Unit 13 - Ecology Day 1

What is ecology?  Study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.  Ecology deals heavily with the BIOSPHERE which is: the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists (it includes land, water, and air).

Levels of Organization  Smallest is the species and the broadest is the biome.  Species – a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.  Population – groups of individuals of that belong to the same species and live in the same area.

Levels of Organization  Communities – Different populations that live together in a combined area.  Ecosystem – collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their non-living (abiotic) environment.  Biome – group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.  **highest level is the actual biosphere itself**

Elements  There are 4 elements that make up 95% of an organisms body  Carbon  Hydrogen  Oxygen  Nitrogen

What Shapes an Ecosystem?

Parts of an ecosystem  Abiotic Factors : non-living  Rocks  Temperature  Wind  Soil  Sun  Biotic Factors : living  Animals  Plants  Bacteria  Fungi

 Together, abiotic and biotic factors determine the survival and productivity of the ecosystem in which an organism lives (its habitat).

What is a Niche?  Habitat :address :: niche : job  It is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which and organism lives and how it uses those conditions.  Its place in the food web  Range of temperatures it needs to survive  Type of food an organisms eats, how it obtains the food and what other organisms it is prey for.  Where it lives  How it reproduces

Example Niche  Bullfrogs  Catch bugs, worms, spiders, small fish, and mice  Their predators are herons, raccoons, and snakes  They live in or near ponds  They lay eggs during the warmer months of the year.