1. Ecology: Ecology: an introduction

2. The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment

3. Biosphere  The part of Earth that supports life  Top portion of Earth's crust (lithosphere)  All the waters that cover Earth's surface (hydrosphere)  Atmosphere that surrounds Earth

5. Ecosystem  All the organisms living in an area and the nonliving features of their environment  Biotic – living  Abiotic – nonliving

6. Biotic  Biotic – living  Plants  Animals  Single celled organisms  Fungi

7. Abiotic  Abiotic – nonliving  Water  Air  Soil  Temperature  Sunlight

8. Parts of an Ecosystem

9. Population  All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species (biotic)

11. Community  All the populations in an ecosystem (biotic)

12. http://www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/black_ tailed_prairie_dog/images/lg_black_tailed_prairie_dogs.jpg

14. Habitat  The place in which an organism lives  provides the kinds of food and shelter, the temperature, and the amount of moisture the organism needs to survive

16. Niche  The specific role that an organism plays in its ecosystem

17. http://www.thinksimian.com/images/birds_2/nest.JPG

18. Competition  Food  Space

19. Competition  Competition caused by population growth affects many organisms, including humans  Limits population size

21. Limiting Factor  Anything that restricts the number of individuals in a population.  Includes living / biotic and nonliving / abiotic features of the ecosystem

23. Carrying Capacity  The maximum number of individuals of any species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a long-term basis

24. http://library.thinkquest.org/J002558F/carrying_capacity.JPG

25. Energy Transfer  Food Chains  Food Webs  Energy Pyramids

26. http://www.arcytech.org/java/population/images/food_chain.jpg