pyramid. Using your Food Web project organisms construct a
ecological pyramid in the empty diagram below. You DO NOT have to draw the animals, but you must label, producer,
primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, autotroph, and heterotrophs. Also title your pyramid.
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