1. Unit 2 – Ecologyand the Enviroment

2. Levels of Organization in Ecology  atom  molecule  organelle  cell  tissue  organ  organ system  organism  population  community  ecosystem Wikimedia Commons free use from NASA

3. Ecosystem

4.  A biome is a group of ecosystems with similar climate, plant and animal species.

5. Biotic Factor Biotic = living things life Such as: animals, plants, bacteria, fungus, protists, etc.

6. Abiotic Factors A bio tic Not Life Non living things such as: Rocks, water, temperature, soil, light. Etc. There are more abiotic factors that there are biotic factors!!!

7. Populations vs. Communities  A population is a group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time  community -  interacting populations  All the living things that  live together.

8. Symbiosis

9. Mutualism

10. Commensalism

11. Parasitism

12. Predation

13. Carrying Capacity

14. Trophic Level Energy travels up the trophic levels Only 10% of energy is transferred to the level above it. Position that organisms occupy on the food chain or each step in the food chain

15. Ecological Pyramid

16. Food Web

17. Did you know?  The directions of the arrows in a food web show which way the energy flows…not who eats who.

18. Producer

19. Autotroph  Producers are usually plants but not always!! They just have to make food from the sun (autotroph). Phytoplankton Solar powered Sea Slug Auto troph Self feeding

20. Decomposers  Decomposers are mainly bacteria & fungi. They break down dead organisms  Without them, we would be covered in dead organisms in no time at all!!!

21. Consumer  Consumers are heterotrophs (get energy from eating other organisms) Hetero troph Different feeding

22. Primary Consumer

23. Secondary Consumer Lion - Secondary consumer after eating the goat

24. Tertiary Consumer  Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers. Tertiary consumer after eating the jackal.

25. Herbivore

26. Omnivore

27. Carnivore

28. Detritivore

29. Limiting Factors

30. Ecosystem Sustainability

31. Ecological Succession

32. Primary Succession

33. Secondary Succession

34. Climax Community  Secondary Succession ends in the climax community, which is the most stable community and will remain until the next disturbance.  In the Colorado mountains, the climax community is the pine forest!