Name: _________________
Characteristics of Life and Ecology Guided Notes (PAP)
I. What is Biology?
a. Biology is the study of __________________
II. The Eight Characteristics of Life
a. Organization & the presence of _____ or more cells
b. Response to a _________________(stimuli)
c. Homeostasis
d. Metabolism: Requires _______________
e. Growth & Development
f. Reproduction
g. Change through : ______________
h. Universal Genetic Code _____
III. Ecology: the study of how living things ___________ of with their physical environment
Ecological Organization
Anything that possesses all of the ________________ of _________
Species: a group of __________ that can mate & produce a _________ offspring
Population: all the members of a __________ that live in one place at one time.
Community: a collection of ________________ populations in an area
Ecosystem: includes all of the organisms & the non-living
environment.
True or False Community members must interact to maintain
balance.
Put the Order of Ecological Organization
from smallest to largest:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
What does an ecosystem need to be self-sustaining?
1. A constant source of ___________ is supplied.
2. Living things use this energy and convert into _________ molecules
3. A cycling of materials between organisms and their environment
1
Resources
Organisms with similar needs may compete with
each other for resources like:
Limiting Factors
1. ________________________
2. ________________________
3. _______________________
4. ________________________
Acclimation: when organisms _____________ to change
Range of Tolerance: the ability of an organism to
withstand __________ in their environment.
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
•
•
Biotic factors: Living Factors of the environment
– Examples Predators, food,
Abiotic factors- the nonliving parts of an environment.
• Examples temperature, moisture, light, and soil.
Nutritional Relationships
Two Types: Autotrophs and ___________________
1. _______________________ organisms that synthesis their own food (___________)
2. Heterotrophs: can _______ synthesize their own foo and are dependent on other
______________ for their food.
Energy flows through Ecosystems
 Producers = ______________________
 _______________ = heterotrophs
Consumers:
•
•
•
•
•
Herbivores
– Eat Only Plants
Carnivores
– Eat Only Other Animals
Omnivores (That’s You)
– Eat Plants & Animals
Detritivores
– Feed On Dead Plant & Animal Remains
Decomposers
– Breaks down organic matter
– Fungi & Bacteria
Types of Carnivores
______________: animals which kill and consume their other animals (prey)
2
__________: animals which are killed by predators
A _________________________ is an animal that feeds on other animals that they have not killed. A
good example of this would be a ___________, ____________ & _____________.
Producer ____________ energy and transforms it into __________________, stored energy from the use of
_____________________ organisms.
Photosynthesis
a. Adds __________ to the _______________
b. Removes ____________ __________________ from the Atmosphere
c. Photoautotroph EXAMPLES
i. One Land
1. ______________________
ii. In The Sea
1. _____________________________
iii. Tidal Flats and Salt Marshes
1. ____________________________________
Chemoautotroph: Capture energy from the ________________ of inorganic _______________
d. No __________ needed
e. Hydrogen _______________
f. The Process is Called: _______________________________
Know the difference between:
Photosynthesis===
Chemosynthesis===
Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiosis: living together with another organism in ___________ association
3 Types
1. Commensalism
2. Mutualism
3. Parasitism
Types of Symbiosis
Commensalism: one organism is ____________ and the other is _____________ (+,0)
What is an example of commensalism? Barnacles on _______________
Define Mutualism: _______ organisms benefit from the association (+,+)
What is an example of mutualism? Nile crocodile & Egyptian plover
Parasitism: the organism benefits at the __________ of the host (+,-)
Examples: ___________ _______________ and _________________
Summary of Symbiotic Relationships
3
Fill in the proper term with its corresponding picture
Feeding Relationships: Energy flow through an ecosystem in ____________ direction.
From ____________ to various levels of consumers.
_________ _________: a single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms that involves the transfer
of ___________.
____________ _____________: Simple energy path through an ecosystem.
____________ ____________: More realistic path through an ecosystem.
Trophic levels:
Each level in a ____________ ____________ or _____________ ____________ is a _____________
______________.
Producers
Always the ___________ trophic level
How _____________ enters the system.
Herbivores
_______________ trophic level
Carnivores/Omnivores
Make up the _____________________ Tropic Levels
__________________ level depends on the one ______________ it for energy
Energy Pyramid: Show the amount of energy _____________ at each trophic level
One use ________ of the energy.
________ is lost as HEAT.
4
Biomass Pyramid: Shows the amount of _____________
organic ______________ at
each trophic level.
Where is
the most
biomass?
________
Pyramid of Numbers: Show the relative
_____________ of ___________________
at each trophic level.
Succession
Succession: a gradual process of change and replacement of populations in a community.
1. Primary Succession: The development of plant communities in an area that has never supported
life. In an area that contains no Soil examples: bare rock, lava flow or glaciers.
•
Pioneer organisms: the first organisms to inhabit a given location
(example: lichens on bare rock)
2. Secondary Succession: is the change of species that follows disruption of an existing community.
In an area that contain soil
Example: created by natural disasters or human activity.
Ecosystems tend to change until a climax community is formed.
Climax community: a community that has reach a stable state.
populations remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment
•
•

ecosystems may reach a point of stability that can last for hundreds or thousands of years
5
Biomes
Define Biome: a large region characterized by a specific type of climate & certain ______ and __
communities. A certain biome may exist in more than one location on earth.
Biomes are ___________________________ or ______________________________.
Biomes are dependent on the following three things:
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
Habitat & Niche
____________ is the place a plant or animal lives
_________________ is an organism role in life
Material Cycles
What happens to materials in a self-sustaining ecosystem? ________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Can the same materials be reused? _____________________
Water Cycle
In the provided space, fill in the proper terms that make up the Water Cycle.
6
Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
In the provided space, fill in the proper terms that make up the Carbon-Oxygen Cycle.
Respiration and Photosynthesis is the processes that are involved in the Carbon-Oxygen Cycles
Nitrogen Cycle
Why do organisms need nitrogen? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
***Living things cannot use nitrogen gas in the air***
How do living things obtain nitrogen? ______________________________________
What is Nitrogen-Fixation? ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What type of organism can “fix” nitrogen so it can be used by other living
things?_____________________________
In what type of plant can these organisms be found? __________________________________
7
In the provided space, fill in the proper terms that make up the Nitrogen Cycle.
Nitrogen Gas (N2)
Nitrogen fixation
Animals
eating
plants
Decomposition
Soil
bacteria
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria in plant roots
Biodiversity
Evolutionary processes have resulted in a diversity of organisms and a diversity of roles in ecosystems.
Define Biodiversity: ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Increased biodiversity increases the ___________ of an _______________.
Increased biodiversity increases the chance that a least some living things will survive.
Population Growth
3 Factors that can affect population growth
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
Define Immigration:__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Define Emigration:___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
8
Logistic growth (J curve) – occurs when a population’s growth _________ or _________ (limits on
growth)
Exponential growth (S curve) – occurs when the individuals in a population ___________________
______________________________________ (no limits on growth)
_____________________ – largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment
can ____________________
•
Limiting factor – a factor that causes population growth to ________________
***Human Disturbances are NOT A limiting factor*** they’re Density-Independent factors
Density-dependent limiting factor
Density-independent limiting factor
Exp. Competition, predation, parasitism, disease
Exp. Unusual weather, natural disasters,
seasonal cycles, certain human activities
(damming rivers & clear-cutting forests)
9