1. Ecosystem and Ecology

2. What are the parts of an ecosystem?
Community of all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) factors that interact in a given area.
Can be large or small
Ecology:
the study of the relationships and interactions of living things with one another and with their environment.
Environment:
All the biotic and abiotic factors with which an organism may interact with and affect its chance of survival.

3. Parts of the ecosystem Abiotic Biotic
are the nonliving factors in an organism’s environment
temperature, amount of water, amount of oxygen, amount of light, soil composition.
are the living factors in an organism’s environment
amount of food, predators, parasites, competitors.
Often change with the seasons

4. Levels of organization in an ecosystem
Community:
All the populations of different species that live in a given area.
Highest level of organization in an ecosystem.
Population:
More than 1 organism in an ecosystem that are the same species.
Organism:
1 individual
Smallest level of organization in an ecosystem

5. What determines where a population can live in an ecosystem?
Every population has a different place to live and a different role to play in an ecosystem.
Habitat: the place in which an organism lives and obtains the resources it needs to survive.
Food
Water
Shelter
Space
Niche: the role a population plays in its community.
Includes:
interactions with other populations
Biotic and abiotic factors needed for survival

6. Interactions among organisms in an ecosystem
What are the three types of interactions among organisms in an ecosystem?
What is competition?
What is predation?
What is symbiosis?
competition
predation
symbiosis
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources.
Can occur with: individuals or populations
Type: direct (ex: fighting) or indirect contact
Due to: limited resources in an area
the interaction in which one organism hunts and kills another for food.
the close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of them.
3 types

7. 3 different types of symbiotic relationships
Mutualism
Positive for both organisms.
Both benefit from the relationship
Ex: cow and E. coli
Parasitism
Positive for the parasite and negative for the host.
Ex: Ticks and dogs
Parasite: an organism that lives in or on another organism and benefits by taking nutrients at expense of host
Host: an animal or plant that a parasite lives in or on
Commensalism
Positive for 1 organism and has no effect (neutral) for the other organism.
Ex: sucker fish on sharks

8. Roles in the Food Web
What is the role of a producer?
What is the role of a consumer?
What is the role of a decomposer?
are the first organisms on the energy pyramid (bottom of the web).
make their own food through photosynthesis.
Energy from the sun is converted into sugar for food.
examples: grass, seaweed, cacti
eat producers or other consumers.
1st level consumers eat producers (herbivore)
2nd level consumers eat 1st level consumers.
3rd level consumers eat 2nd level consumers.
break down waste material and dead remains of other organisms.
example: bacteria, fungi, earthworms

9. Who eats what?
What is a herbivore?
What is an omnivore?
What is a carnivore?
consumers that only eat producers.
consumer that eats both producers and other consumers.
consumer that eats only other consumers.

10. Consumers who eat other organisms
What is a predator?
What is a prey?
an organism that kills for its food.
an organism that is killed for food.

11. How does the energy flow through an ecosystem?
When organisms eat one another in an ecosystem, the energy is transferred or “flows” to the new organism.
The flow of energy can be represented by:
Energy Pyramids
Food chains
Food webs

12. Energy Pyramids What is an energy pyramid?
It shows the relationships in food chains or food webs.
It illustrates the transfer of energy in an ecosystem.
As you move
Up the pyramid,
about 10% of the
energy available
is transferred to
the next level.

13. How does the energy flow through an ecosystem?
food chains show how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from creature to creature. 
Food chains use arrows to show how energy flows
Arrows point to the organism that is getting energy

14. Food webs show feeding relationships
Organisms in an ecosystem may eat more than one type of food.
Food web - illustrates the feeding relationship between organisms.
Made up of many food chains
Arrows point to the organism that is getting energy
Producers are the base to most food webs