Ecology: The study of the interactions among living things, and between living things and their surroundings.

Levels of Organization

Organism An individual living thing an alligator

Population Group of the same species that live together in one area Lots of alligators!

Community Group of different species that live together in one area All the plants and animals in the swamp…

Ecosystem All the organisms plus the abiotic factors such as the soil, water, rocks, climate, and other nonliving things in a given area The organisms in the swamp and the nonliving things…

Ecology Vocabulary Biotic: Factors that are living Ex. plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria Abiotic: Factors that are nonliving Ex. water, sun, soil, wind, temperature

Producers vs. Consumers Producers: organisms that make their own food Also called autotrophs Consumers: organisms that get their energy from eating other living or once-living things Also called heterotrophs

Types of Consumers Herbivores: eat only plants Carnivores: eat only animals Omnivores: eat both plants and animals Decomposers: eat dead plants and animals and help break down organic matter into simpler compounds

Community Ecology

What is a community? Community: All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction. Community ecology: The study of how interactions between different species affect community structure and organization.

Species Interactions The most well know is predation, but there are others…

Competition between lions and hyenas

Figure 53.x2 Parasitic behavior: A female Nasonia vitripennis laying a clutch of eggs into the pupa of a blowfly (Phormia regina)

Figure 53.9 Mutualism between acacia trees and ants

Figure 53.x3 Commensalism between a bird and mammal

What is this?

Food Chains Trophic structure: feeding relationships between organisms Food chain: transfer of food energy Trophic levels: the “links” in the food chain Usually no more than 4 or 5 Food chains are not isolated units - they are linked to form food webs

Marine Food Web

Figure 53.6 Aposematic (warning) coloration in a poisonous blue frog

Figure 53.x1 Deceptive coloration: moth with "eyeballs"

Figure 53.7 Batesian mimicry

Figure 53.8 Müllerian mimicry: Cuckoo bee (left), yellow jacket (right)