ECOLOGY

What is Ecology? The scientific study of interactions among

organisms and between organisms in their

environment, or surroundings

Organization of the BiosphereLevels of organization

Biosphere- all of the life on Earth

Biome- a large community of flora and fauna, major habitat

Ecosystem- a biological system of organisms interacting with each other and the environment

Biotic factors – living

Abiotic factors – non living

Community- various species that interact with each other (not including abiotic factors)

Population- group of organisms from one species in one area

Organism- an individual living thing

Levels of Organization:

Factors involved in ecology Abiotic (non-living) such as sunlight,

minerals, availability of water

Biotic (living) such as predation, symbiosis,

and competition between organisms

Factors involved in ecology

Abiotic (non-living) such as sunlight,

minerals, availability of water

Biotic (living) such as predation, symbiosis,

and competition between organisms

Practice:Put a B next to all of the things you think are Biotic (living) and an A next to the things you think are Abiotic (nonliving):

___ Plant ___ Human ___ Water

___ Sunlight ___ Flower ___ Minerals

___ Wind ___ Yeast ___ Rock

___ Frog ___ Bird ___ Rain

Niche vs. Habitat NICHE

An organism’s role or job in a community

What does it eat?

How does it effect its environment?

How does its environment effect it?

HABITAT

The place where an organism lives

Examples are:

Tree

Rock

Water

Cave

What is a habitat?

Where an organism lives

● A rotting log is the habitat to many living things such as earthworms, centipedes, ants, and millipedes

What is a niche?

What an organism does, it feeds on or its job.●Two organisms can share a habitat, but not a niche●On our rotting log● Centipede – predator eat beetles and

other animals● Worm – nourishment from organic

material it eats as it burrows● Ants – eat dead insects

● Millipede – eats dead and decaying leaves near the log

3. Why can these birds live in

the same tree?

●Occupy

different

niches

Practice Circle the correct answer on your paper:

A niche includes the organism’s:

a) role in the flow of energy through the

ecosystem

b) role in the recycling of nutrients in the

ecosystem.

c) role in interacting with other organisms.

d) all of the above

Types of Organisms AUTOTROPH (“self-feeder”)

Also called Producers

They are making or becoming the food for the other organisms

Organism who use energy from the sun to make their own food

HETEROTROPH (“other-feeder”)

Get energy from the autotrophs (or by feeding on heterotrophs who ate autotrophs)

Also called Consumers (They are consuming other organisms as food)

Must go and get their food

Scavengers (Feed on dead animals)

Carnivores (Feed on animals)

Herbivores (Feed on plants)

Omnivore (Feed on both plants and animals)

Decomposers (Feed by breaking down complex compounds and extracting the nutrients)

Practice: Autotroph or

Heterotroph? Grass uses the chlorophyll in its leaves to

turn sunlight in glucose. What kind of

organism is it? ______________

Cows eat grass to obtain the glucose and

other nutrients in the grass. What kind of

organism is it? ______________

Community Interactions Competition

Occur when organisms attempt to utilize

the same resource or place at the same time

Predation

One organism captures and feeds on

another organism

Predator-Prey Relationship

Symbiosis

Two species live and work closely together

in a way that benefits both

Competition

Predator-Prey Relationship

“Living Together” Symbiosis

Means “Living together”

Many organisms have symbiotic relationships with other organisms

Three types of symbiotic relationships

COMMENSALISM One organism benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed

MUTUALISM Both organisms benefit

PARASITISM One organism benefits at the other’s expense

Practice:1. Microorganisms living in the intestines of humans break down the food particles to aid in digestion for the humans. In addition, the microorganisms feed off tiny food particles that the humans ingest. What is this relationship called?

2. Remora sharks have an adhesive disk on the top of their heads. They use this disk to “hitch a ride” on larger animals, usually whales, which tend to be sloppy eaters. They cause no harm to these animals, and can detach to collect scraps of food floating away from the whale’s mouth. This is an example of what?

Change in Ecosystems or

Communities over timeEcological Succession:

Communities change over

time in a predictable,

orderly way over many

decades

Changes in plant

communities lead to

changes in animal

communities

Ecological Succession

The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time. It eventually leads to the formation of a stable community called a climax community.

Primary Succession: occurs on surfaces where no soil exists, such as after a volcanic eruption. The first species to populate the area are called pioneer species (such as lichen).

Secondary Succession: occurs when a disturbance of some kind changes an existing community without removing the soil (like forest fires), leads to a climax community

Climax community: a community in which the populations remain the same because they are in balance; a climax community will remain until a drastic environmental change occurs

Practice:1. How are community and an ecosystem different from each other?

A. Communities have animals and ecosystems have plants B. Communities have biotic factors and ecosystems have biotic & abiotic factors

C. Communities have abiotic factors and ecosystems have biotic factors

D. Communities are large and ecosystems are small

2. Primary succession would most likely occur after what?

A. forest fire. B. farm land is abandoned.

C. a lava flow. D. a severe storm.

Check your answers to the

practice questions:

Practice:Put a B next to all of the things you think are Biotic (living) and an A next to the things you think are Abiotic (nonliving):

___ Plant ___ Human ___ Water

___ Sunlight ___ Flower ___ Minerals

___ Wind ___ Yeast ___ Rock

___ Frog ___ Bird ___ Rain

B B

B

B B

B

A

A

A

A

A

A

Practice Circle the correct answer on your paper:

A niche includes the organism’s:

a) role in the flow of energy through the

ecosystem

b) role in the recycling of nutrients in the

ecosystem.

c) role in interacting with other organisms.

d) all of the above

Practice: Autotroph or

Heterotroph? Grass uses the chlorophyll in its leaves to

turn sunlight in glucose. What kind of

organism is it? Autotroph/ Producer

Cows eat grass to obtain the glucose and

other nutrients in the grass. What kind of

organism is it? Heterotroph, Primary

Consumer

Practice:1. Microorganisms living in the intestines of humans break down the food particles to aid in digestion for the humans. In addition, the microorganisms feed off tiny food particles that the humans ingest. What is this relationship called?

Symbiosis- Mutualism

2. Remora sharks have an adhesive disk on the top of their heads. They use this disk to “hitch a ride” on larger animals, usually whales, which tend to be sloppy eaters. They cause no harm to these animals, and can detach to collect scraps of food floating away from the whale’s mouth. This is an example of what?

Symbiosis- Commensalism

Practice:1. How are community and an ecosystem different from each other?

A. Communities have animals and ecosystems have plants B. Communities have biotic factors and ecosystems have biotic & abiotic factors

C. Communities have abiotic factors and ecosystems have biotic factors

D. Communities are large and ecosystems are small

2. Primary succession would most likely occur after what?

A. forest fire. B. farm land is abandoned.

C. a lava flow. D. a severe storm.