*Ecology is the study of the interaction of living things and their environment

*All living things are interconnectedinterconnected – survival of an organism depends upon it’s interactions with other living and nonliving things

*Species impact each other in complex ways because they are interdependentinterdependent

* We can divide the world into the living, bioticbiotic and nonliving, abioticabiotic

*Our planet has been shaped by not only the abiotic factors but the biotic factors as well

Left side: find 3 biotic and 3 abiotic things in this picture.

* Ecology is organized into 6 levels from largest to smallest:

*Biosphere

*Biome

*Ecosystem

*Community

*Population

*Organism

*All life on Earth and everything that impacts life on All life on Earth and everything that impacts life on EarthEarth

*Living things change the environment and visa Living things change the environment and visa versaversa

*Living things are part of the water cycle, and the Living things are part of the water cycle, and the cycling of many nutrients that are vital to lifecycling of many nutrients that are vital to life

*Without trees it would not rain as much in the rain forest, Without trees it would not rain as much in the rain forest, without worms, fungi, and insects there would be no soilwithout worms, fungi, and insects there would be no soil

*Regions of the world with the same climate and types of organism

*There are 10 major land biomes and salt water and fresh water biomes.

* Ecosystems: includes all the living and nonliving things that interact in a particular area

*For example a pond ecosystem includes the water’s temperature, pH, salinity, and everything that lives in it

*Communities: are the living things that interact with each other in a region – it does NOT include abiotic factors

*Individuals of the same species that interact with each other, they share/ compete for resources

*Summary paragraphSummary paragraph

1.1.What is the difference between and What is the difference between and ecosystem and a community?ecosystem and a community?

2.2.Give an example of Give an example of interconnectedness.interconnectedness.

3.3.Contrast abiotic and biotic.Contrast abiotic and biotic.

4.4.Given an example of a populationGiven an example of a population