BIG IDEA:
ECOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF HOW ORGANISMS
INTERACT WITHIN THEIR ENVIRONMENT
INCLUDING THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH LIVING
AND NONLIVING COMPONENTS OF THE
ECOSYSTEM.

Anything that is living in an environment:
◦ Examples:
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Tree
Grass
Bacteria
Cow
Human
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Anything that is not living in an environment:
◦ Examples:
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Heat
Temperature
Soil
Sand
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Group of the same species:
◦ Examples:
 Troop of monkeys
 Herd of elephants

Different populations living together:
◦ Examples:
 Forest (trees, squirrels, birds, insects)
 Ocean (different types of fish, algae, sharks)

Consists of the community plus all the abiotic
factors:
◦ Examples:
 Rainforest
 Ocean
 Desert

Role or job of an organism in an environment
◦ Examples:
 Fungi- decompose waste
 Plants- perform photosynthesis

Location where an organism lives:
◦ Examples:
 Cave
 Tree
 Soil

Organisms that can make their own food
◦ Examples:
 Plants- photosynthesis
 Bacteria- chemosynthesis

Organisms that CAN NOT make their own
food
◦ Examples:
 Humans
 Lions
 Birds
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Organisms that consume/feed on other
organisms
Another word for heterotrophs
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Organisms that make their own food
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Another name for autotrophs
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Level or structure where an organism falls in
a food web/food chain
Determined by what the organism consumes
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Consists of all the ecosystems
Part of the earth that sustains life

Population Community Ecosystem
PRODUCERS
•aka autotrophs
•make their own food from
inorganic molecules and
energy
CONSUMERS
•kinds of heterotrophs
•organisms that cannot
make their own food
CONSUMERS
HERBIVORES
•aka primary consumers
•organisms that eat only plan
•vegetarians
CONSUMERS
CARNIVORES
•aka secondary or tertiary consu
•organisms that eat herbivores
and other carnivores
•meat eaters
CONSUMERS
OMNIVORES
•aka primary, secondary
or tertiary consumers
•organisms that eats producer
and other consumers
CONSUMERS
SCAVENGERS
•aka 1, 2, or 3 level consumers
•organisms that eats dead
organisms
•usually does not hunt
•may eat plants or animals
•small aquatic ones often
known as detritivores (i.e.
DECOMPOSERS
•kinds of heterotrophs
•bacteria and fungi that
consume the bodies of
dead organism and other
organic wastes
A
TROPHIC LEVEL
is a layer in the
structure of feeding
relationships in an
ecosystem.
TROPHIC LEVELS
producers = 1st
trophic level
consumers = 2nd
trophic level
consumers = 3rd
trophic level
consumers = etc…
A
FOOD CHAIN
is a series of energy
(food) transfers
between the trophic
levels of an
ecosystem
Food chains start with
producers.
producer
primary
consumersecondary
consumer tertiary
consume
A
FOOD WEB
is a network of food
chains representing
the feeding
relationships among
the organisms in a
Food webs include all the
food chains in an ecosystem
only about 10% of
the energy entering
one trophic level
forms biomass in
the next trophic
SYMBIOSIS
A relationship
where 2 species
live closely
together.
SYMBIOSIS
3 TYPES:
•parasitism
•commensalism
•mutualism
SYMBIOSIS
PARASITISM
relationship where one
organism feeds on the
tissues or body fluids of
another. Parasitism harms
one organism and benefits
SYMBIOSIS: PARASITSM
HOST
The organism on which a
parasite feeds.
SYMBIOSIS: PARASITISM: HOST
A parasite may even
kill its host.
Most do not .
SYMBIOSIS
COMMENSALISM
relationship where one
organism benefits and the
other is neither benefited
nor harmed
SYMBIOSIS
MUTUALISM
relationship where both
species benefit
 Topsoil:
uppermost layer that
consists of twigs, leaves,
insects, etc
 Subsoil: consists of rock
particles and minerals
 Weather Rock: made of bits of
rock broken (bedrock)
 Differs
according to mineral
content, pH, organic
content, etc.
 Differs according to
location or biome that it is
found in.
 Large
geographic area that
has a particular climate,
native animals and plants,
etc
 Either terrestrial or aquatic
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Tropical Rain Forest
Grassland (prairies)
Tundra
Savanna
Desert
Coniferous Forest (or Taiga)
Deciduous Biome (our biome)
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Freshwater (lakes, ponds, streams, etc)
Marine (oceans)

Used to determine how much energy is
present in different trophic levels of a food
chain

You will be given a blank map of the world
and different locations for each biome. Color
code each biome to its corresponding
location- hand it at the end of the period.
 Many
environmental
problems are due to the
rapid human population
growth
 Between 1850 and 1995 the
population has increased
fourfold- 5.7 billion people
 Limiting
Factors: factor that
halts growth in a population
(ex: food)
 Carrying Capacity: size of
population that can be
supported by the
environment
 Due
to:
- urbanization
- overfarming--- erosion
- pesticides
- pollution (noise, water, air,
and land)
 Resource
that never runs
out:
a. Solar Energy
b. Energy from Water
 Natural
events replace these
resources
 EX: air, water, soil, sunlight,
living things
 Resources
that can be taken
from the earth only once
 EX:
coal, natural gas,
metals, minerals
 Biodiversity
has been seen as
the total (and irreducible)
complexity of all life, including
not only the great variety of
organisms but also their
varying behavior and
interactions.
 Biological
diversity refers to
3 different things:
1.variety of different species
(species diversity)
2. Variety of ecosystems
(ecological diversity)
3. genetic variability among
individuals within a species
(genetic diversity)
 Areas
with higher numbers
of DIFFERENT species are
more diverse than those
that have high numbers of
the same type of species
(abundance)
 Do
not confuse biodiversity
with abundance!!!!!!
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Food supplies (100% of protein comes from 9
domesticated animals; aquaculture)
Genes
Biological control agents (control of gypsy
moths using Bacillus thuringienis)
Natural products
Values of Biodiversity
Pesticides: many tropical plants
produce chemicals that deter
predators
Medicines: about 121
prescription drugs are
produced from higher plants
Values of Biodiversity
Fertilizers: species of
bacteria from the deep
ocean are capable of
nitrogen fixation; this
nitrogen can be used as
fertilizer for crops
Values of Biodiversity
Materials: fibers (silkworms),
coatings (waxes from insects),
adhesives (protein from milk
called casein), biopolymers
(bacteria), oils (tropical
plants), enzymes (vent
bacteria;stable at high temps)