1. Interactions Within Ecosystems http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/ecosystem.jpg

2. How Organisms Interact There are both living and non-living parts of an ecosystem. Biotic: living parts of the ecosystem Abiotic: non-living parts of the ecosystem (have never been living).

3. The Roles of Organisms in an Ecosystem Niche: The role of an organism in its ecosystem. To determine an organism’s niche, you must look at what it eats, where it lives, and how it interacts with other organisms in its ecosystem.

4. Types of Niches… Producers: Organisms, such as a green plant or alga, that uses an outside source of energy like the Sun to create energy- rich food molecules. Producers make life possible for all other organisms on Earth.

5. Continued… Consumers: Organism that cannot create energy-rich molecules but obtains its food by eating other organisms. Herbivores: Eat producers only E.g. cows, deer, horses… Carnivores: Eat other consumers. E.g. wolves, coyotes, sharks… Omnivores: Eat both producers and consumers. E.g. raccoons, skunks and humans Decomposer- organisms that breaks down waste and dead organisms. E.g. Mushrooms, worms, …

6. Food Chain Food Chain: A series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy.

7. Food Webs Food Webs: Model that shows the complex feeding relationships among organisms in a community. Show all of the predator prey interactions in an ecosystem. They are a combination of several food chains.

8. Organisms Interact in Different Ways Organisms may cooperate, compete, or depend on each other for survival Predator and Prey relationships  Predators - The organism that does the killing in a predation interaction.  Prey - An organism that is killed and eaten by another organism.

9. Organisms Interact in Different Ways Competition  Competition is the struggle between organisms to survive as they attempt to use the same limited resource.

10. Competition  Competition can happen with the same species (plants compete for light, space, and nutrients)  Competition between different species (hyenas and vultures compete for remains of dead animals)

11. Organisms Interact in Different Ways Cooperation Some organisms work together to benefit each other  Killer whales hunt in pods (groups)  Ants, bees, and termites (members of a colony have different roles and responsibilities…queen bee, worker bees, etc.) http://www.apitherapy.com.au/contents/media/l_bee%20pollen%20dw.jpg

12. Survival of One Species Might Depend on Another Species Symbiosis: two different species who live together in a close relationship  Both species benefit  One species benefits while the other is not affected  One species benefits while the other is harmed

13. Types of Symbiosis Mutualism: A type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/bee_flower.jpg

14. Types of Symbiosis Commensalism: A type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is not affected. http:// www.immediart.com/catalog/images/big_images/SPL_R_Z140032-Jellyfish_with_fish-SPL.jpg

15. Types of Symbiosis Parasitism: A type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed. Examples of human parasites. http://www.gifam.org/pic006.htm