Unit 7: Ecology
Left Side
Pg # Right Side
Pg #
Unit Page
34
Table of Contents
35
Levels of Organization
36
C.N. – Ecology Part 1
37
Sources of Energy Tree Map
38
C.N. – Energy Flow
39
Food Chain Activity
40
Food Chain/Web Worksheet
41
Community Interactions Tree
Map
42
C.N. – Community
Interactions
43
Community Interactions &
Succession
Chapter 4-2
Community Interactions
 Community: all the LIVING
organisms in an ecosystem that live
and interact together
 3 types of interactions:
1. Competition
2. Predation (predator/prey)
3. Symbiosis
1. Competition: Interactions where
organisms compete for resources
 water, food, nutrients, light, space, mates
Direct competition results in a winner and
a loser, with the loser failing to survive.
2. Predation: interactions when one
organism captures and feeds on
another.
 Predator (hunter)
 Prey (gets hunted)
3. Symbiosis: A relationship where
two species live closely together.
 3 types of symbiosis:
Mutualism
Commensalism
parasitism
Types of Symbiosis
1. Mutualism- both individuals benefit
from the relationship (++)

Ex. Bee & Flower
Example:
Caterpillars make
nectar which the ants
drink from, and the
acacia tolerates the
feeding caterpillars.
The ants appear to
provide some
protection for both plant
and caterpillar.
 Example:
The senita cactus, whose flowers
bloom only after dark and are
pollinated almost exclusively by
this senita moth. The moth lays its
eggs (top right) in flowers. Larvae
(moth caterpillars) which hatch
from these eggs later consume
some of the fruits.
2. Commensalism: one individual
benefits while the other is
unaffected (+ 0)
Ex: Clown Fish & Sea Anenome
3. Parasitism: one organism
benefits while the other is
harmed (+ -)
Ex: Flea & Dog
Apentales are getting their nutrient from the
hornworm
Ecological Succession
Succession: the predictable changes
that occur in a community over time.
2 types of Succession:
1. Primary Succession
2. Secondary Succession
Primary Succession
Occurs on surfaces where no soil exists.
Ex: after a volcanic eruption spills lava over land
The ecosystem starts from scratch
Pioneer Species: 1st species to populate the land
Secondary Succession
Restoring an
ecosystem after a
natural disaster or
disturbance.
Ex: after a fire
Climax Community:
the stable ecosystem
that existed before the
disturbance