1. Chapter 2 - Ecology Ecology
Study of organisms and their interactions with each other and the environment
All living things require a supporting environment including other things. No organism lives in isolation.
What evidence do you have that living things require/need each other?
Biosphere
Portion of the earth that supports life
Landmasses, bodies of freshwater and saltwater, and all locations below the earth’s surface that support life.

2. Chapter 2 - Ecology Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors
Biotic – living factors in an organism’s environment (other animals, plants, micro organisms)
Abiotic – Nonliving factors in an organism’s environment (temperature, air, water currents, sunlight, soil)
Organisms adapt to these factors in their environment.

3. Chapter 2 - Ecology Levels of Organization
After cells are molecules then atoms!
Since we are all made of atoms, technically speaking, chemists are atoms that study atoms!

4. Chapter 2 - Ecology Energy Flow Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs
Autotrophs – collects energy (from sunlight or inorganic materials) to produce food (plants)
Heterotrophs – gets energy from consuming other organisms
Herbivore – eats plants
Carnivore – eats meat
Omnivore – eats everything
Detritivore – eats fragments of dead matter

5. Chapter 2 - Ecology Food Chain
Simple model that shows how energy flows through an ecosystem

6. Chapter 2 - Ecology Food Pyramid
A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms at each trophic level.
Trophic level – each step in a food chain

7. Chapter 2 - Ecology
Transpiration – trees return water to the atmosphere (clouds)
Precipitation – rain
Evaporation – water becomes gas

8. Chapter 2 - Ecology Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
Plants take in CO2 and release O2
Animals take in O2 and release CO2

9. Chapter 2 - Ecology Nitrogen Cycle
Harmful forms of nitrogen are released in the soil by decomposers
Certain bacteria “fixes” the harmful N converting it to a non harmful form.