Ecology Use the image above to make a list of all the things you can think of in a pond ecosystem.

Interactions of Living Things Ecology = the study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment. 2 parts to an environment: Biotic = all of the organisms that live together and interact with one another Abiotic = consists of the non-living parts of the environment (water, soil, light, temperature, and weather)

Organization in the Environment

Population = a group of organisms of the same species that live together in a specific geographical area. Community = all of the populations of species that live in the same habitat and interact with each other.

Ecosystem = a community of organisms AND their abiotic environment. Includes temperature, air, precipitation, and soil characteristics Biosphere = the part of Earth where life exists. Extends from the deepest parts of the ocean to high in the air where plant spores drift

Living Things Need Energy to Survive All living things can be divided into three groups based on how they get their energy: 1. Producers Organisms that use sunlight directly to make food through a process called Photosynthesis. Include plants, algae, plankton and some bacteria

2. Consumers: Organisms that eat other organisms Herbivore = A consumer that eats only plants Carnivore = A consumer that eats animals Omnivore = A consumer that eats both plants and animals Scavenger = Omnivores that eat dead plants and animals

Primary Consumers Feed on producers Secondary Consumers Feed on primary consumers Tertiary Consumers Feed on secondary consumers

3. Decomposers Organisms that get energy by breaking down dead organisms. Bacteria and fungi Are often called “Nature’s recyclers” because they remove stored energy from dead organisms and return those nutrients back into the environment.

Food Chain = a diagram that shows how Food Chain = a diagram that shows how energy in food flows from one organism to another

Food Web = a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Energy moves in a one-way direction!

Energy Pyramids Diagrams that show an ecosystem’s loss of energy. They have a large base and a small top. Less energy is available at higher levels because only energy stored in the tissues of an organism can be transferred to the next level.

Types of Interactions Between Organisms 1. Competition When 2 or more individuals or populations try to use the same resource, such as food, water, shelter, space, or sunlight These resources are in limited supply in the environment so their use by one individual or population decreases the amount available to other organisms. Competition exists between organisms of the same population. Competition also exists between different populations of organisms.

2. Predators and Prey Prey = the organism that is eaten Predator = The organism that eats the prey by catching and killing it Predators help to reduce the size of prey populations by catching and eating prey. Eating and avoiding being eaten are important to survival and are a driving force behind many adaptations Speed, agility, camouflage, acute senses, poison, claws, teeth, etc

3. Symbiosis = a close, long term association between 2 or more species 1. Mutualism = both organisms benefit from the symbiotic relationship Example: Humans and bacteria living in the large intestine Example: Clownfish and Sea Anemone

Plover and Crocodile

2. Commensalism = a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected (unharmed) Example: a shark and a remora

3. Parasitism = a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed Parasite = organism that benefits Host = organism that is harmed Most parasites don’t kill their hosts because they depend on them to survive. Examples: tapeworms, ticks, fleas