Ecology
By: Anthony Michielini
What is ecology?
• study of how organisms interact with each
other and how they interact with their
environment
What is Individual organisms?
• Smallest unit of study that ecologists concern
themselves with.
What are Species?
• same type of organism that lives in the same
place at the same time.
• capable of reproducing and producing fertile
young
What are Populations?
• groups of the same species that may or may
not interact with each other.
• Many different ways to divide up population
What is Communities?
• Groups of populations that are interacting
with each other at any given day or any given
time
What is an Ecosystems
• Lots of habitats in a generalized area put many
ecosystems together and you get a biome.
What’s a Biosphere?
• All of the places on earth that living things
survive, anywhere there is life would
contribute to the biosphere
What’s a Habitat?
• Groups of communities all with very similar
biotic and abiotic conditions
What’s Abiotic Factors?
• Non living things
What’s Biotic Factors?
• Living things
What are producers(first Tropic level)?
• Autotrophs - Producers, plants
– Gets energy from the sun – most energy is found
here
• Biggest level
What are Primary Consumers
(Second Tropic Level)?
• First level consumer – herbivore
• 90% of energy is lost as you move up the
pyramid
What are Secondary Consumers
(Third Tropic Level)?
– Carnivores or omnivores
• 10% of energy is left over on this level
Tertiary Consumer (Fourth Tropic
Level)?
– Carnivores of omnivores
• 1% of energy is left over on this level for those
organisms to use
What are Quandary Consumer
(Fifth Tropic Level)?
• Very little energy at this level
• Usually rare to be at this level
What is the difference from a food
pyramid and a food web?
• Food pyramid – like a chain with a specific
order
• Food web – more complicated with different
paths being followed
What is a Decomposer?
• Similar to saprobes
• recycle nutrients back into the soil as they
consume the dead
• EX: bacteria, mushrooms, and insects
•
What is an Autotroph?
• An organism that makes its own food.
• EX: plants and algae
What is a Heterotroph?
• organism that obtains its nutrients from other
organisms.
• EX: humans, lions, and mushrooms
What is a herbivore?
• Something that only eats plants.
• EX: giraffe and elephant
What is a Carnivore?
• Organism that only eats meat
• EX: lions, tigers, and bears
What’s an omnivore?
• Something that eats both meat and plants
• EX: humans
What is a saprobe?
• A decomposer
• Gets rid of remaining material when things die
What is a scavenger?
• Something that eats other dead organisms
• EX: crow and hyena
What is Amensalism?
• organism benefits and kills the other organism
• EX: Black walnut tree, penicillin
What is Commensalism?
• organism benefits and other in not harmed or
benefited.
• EX: shark and a suckerfish
What is Parasitism?
• organism benefits, and the other is harmed
• EX: ticks, fleas, leaches, tape worms
• If it kills their host they lose their food source
What is Mutualism?
• organism get something good from the
relationship
• EX: tick birds sitting on rhinos and eat the
ticks. Birds have food, and the rhino is cleared
of ticks
What is Symbiosis?
• Its between two or more organisms, and how
they interact with each other .
•
What are some limiting factors?
• Food, water, money, and shelter.
What is Density Dependent?
• EX: food - more organisms you have the less
food you have.
•
What is Density Independent?
• All are equally affected, does not matter how
many people there are
• EX: earthquakes volcanic, eruptions etc.
What is Competition between and
among Species?
• Competition between species – food, water,
and shelter
• Among Species – same things(from above)
and mates
What is carry capacity?
The maximum
Fin