1. 3.1: What is Ecology?

2. ecology: study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment
ecology is hierarchal – each level builds on itself and they fit together like nesting boxes

3. organism: an individual life form
lowest level of organization

4. population: group of organisms of one species living in the same place at the same time
The next level is a population. A population consists of a single species living together and breeding. Give me an example of a population. Ex. large mouth bass living in Lake Meade. Beetles living under the same log. Here we have salmon spawning and two bears fishing.

5. community: several populations that live in a common environment
Next level is a community which is several populations living together and depending on each other. What does interdependent mean? An example of a community is shown here with the bear and the salmon. They both live in a common environment and the bear needs the fish for food? How does the salmon need the bear?

6. ecosystem: community of living organisms & the nonliving features of their environment

7. biome: group of ecosystems that share a similar climate and organisms

8. biosphere: life-supporting areas of Earth composed of air, land, & water
highest level of organization

10. Limiting Factor
anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population
includes living and nonliving features of the ecosystem

11. The Nonliving Environment
abiotic factors: nonliving parts of an organism’s environment
abiotic factors affect an organism’s life
examples: air currents, temperature, moisture, light 11 11

12. The Living Environment
biotic factors: all the living organisms found in a particular environment
all organisms depend on others (directly or indirectly) for food, shelter, mates, or protection 12 12

13. Abiotic or Biotic?
Biotic 13 13

14. Abiotic or Biotic?
Abiotic 14 14

15. Abiotic or Biotic?
Both! 15 15