16.1 Everything Is Connected

List all the things you can think of that are found in a pond ecosystem.

Ecology The study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment

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Two Parts of an Environment Abiotic – nonliving factors (water, soil, light, and temperature) Biotic factors – interactions between organisms in an area

Abiotic and Biotic Factors

Do organisms depend on aboitic factors? Explain Yes, Organisms do depend on abiotic factors. For example, the bear needs water to drink and water is an abiotic factor.

The Six Levels of Environmental Organization Biosphere Biome Ecosystem Community Population individual

Populations A group of individuals of the same species that live together. Example – all turtles living in a salt marsh Compete for food, shelter, and mates.

Communities Made up of all of the populations of organisms that live and interact in an area. Organisms depend on each other for things like shelter and food.

Population and Community

Why do animals eat other organisms? An animal eats other organisms to obtain the energy, nutrients, and some of the water the animal needs to live.

Ecosystems Made up of a community of organisms and their abiotic environment. Example: The nutrients in a salt marsh that help cordgrass to grow.

Ecosystems

Biomes An area where the climate typically determines the plant community, which supports an animal community. Example: desert biome has very little water, animals that can survive in heat.

Biomes

Biosphere The part of Earth where life exists.

Review Questions What is the difference between a community of organisms and a population of organisms? *A community of organisms is made up of many different species of organisms. A population of organisms is made up of the same species that live together.

For what do organisms depend on cordgrass For what do organisms depend on cordgrass? What would happen if the cordgrass disappeared? Organisms depend on cordgrass as a food source, a place to hide from predators, and as material with which to build nests. If the cordgrass disappeared, the populations of organisms that fed on the cordgrass would decrease. The populations of organisms that fed on the organisms that ate the cordgrass would also decrease.

What might happen to a desert biome if the area received more rain than it normally receives over an extended period of time? Describe some of the changes that you might expect to see. More plants might start to grow and the desert might become a different biome depending on the kinds of plants that begin to grow there.