1. Introduction to Ecology

2. Objective
I understand that living organisms interact with one another and their environment

3. On whom do you depend for your basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing?

4. Humans are not the only organisms that depend on others for their needs. All living things are interdependent. Their relationships are important to their survival.

5. Where does the energy to keep organisms alive original come from?

6. How do the organisms in the photo get energy?

7. Ecology
Ecology: the study of relationships between organisms and their environment
Scientist gain valuable insight about interactions between organisms by observing them in their natural environment

8. Biosphere Biosphere: the portion of earth that supports life Includes:
Landmasses
Bodies of water
Extends above Earth’s surface into the atmosphere
Extends below into the ocean

9. Factors in the Environment
Abiotic Factors: nonliving factors in the organisms’ environment Biotic Factors: living factors in the organism’s environment

10. Great Salt Lake Ecosystem
Abiotic versus Biotic Factors

11. Abiotic VS Biotic Factors
Abiotic factors
Biotic factors
Salinity
ultraviolet light (less air above GSL than sea level)
Temperature
water level
constant moving shore line
depth of lake
green algae
Cyanobacteria
Archaea
brine flies
Birds
Brine shrimp

12. Levels of Organization
To study relationships ecologists look at the different levels of organization or smaller pieces of the biosphere.
The levels increase in complexity as the number of interactions between organisms increase

13. Individual, Species, Organism
Individual: any living thing or organism
In the diagram the goldfish, is interacting with its environment.

14. Population
Population: a group of individuals of a given species that live in a specific geographic area at a given time.
In the diagram the school of fish is the population

15. Community
Community: a group of interacting populations (includes different species) that occupy the same geographic area at the same time.
In the diagram note how populations of gold fishes, salmons, crabs and herrings coexist in a defined location.

16. Ecosystem
Ecosystem: a biological community and all the abiotic factors that affect it

17. Biome
Biome: a large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities

18. Biosphere: all biomes combined