Kelly Richter
Kelly Richter

Ecology- study of living things
› Way they interact with physical environment
› Greek words
 Oikos meaning house
 Logic meaning for study
› Important for determining role they play
› How to best maintain for future generations
Biotic- living organisms, plants, animals,
bacteria, fungi
 Abiotic- nonliving factors of environment

› Air
› Water
› Rocks
› Minerals

> Temperature
> Altitude
> Light
> Soil
Ecologists study interaction ob biotic and
abiotic worlds
Smallest level of relationship ecologists
study
 Refers to an organism’s specific
requirements:

› Food
› Water
› Shelter
› Space
Food requirements vary greatly
 Basis of how organism derives energy
 All organisms require water to survive
 Shelter- way organism protects itself from
environment

› Protective body parts or constructing a
shelter

Space in which to live lives
› Small to large area depending on organisms
Group of same organisms living in
specific area
 Groups of same organisms- species

› Group of organisms genetically resemble
each other
 Can reproduce with each other
Small- population of bacteria on particle
of soil
 Large- human begins in the United States


Specialists- threatened by loss/change in
habitat
› Requires special habitat requirements
 Wolves, elephants, tigers, and others
 Threatened by loss or change in habitat

Generalists- survive in wide range oh
habitats
› Humans, squirrels, mice, rats, and many
insects
› Can tolerate extreme changes in habitats
Interaction between different
populations in a particular area
 Can be called symbiotic relationship

› One or more organisms benefit for each
other

Mutualism- interaction of two species
› Each benefit from the action of the other
 Example is the lichen community
 Algae and a fungus

Commensalisms- two organisms
› One benefits from, other doesn’t harm host
› Remora fish and shark host

Parasitism
› One organism harms a host
› Takes nutrition for it
› Tick on a dog
Ecosystem- short word for ecological
system
 Interaction of a community with abiotic
factors

› Amount of sunlight a region receives
› Amount of moisture in an area
› Temperature of the environment
› Surrounding landscape

Largest ecosystem- ecosphere
› Relationship between biotic and abiotic
components
 On entire planet

Two broad categories:
› Aquatic ecosystems
› Terrestrial ecosystems
Kelly Richter
Kelly Richter