1. Ecology Observing nature

2. Ecology  The scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environments  Includes descriptive and quantitative data to learn about relationships

3. Ecology  Biosphere – portion of Earth that supports life  From high in atmosphere to bottom of oceans

4. Ecology  Ecology includes non-living parts of environment = abiotic factors  Temperature, moisture, air currents, light, soil

5. Ecology  Living organisms in an environment are the biotic factors  Living things affect others

6. Ecology  Levels of organization  To understand relationships you have to look at more than one individual  Population  Community  Ecosystem

7. Levels of Organization  Population is a group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the same place at the same time Individual frogs might compete for the same food source

8. Levels of Organization  Community is a collection of interacting populations  A change in one population may cause change in another population more frogs = fewer flies

9. Levels of Organization  While population and communities interact, they both interact with their environment  An ecosystem is made up of interactions among the populations in a community and the physical surroundings, or abiotic factors

10. Levels of Organization  Ecosystems  Terrestrial = on land, forest, meadow, desert  Aquatic = in water, 75% of Earth  Freshwater = pond, lake, stream  Saltwater = ocean

11. Ecology Organisms in Ecosystems

12.  Habitat is the place where an organism lives out its life.  Prairie dog burrows in a grassland  Birds in trees of a beech-maple forest

13. Organisms in Ecosystems  Niche is the role a species has in its environment  Several species may live in the same place, but use different resources = their specialized niche

14. Organisms in Ecosystems  Some species improve changes of survival by forming relationships with other species  Some relationships benefit one, harm other, like predator/prey relationship  Symbiosis = living together, close relationship between species

15. Organisms in Ecosystems  There are several kinds of symbiosis  Commensalism  Mutualism  Parasitism

16. Organisms in Ecosystems  Commensalism = a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed not benefited  Clownfish lives amongst stinging anemone for protection

17. Organisms in Ecosystems  Mutualism = a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit  Ants get nectar from acacia trees and attack any animal that tries to eat from tree. This protection allows trees to live longer.

18. Organisms in Ecosystems  Parasitism = a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits at expense of other organism.  Tick, flea, mosquito