1. ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT An Introduction

2. ECOLOGY  The study of how organisms interact with one another and with their environment (surroundings). BIOTIC FACTOR  A living thing (organism).  Animals, Plants, Unicellular Organisms. ABIOTIC FACTOR  A non-living thing.  Water, Soil, Sunlight, Rainfall, Temperature

3. LEVELS IN THE ENVIRONMENT BIOME ECOSYSTEM COMMUNITY POPULATION ORGANISM/SPECIES

4.  An ORGANISM is a living thing.  A SPECIES is organisms that are closely related and can produce offspring that can produce more offspring. ORGANISM/SPECIES This alligator is an organism from the American Alligator species.

5. POPULATION  A POPULATION is a group of organisms from the same species that live together in the same living space.  The organisms in a population often compete for shelter, food, and water POPULATION ORGANISM/SPECIES This is a population of alligators.

6. COMMUNITY  A COMMUNITY is all of the different populations that share the same living space.  They also compete for many things such as shelter, food, and water. COMMUNITY POPULATION ORGANISM/SPECIES This is a community of alligators, cranes, and grasses.

7. ECOSYSTEM  An ECOSYSTEM is all of the communities that share the same living space and the abiotic factors (non-living things) in the environment. ECOSYSTEM COMMUNITY POPULATION ORGANISM/SPECIES This is an ecosystem of alligators, cranes, and grasses all living in a murky pond.

8. BIOME  A BIOME is made up of many ecosystems that share similar climate and communities. BIOME ECOSYSTEM COMMUNITY POPULATION ORGANISM/SPECIES The freshwater biome is made up of many smaller ecosystems: ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams.

9. BIOMES VS ECOSYSTEMS  Biomes contain many ecosystems.  All of the ecosystems within a biome share most of the same traits:  Abiotic: Temperature (cold, hot, or varied)  Abiotic: Rainfall  Abiotic: Soil and Rock types  Biotic: Plants and Animals adapted to the climate. Example Biome: Forests Ecosystems: Amazon Rainforest, African Rainforest, Australian Rainforest Abiotic and Biotic Factors are similar in different parts of the world because they are in the same biome.