Ecology
STUDY GUIDE
Ecology
 The study of relationship between the
environment and the living organisms
(Interactions)
 Organisms Species pop Community
Habitat Eco System biomes biosphere
Individual organisms
 The smallest unit that an ecologist will
concern
Species
 A group of the same organisms living at the
same time, same location and capable of
breeding and producing fertile young.
Populations
 Group of species in a specific area
 They may or may not interact with each
other
 EX: Grade Level, teachers and student, WCL,
Montvale, Parents, kids, athletes, non-athletes, girls,
boys. All of these population makeup up a
community
Communities
 A group of all the population interacting with
each other.
Ecosystems
 A group of habitats, when put together you
get an ecosystem
Biosphere
 All places on the earth and atmosphere,
ocean , caves etc.
 Bio means life
 Sphere mean earth
Habitat
 All of the biotic (living things) interact with
the abiotic (non-living things)
 Ex: rock, air, soil, water
 Living and non-living and how they interact
with each other
Abiotic Factors
 The non-living thing in the environment
 Ex: rock, soil, air, water
Carry Capacity
 The maximum population of a species
Limiting Factors
 Access to food, water, resources and shelter
Density Dependent
 Food, the more people you have, the less
food you have

Diseases, parasites all effected by population
Density Independent
 Everybody is affect regardless of population.
 An example is a natural disaster
Competition between
and among Species
 Over food, water or shelter
 Between the same species they look for
food, water and shelter or a mate
Producers
st
1 tropic
 Bottom of the pyramid
 First level
 Autotrophs
 Plants, producers
 Uses sunlight
 (most energy)
Primary Consumers
Second Tropic Level
 The second tropic level
 Primary consumers
 Mouse, Herbivores
 Ex: cows, deer, (mice)
 100 calories
 90%
 (Mainly used for plant)
Secondary Consumers
Third Tropic Level
 Heterotroph (snakes)
 Carnivore or Omnivore
 Ex: Humans
 Eats the primary consumer
 10% energy
 Lose 90% energy
Tertiary Consumer
Fourth Tropic Level
 The top of the food pyramid
 1% energy
 Consumes primary consumers thing below
them
 Eat least amount energy
 Ex: People are on top
Quandary Consumer
Fifth Tropic Level
 Rarely, do you get a fourth level consumer
 The reason why is because too little energy
to supply them
 ONLY .1% energy
 (Way too little)
Flow of Energy in a
Tropic Level (arrows, Loss
of energy)
 Slowly as you descend, the amount of food
required gets larger and larger
 Due too little energy
 Impossible to supply if there are large
quantities at the top pyramid
Pyramid vs Web,
Types of Pyramids
 A pyramid may talks about different types
od animals or plants or one type
 A food web talks about many types of
organisms
 A food chain is only one specific progression
to top level
Decomposer
 An organisms that breaks down dead
animals (recycles them) the material is
recycled into environment
 Ex; Worms, flies, mushrooms
Autotroph
(photosynthesis)
 An organism that is able of making its own
food
 Ex: Plants
 The formula for photosynthesis
 Carbon dioxide+ water+ sunlight= Glucose+
Oxygen
Heterotroph
 An organisms that can’t make it its own
food
 It gets its nutrients from other sources
 Ex: Human, Animals, Mushrooms
Herbivore
 An Organisms that only consumes plants
 Ex: Cow, sheep
Carnivore
 An organisms that consumes meat
 Ex: Cat, Dog, Tiger
Omnivore
 An organisms that consumes both plant and
meat
 Ex: Raccoons, mice, humans
Saprobe
 Forms of decomposers like bacteria.
 They help recycle the material back into in
environment
 Ex: Bacteria
Scavenger
 They eat dead things (Leftovers)
 Ex: Vultures, Hyenas, Rats
Symbiosis
 The way two or more organisms
interact with each other
Competition
 Competition between species and among
species
Mutualism
 An equal relationship
 Both organisms benefit from it, neither
organisms is harmed
 EX: Tickbirds and rhinos, the bird sits on the
rhino and eats ticks and early warning
system.
Parasitism
 One animal benefits, but one get harmed
 (Host)
 Parasites wants to make you sick but not die
 Tick and animal
 Worms
Predator-Prey
 EX: Lion and zebra
 The predator the one who hunts
 Prey is one that is hunted
 The predator lag behind the prey in the
number
 Then the prey population drops followed by
the predator population
Amensalism
 One organism benefits and completely
destroys and kills the other organisms, all
plants around gets killed
 Ex: The black walnut
 This benefits the black walnut tree, because
the walnut is getting more nutrition, and
there are no competition for the water or
essential nutrients.