 Ecology- the study of living things and their interactions with their environment (other living things and non-living things)

Ecosystem- collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their non-living environment Habitat- the area where an organism lives Community - assortment of populations that live together in a specific place Population- a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area Individual

 Variations- Differences among individuals of the same species  Adaptation- Inherited trait that increases an organism’s chance of survival; allows the organism to survive where it lives

 A variation can become an adaptation if it increases an organism’s chances for survival

You observe a population of crabs that live on and under rocks in a tidepool. The crabs are different colors – shades of brown, tan, yellow, and black. The rocks in the tidepool are also shades of brown, tan, yellow, and black.

 What is the variation of the crab population? › Difference in color  How is the variation an adaptation? › The colors of the crabs are the same as the color of the rocks, which means the crabs will be camouflaged – it will be harder for predators to see them because they blend in with the rocks.

 You are lying on the beach watching the sanderlings play a game of tag with the waves. As the waves come in, they run away. As the waves go out they run back towards the ocean. The birds are digging into the sand with their beaks to grab prey buried beneath. The tide is washing away sand making easier for the birds to get their meal. You notice most of the birds have very similar lengths of beaks. There are a few that have slightly longer beaks. These birds are farther away from the incoming tide. They are able to access prey buried deeper in the sand.

 What is the variation of the bird population? › Beak length  How is the variation an adaptation? › Longer beaks allow the birds access to more food

 Food Chain- follows the feeding relationships in one linear path  Food Web- shows all feeding relationships in an ecosystem  Both trace the energy transfer through trophic levels  Arrows are drawn to show the transfer of energy › From food source to food consumer

 Stability: the more connections (arrows) between various organisms, the more stable a food web is. › Simple: dependence on very few organisms, few interactions within the community › Complex: distribution of dependence on a variety of organisms, many interactions between the organisms of the community

 Producer- organisms that can make their own food, autotrophs  Consumer- organisms that cannot make their own food, heterotrophs › Primary- eats producers › Secondary- eats primary consumers › Tertiary- eats secondary consumers  Decomposer- organisms that break down dead organic matter

 Symbiosis- interaction between two species of organisms in an ecosystem  Three types of Symbiotic Relationships: › Commensalism › Mutualism › Parasitism

 Commensalism- interaction in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected  Mutualism- interaction in which both organisms benefit  Parasitism- interaction in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed › Parasitism is different than predation

Type of RelationshipSpecies 1Species 2 Commensalism Mutualism Parasitism

Type of RelationshipSpecies 1Species 2 Commensalism+0 Mutualism++ Parasitism+-