Ecosystems Habitat- An environment that provides the things the organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce. An organism obtains food, water, shelter, and other things it needs to live, grow, and reproduce from its environment. Organisms live in different habitats because they have different requirements for survival. Write a few sentences describing the habitat of your favorite wild animal. Biotic Factors-The living parts of a habitat. List five to seven biotic factors in a whitetail deer’s habitat.

Abiotic Factors Abiotic factors are the nonliving parts of an organism’s habitat. Includes water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, and soil.

Levels of Organization Populations- All members of one species in a particular area are referred to as a population. A species is a group of organisms that are physically similar and can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce.

Levels of Organization Community-All the different populations that live together in an area. List as many species within a forest ecosystem to define a community. To be considered a community, the different populations must live close enough together to interact.

Ecosystem Ecosystem-The community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving surroundings, make up an ecosystem. The order of organization within an ecosystem from smallest to largest: Organism, which belongs to a population that includes other members of its species, population belongs to a community of different species, and the community and abiotic factors together form an ecosystem.