Ecology

A. Ecology The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

B. Ecosystem The living and the nonliving things in an area.

C. Habitat The place where an organism lives and provides the needs for that organism.

D. Abiotic Factors The nonliving factors that effect living things.

E. Biotic Factors The living things in the environment. Ex: plants and animals.

Biotic Factors Cont’d 1. Water - all life processes depend on water.

Biotic Factors Cont’d 2. Soil - determines the types of plants that can live in a certain location.

Biotic Factors Cont’d 3. Sunlight - provides energy for all living things.

Biotic Factors Cont’d 4. Temperature - determines the organisms that can live there.

Biotic Factors Cont’d 5. Oxygen - most living things require it to live.

F. Levels of Organization

1. Organism An individual living thing.

2. Population All the members of one species that lives in the same place at the same time.

3. Community All of the populations of different species that live in the same place (all biotic factors).

4. Ecosystem All of the biotic and abiotic factors in a particular area.

5. Biome A group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities.

6. Biosphere The highest level of organization; the layer of the Earth that supports life.