LaVigne
Environmental Science
Living Things in Ecosystems
Chapter 2
Notes #1
The story of Borneo (in Asia)
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DDT killed mosquitoes (that carried malaria)
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DDT also ended up killing the wasps
Effect- thatch roofs collapsed
The caterpillars boomed because there were no
wasps to eat them
DDT also ended up on cockroaches
Geckos ate the roaches, got nerve damage, got
slow enough to be killed by house cats
The house cats dies of poisoning, allowing the rat
population to boom
The story of Borneo (in Asia)
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The rats brought fleas, which brought the plague
Healthy cats had to be shipped in!
Ecosystems: Everything is
connected
Ecosystem- all organisms in a certain area, along with
their physical environment
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They are all in the biosphere
Ex. Deserts, wetlands, coral reefs, etc)
Often considered isolated unit
However there are not clear boundaries
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(things can move from one system to another)
Composition of Ecosystems
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biotic factors – living parts of an ecosystem
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animals
plants
microorganisms
Composition of Ecosystems
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Abiotic factors – nonliving parts of the
ecosystem
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Temperature
Sunlight
Water supply/humidity
Soil type/Mineral nutrients
In an ecosystem there are:
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communities
 a group of interacting populations of different
species
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Ex. In a forest – plants, animals,
microorganisms, etc…
Habitat – the place where a living thing lives
In an ecosystem there are:
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population
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a group of individuals of the same species living in
a particular place
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Ex. All the oak trees in a forest
Ex. All white tail deer in Michigan
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In an ecosystem there are:
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species
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a group of organisms that can produce fertile
offspring/share common genes therefore resemble
each other
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Ex. People at a gathering
Ex. Robins in the forest
organism
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one individual living thing
In an ecosystem there are:
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niche
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an organisms way of life
 how it fits into its environment
 Relationships
 Reproduction (when, how many)
 Shelter/actuary, etc
 Ex. A dog has puppies, barks at strangers, wants
to get positive attention from his master, gets
fleas, sleeps at the foot of the bed, eats dog
food, etc.)
In an ecosystem there are: