Intro to Ecology Notes

Ecology- the study of interactions among _____________________________________ and their

________________________________.

Abiotic- _________________________ factors that shape ecosystems

-temperature range

-light intensity

-pH range

-level of pollutants

Biotic- __________________________ factors that shape ecosystems

-other organisms

-plants

Levels of Organization

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

4. _______________________________

5. _______________________________

6. _______________________________

Energy in Ecology

Producers-also called ____________________________________

-food from _______________

-photosynthesis-chemosynthesis

Consumers-also called ___________________________________

-food from _______________

Types of Consumers:

1. _______________________________

-Eat plants-cow, horse

2. _______________________________

-Eat animals-lion, shark

3. _______________________________-Eat both plants and animals-humans, birds

4. ________________________________

-Eat dead matter-millipede, snail

5. ________________________________-Break down organic matter-fungi, bacteria

Food Chains-show how matter and _________________________ move through a series of organisms

**Arrow points ___________________ the _________________ of the _______________________

Food Webs-show how matter and energy move through an ____________________________

Made up of a bunch of food ________________

Trophic Level-each step in a food _____________

-Each consumer depends on the trophic level ___________________ it for energy

-Producersprimary consumerssecondary consumerstertiary consumersquaternary consumers

Ecological Pyramids-a diagram that shows the amount of ________________ or matter contained with each tropic level

of a food chain or food web

1. Energy Pyramid

-Shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level

-Only part of the energy that is stored in one trophic level is passed on to the next level

2. Biomass Pyramid-biomass=total amount of living tissue within a given tropic level

-represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level.

3. Pyramid of Numbers-shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level

WATER CYCLE

CARBON CYCLE

NITROGEN CYCLE

PHOSPHORUS CYCLE