1. Ecology

2. Ecology: study of how living things interact with each other & with their environment.

3. Ecosystem: a community of interacting organisms and their environment
Biotic factors: The living or once-living parts of an ecosystem.
Ex:animals, decayed remains, animal waste, plants, bacteria, fungi, etc.
Abiotic factors: The nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Ex:H2O, soil, sunlight, temperature, etc.

4. aquatic: living in H2O (fresh or marine)
terrestrial: living on land

5. Habitat- a natural place for an organism to live, the place within an ecosystem that provides the biotic and abiotic factors an organism needs to survive and reproduce, a single ecosystem can contain many habitats
This wetland ecosystem contains several habitats. How many can you see?

6. Population- all the organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time.
Community- all the populations living in an ecosystem at the same time

7. Niche- the way a species interacts with abiotic and biotic factors to obtain food, find shelter and fulfill other needs

8. https://youtu.be/PdwnfPurXcs
The Wolf and the Moose

9. Biosphere
Biome
ECOSYSTEM ↑
COMMUNITY
Population
organism

11. Biosphere- World
Biomes

12. Predation: interaction in which one organism kills & eats another
Predator = killer
Prey = killed
Competition: struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat w/ limited resources . Anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population is a limiting factor.

13. Symbiosis- a close, long-term relationship between two species that usually involves an exchange of food or energy.

14. Mutualism- both species benefit from the relationship
Ex:
Bees & flowers pollinate flowers and collect nectar
Oxpeckers and rhinos - In this relationship, the oxpecker (a bird) lives on the zebra or rhino, sustaining itself by eating all of the bugs and parasites on the animal.
The Acacia and the Ant

15. Commensalism- one species benefits from the relationship
Commensalism- one species benefits from the relationship. The other species is neither harmed nor benefited.
Ex:
Cattle egret and Livestock- The cattle egret benefits because it eats insects that are stirred up when the livestock move through the grass.
Barnacles and Whales- Barnacles are a type of crustacean that attach to whales. Barnacles cannot move on their own, so they use the whale to move around and find locations with food.
Clownfish and Sea Anemone

16. Parasitism- one species (the parasite) benefits and the other species (the host) is harmed.
Ex:
Fleas or ticks that live on dogs and cats are parasites. They are living off of the blood of the host animal.
Lice are another type of parasite. They live off of the blood of the host animal
Most species of cockatoos will lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, in the hopes that the other bird will raise the babies. Cockatoos often remove an egg (or more) from the nest to decrease suspicion over the additional eggs.

17. Producer: makes its own food Consumer: feeds on other organisms
Energy Roles in the Ecosystem
Producer: makes its own food
Consumer: feeds on other organisms
Herbivore: eats plants (rabbit, cow, elephant)
Carnivore: eats meat (wolf, cat, snake)
Scavenger: feeds on already dead organisms (vulture, crab)
Omnivore: eats both plants & animals (human, bear, crow)

18. Decomposer: also called detritivores
break down wastes & dead organisms
return raw materials to the environment
(fungi, insects, worms)

19. Food Chain: series of events in which one organism eats another & obtains energy
1st in series = the producer
Next = first level consumer (which eats a producer)
Next = second level consumer (which eats a 1st level consumer, etc.)
Predator and Prey

23. Food Web: consists of many overlapping food chains
Most animals eat or are eaten by more than one thing

25. Energy Flow in Ecosystems
The flow of energy can be represented by an energy pyramid.
An energy pyramid shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web. It loses energy as it goes up. Only 10% of energy goes to next level.
Amoeba Sisters: Food Webs and Energy Pyramids: Bedrocks of Biodiversity

28. Biomes
Biomes are a large group of ecosystems determined by temperature and amount of precipitation.
These abiotic factors largely determine what kinds of plants grow in an area which, in turn, provides niches for different animals.
Organisms in that biome are adapted to that environment.