Look at that dot• All the other people, plants, animals

you see on a daily basis are just a tiny fraction of the amount of planet-mates you have

• How do such diverse organisms live together on that dot?

Ecology

What is Ecology?

• The scientific study of ____________among organisms and between organisms and their environment

• Based on the Greek word “oikos” (house) and “logos” (the study of)

Levels of Organization

Population• Groups of individuals that belong to

the ____________and live in the same area at the same time

Community• ______________living together in a

defined area

Ecosystem• All of the

organisms in a community (_____factors)

+ the non-living

physical environment

(_____factors)

Biotic vs Abiotic Factors• Biotic factors:

Producers, Consumers, Detritivores, Decomposers

• Interact in the community as:

Competitors, parasites, pathogens, symbionts, predators, herbivores

Abiotic FactorsThe physical factors:• ___________ (wind speed and direction,

humidity, light intensity, air temperature, precipitation, etc)

• ___________ (dissolved nutrients, pH and

salinity, temperature)• __________ (nutrient

availability, soil moisture and pH, composition, temperature)

Think-Pair-Share• What are some biotic and abiotic

factors in a Pond Ecosystem? Biotic Abiotic

Each organisms or species in the community has its own niche.

What is a niche?

• An organism’s________________• Includes habitat and interactions with

other organisms (resources needed to meet energy, nutrient, survival and reproductive demands)

• You can think of it like this: Habitat=address,

niche=______

Biome• A group of ____________that have the

same climate and similar dominant communities

Biosphere• Contains all of

the_________________________________________________________

• Extends from the bottom of the ocean to the upper atmosphere

Which term can describe these?• All of the deer in Surrey?___________________• All of the organisms in Surrey?___________________• The air temperature in Surrey___________________• The entire forest ___________________

• Ecological theory suggests that all species in an ecosystem contribute in some way to ecosystem function

• Scientists estimate that human destruction of habitat is driving up to 100, 000 species to extinction every year

• This has serious implications for the long-term stability of many ecosystems

To study Ecology involves…

• For non-living (abiotic)– Climatology– Hydrology– Oceanography– Physics– Chemistry– Geology– soil analysis, etc.

For living (biotic)

animal behavior

Taxonomy Physiology mathematics (population studies)

etc.

What does an ecologist do?• Studies ___________between organisms

and their surroundings• Calculates abundance and distribution

of organisms• Uses a wide range of tools and

techniques

Observing• simple and complex observations

Experimenting

• in a laboratory and in the natural world

Modelling• often uses mathematics to make

predictions which can be tested by experimentation and observation

Think, Pair, Share• Suppose you want to know if the

water in a certain stream is safe to drink.

• Which method would you use? What would this involve?