Ecology
By Ashley Olsen
What is ecology?
Ecology is the study of
the relationship
between the
environment and living
organism
Their interactions
What are individual
organisms?
Individual organisms are
the smallest unit that an
ecologist would concern
themselves with
What are species?
Species are the same
organisms (as a group) that
live in the same location at
the same time.
They are capable of breeding
and
What are populations?
A group of species
They may or may not
interact with one another
These populations make up
a community
What are communities?
They are a group of
all the populations
interacting with
each other
What are ecosystems?
Ecosystems are a group
of habitats
When you put different
habitats together, you
get ecosystems
What is a biosphere?
A biosphere is all of
the places on Earth
and where the
atmosphere/oceans/
caves etc. where life
exists
What is a habitat?
A habitat is where
all of the biotic
interact with the
abiotic features
What are abiotic
factors?
Abiotic factors are
non-living factors in
the environment
What is the First Tropic
Level/ Producers in the food
pyramid?
The first level is equal
to something taking a
step up in the pyramid
There is the most
energy that comes
from the sun
What is the Second Tropic
Level/ Primary Consumers
in the food pyramid?
The second level is the
first level of consumers
A consumer = a
heterotroph
Herbivores
What is the Third Tropic
Level/Secondary Consumers
in the food pyramid?
A heterotroph
Carnivores and/ or
omnivores
Consume the primary
consumers and maybe the
producers
What is the Fourth Tropic
Level/Tertiary Consumer in
the food pyramid?
The top of the pyramid
Third level consumer but its
on the fourth level
Carnivores or omnivores
that consume primary
consumer and things below
them
What is the Fifth Tropic
Level/Quandary Consumer
The Fifth Tropic level is
when you rarely get a
Fourth level consumer
This level doesn’t have
enough energy to supply
them
In this level there is .1
calories of energy
What is the Flow of Energy
in a Tropic Level?
A you go down in the
pyramid, the amount of
food required for you to
consume gets larger and
larger
It is impossible to supply if
there are large quantities at
the top of the pyramid
What is the difference
between a food pyramid
and a food web?
Food Pyramid: It may talk
about different types of
animals and plants or it may
talk about one type.
Food Web: It talks about
many types of animals and
plants
What is a decomposer?
A decomposer is an
organism that breaks
down dead animals and
recycles the material
back into the
environment
What is an autotroph
(photosynthesis)?
An autotroph is an
organism that is
capable of making its
own food
Carbon Dioxide + Water
+ Sunlight = Glucose +
Oxygen
What is a heterotroph?
A heterotroph is an
organism that is not
able to make it’s own
food and it gets its
nutrients from other
sources
What is an herbivore?
An herbivore is an
organism that only eats
plants
What is a carnivore?
A carnivore is an
organism that only eats
meat
What is an omnivore?
An omnivore is a
organism that eats
both meats and plants;
eats everything
What is a saprobe?
A saprobe is a form of
decomposers, like
bacteria, that help to
recycle materials back
into the environment
What is a scavenger?
A scavenger is
something that can eat
dead things
What is carry capacity?
This is the amount of
individuals in a species
that an amount of land
can support
What are limiting
factors?
Limiting factors have
access to resources.
These resources are
food, water, shelter
and money
What is density
dependent?
Food is density
dependent
The more people
you have, the less
food you will have
They are all affected by
population
What is density
independent?
Density independent is
when everyone is
equally affected no
matter how many
individuals there are
What is the competition
between and among
species?
Between – food,
shelter and water
Within the same
species – food, shelter,
water and mates
What is symbiosis?
Symbiosis is the way
two or more organisms
interact with each
other
What is competition?
Competition is an
interaction between
organisms or species, in
which the fitness of
one is lowered by the
presence of another.
What is mutualism?
Mutualism has an equal
relationship
Both organisms benefit
from this, no organisms
are harmed
What is parasitism?
Parasitism is when one
animal benefits (the
parasite) and one organism
is harmed (the host)
They do not want to kill the
host, they want to make it
as sick as possible
If the host dies, the parasite
will most likely die
What is commensalism?
Commensalism is when
one organism benefits
and the other organism
neither benefits nor
harmed
What is the
predator/prey?
A predator is the one who
hunts
The prey is the one that is
hunted
The predator population
lags behind the prey in
numbers
The prey population is
lower
What is amensalism?
Amensalism is when
One organism benefits
and completely
destroys/kills the other
organism
What is the J-curve?
Tend to be small
To produce a lot of young
They reach sexual maturity
at an early age
They have little or no
parental evolvement
This is affected by the
environment
What is the S-curve?
Tend to be large
Produce only a few young
Reach sexual maturity later
They have a lot of parental
care
The environment is a very
important factor in their life