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Studying the Web of Life. Ecology – the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment Environments have 2 parts: Biotic – living things in environment Abiotic – physical factors of environment (water, soil, light, temperature, etc.). Levels of Environmental Organization. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Studying the Web of Life
Ecology – the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
Environments have 2 parts:Biotic – living things in environmentAbiotic – physical factors of environment
(water, soil, light, temperature, etc.)
Levels of Environmental Organization
1. Organism – single individual
Levels of Environmental Organization
2. Population – group of individuals of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time- individuals in a population compete with one another for food, nesting space, and mates
Levels of Environmental Organization
3. Community – consists of all the populations of different species that live and interact in an area- different populations in a community depend on each other for food, shelter, and many other things
Levels of Environmental Organization
4. Ecosystem – community and its abiotic environment.
Levels of Environmental Organization
5. Biosphere – part of the Earth where life exist
Living Things Need Energy
All living things need energy to survive.Organisms can be divided into 3 groups
based on how they obtain energy:1. Producers – organisms that use sunlight
directly to make food 2. Consumers – organisms that eat
producers or other organisms 3. Decomposers – organisms that get
energy by breaking down dead or decaying organisms
Producers
Use photosynthesisMostly plants, but also algae and some
bacteria
Consumers
Cannot use sun’s energy directly
Herbivore – eats plants
Carnivore – eats animals
Omnivore – eat both plants and animals
Scavengers – feed on bodies of dead animals
Decomposers
Bacteria and fungiExtract the last bit of energy from dead
organisms and produce simpler materials
Nature’s recyclers
Food Chains
Food Chains – represents how the energy in food molecules flows from one organism to the next
Food Webs
Food Web – many energy pathways between organisms
Energy Pyramid
The loss of energy at each level of the food chain can be represented by an energy pyramid
Each level uses 90% of the energy it obtains, so only 10% of the energy is passed along to the next level
Habitat and Niche
Habitat – the environment in which an organism lives
Niche – an organism’s way of life within an ecosystem Includes its habitat, food, predators,
organisms with which it competes, how the organism affects and is affected by abiotic factors in its environment
Interactions with the Environment
An organism interacts with biotic or abiotic factors in its environment that can control the size of its population
Limiting Factors – factors that influence how large a population can grow to Ex: food, water, living space, other natural
resourcesCarrying Capacity – the largest population
that a given environment can support over a long period of time
Interactions Among Organisms
4 main ways that species and individuals affect each other:1. Competition2. Predators and Prey3. Symbiotic relationships4. Coevolution
Competition
When 2 or more individuals or populations try to use the same limited resource (ex: food, water, shelter, space, sunlight, etc.)
Can occur among individuals within a population
Can occur between populations of different species
Predators and Prey
Prey – organism that is eaten
Predator – organism that eats the prey
Predator Adaptations – CaninesClawsCamouflageSpeed
Prey Adaptations – Chemical combatCamouflageSpeedTrickery: false features and mimicry
Symbiosis
Close, long-term association between two or more species
3 Main Groups1. Mutualism2. Commensalism 3. Parasitism
Mutualism
Symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit
Examples: You and a species
of bacteria in your intestines
Coral and algae
Commensalism
Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected
Examples: Sharks and
remoras
Parasitism
Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits while the other organism is harmed
Parasite – organism that benefits Host – organism that is harmed Example:
Tomato hornworm and wasps
Coevolution
Long-term change that takes place in two species because of their close interactions with one another
Yucca Moth and Yucca Plants
Flowers and their Pollinators
Acacia Trees and Acacia Ants