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Studying the Web of Life
Ecology – the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment Environments have 2 parts: Biotic – living things in environment Abiotic – physical factors of environment (water, soil, light, temperature, etc.)
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Levels of Environmental Organization
Organism – single individual
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Levels of Environmental Organization
2. Population – group of individuals of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time - individuals in a population compete with one another for food, nesting space, and mates
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Levels of Environmental Organization
3. Community – consists of all the populations of different species that live and interact in an area - different populations in a community depend on each other for food, shelter, and many other things
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Levels of Environmental Organization
4. Ecosystem – community and its abiotic environment.
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Levels of Environmental Organization
5. Biosphere – part of the Earth where life exist
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Living Things Need Energy
All living things need energy to survive. Organisms can be divided into 3 groups based on how they obtain energy: Producers – organisms that use sunlight directly to make food Consumers – organisms that eat producers or other organisms Decomposers – organisms that get energy by breaking down dead or decaying organisms
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Producers Use photosynthesis
Mostly plants, but also algae and some bacteria
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Consumers Cannot use sun’s energy directly Herbivore – eats plants
Carnivore – eats animals Omnivore – eat both plants and animals Scavengers – feed on bodies of dead animals
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Decomposers Bacteria and fungi
Extract the last bit of energy from dead organisms and produce simpler materials Nature’s recyclers
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Food Chains Food Chains – represents how the energy in food molecules flows from one organism to the next
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Food Webs Food Web – many energy pathways between organisms
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Energy Pyramid The loss of energy at each level of the food chain can be represented by an energy pyramid Each level uses 90% of the energy it obtains, so only 10% of the energy is passed along to the next level
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Habitat and Niche Habitat – the environment in which an organism lives
Niche – an organism’s way of life within an ecosystem Includes its habitat, food, predators, organisms with which it competes, how the organism affects and is affected by abiotic factors in its environment
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Interactions with the Environment
An organism interacts with biotic or abiotic factors in its environment that can control the size of its population Limiting Factors – factors that influence how large a population can grow to Ex: food, water, living space, other natural resources Carrying Capacity – the largest population that a given environment can support over a long period of time
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Interactions Among Organisms
4 main ways that species and individuals affect each other: Competition Predators and Prey Symbiotic relationships Coevolution
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Competition When 2 or more individuals or populations try to use the same limited resource (ex: food, water, shelter, space, sunlight, etc.) Can occur among individuals within a population Can occur between populations of different species
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Predators and Prey Prey – organism that is eaten
Predator – organism that eats the prey Predator Adaptations – Canines Claws Camouflage Speed Prey Adaptations – Chemical combat Camouflage Speed Trickery: false features and mimicry
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Symbiosis Close, long-term association between two or more species
3 Main Groups Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism
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Mutualism Symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
Examples: You and a species of bacteria in your intestines Coral and algae
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Commensalism Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected Examples: Sharks and remoras
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Parasitism Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other organism is harmed Parasite – organism that benefits Host – organism that is harmed Example: Tomato hornworm and wasps
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Coevolution Long-term change that takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another Flowers and their Pollinators Acacia Trees and Acacia Ants Yucca Moth and Yucca Plants
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