1. Chapter 16 Notes Interactions of Living Things

2. 16.1 Notes Everything is Connected
ecology – the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
An environment has two parts:
biotic – living organisms
abiotic – nonliving, the physical factors that affect living organisms such as water, soil, light, & temperature

3. 16.1 Notes Everything is Connected
6 levels of environmental organization:
individual – a single living thing
population – two or more organisms of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time
community – two or more populations of different species that live and interact in an area
ecosystem – two or more populations in their abiotic environment (water, soil, light, temperature)
biome – the climate affects the plant community which affects the animal community (rainforest, desert)
biosphere – the part of the Earth where life exists

4. 16.2 Notes Living Things Need Energy
3 types of consumers:
herbivore – a consumer that eats only plants (koala)
carnivore – a consumer that eats only animals (lion)
omnivore – a consumer that eats both plants and animals (humans/bears)

5. 16.2 Notes Living Things Need Energy
A food chain includes:
producer – plants that use energy in sunlight to make food (plant)
consumer – animals that eat plants and/or other animals (animal)
scavenger – animals that eat the dead body of another animal (vulture, hyena, fox)
decomposer – an organism that gets energy from the remains of an animal and absorbs the nutrients (bacteria)

6. 16.2 Notes Living Things Need Energy
primary consumer – first consumer to eat the energy from the plant (cow)
cow eats grass
herbivore
secondary consumer – second consumer to eat the energy (lion)
lion eats the cow
carnivore
tertiary consumer – third consumer to eat the energy
vulture eats what’s left of the cow
scavenger

7. 16.2 Notes Living Things Need Energy
food chain – a chain of energy in food molecules that flows from one organism to the next
food web – many food chains connected that makes energy flow from one organism to the next
energy pyramid – a diagram that shows the loss of energy at each higher level

8. 16.2 Notes Living Things Need Energy
habitat – an environment where an organism lives
niche – an organisms way of life in its habitat

9. Questions How do animals get energy?
Eating (consuming food)
Pandas and koalas eat plants. What do pandas and koalas have in common? (vocab word)
They are both herbivores

10. Questions What are the 4 abiotic factors in an environment?
Water, soil, light, temperature
If the amount of producers went down, what would happen to the amount of carnivores?
Go down also

11. 16.3 Notes Types of Interactions
limiting factor – one or more resources become scarce (food/water)
carrying capacity – the largest population that an environment can handle
competition – two or more organisms or populations try to use the same limited resources such as food, water, shelter, space, or sunlight

12. 16.3 Notes Types of Interactions
prey – animal that gets hunted (hunted)
predator – animal that hunts other animals (hunter)
coevolution – two or more species have adapted to each other

13. 16.3 Notes Types of Interactions
symbiosis – a close long term association between two or more species
3 types of symbiotic relationships:
mutualism – a symbiotic relationship which both animals benefit (coral & algae)
commensalism – a symbiotic relationship which one animal benefits and the other is unaffected (shark & remora)
parasitism – a symbiotic relationship which one animal benefits and the other is harmed (dog & tick)

14. 16.3 Notes Types of Interactions
parasite – an organism benefiting by harming another organism (tick)
host – an organism being harmed by a parasite (dog)

15. Questions
True/False Insects and rabbits play the same role in different food chains.
True because both are herbivores
Which would cause the most destruction of a food chain?
Killing the producer

16. Questions
Write for each animal below if they are a herbivore or a carnivore:
Panda – herbivore
Grizzly bear - carnivore
Koala - herbivore
Bullfrog - carnivore
Kangaroo - herbivore
Bison - herbivore
Cow - herbivore
Cougar - carnivore