ECOLOGY

the study of the interactions

of living things and non-

living things with one

another and their environment

organism

A single living thing. All animals and plants are

organisms.

population

Organisms of the same

species living together in the same geographical area at

the same time

Community

Several different populations

that live together in the same

habitat or environment.

Ecosystems All the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things

that interact in an

environment (area).

abiotic

the non-living things in an ecosystem (sunlight, water,

rocks, climate, wind and

rain)

biotic

the living things in an

ecosystem (plants, animals,

insects)

niche

An organism’s particular

role or job in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living

(what it eats, when it eats,

when it sleeps, the part of the tree it lives in, etc.)

predator organism that does the

hunting and killing and eats all or part of another

organism

prey organism that is hunted by a

predator and killed for food

Photosynthesis

The cycle of

plants and how

they make energy!

The sun (light energy), water, minerals and carbon dioxide

are all absorbed by the plant.

The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is

the energy/food for the plant.

Oxygen is also produced and released into the air!

Owl

Mouse

producer

living thing that can make its

own food through photosynthesis. (Humans can

never be producers.)

consumer*

living thing that gets its

energy by eating other living

things

herbivore

cows, horses,

mice, elephants

consumer* that only eats

plants (Organism that obtains

energy ONLY from producers)

carnivore consumer* that only eats

animals

omnivore consumer* that eats both

plants and animals

scavenger Both a carnivorous and

herbivorous behavior in

which the scavenger feeds on

dead and decaying organic*

matter present in its habitat.

organic* Something that is living or

was once living.

Inorganic-minerals and some rocks. (something that has

never lived)

decomposer Organisms (fungus, mold, bacteria and mushrooms) that

return nutrients to the soil and

break down dead

organisms. “Nature’s

recyclers”

Turkey

Vulture

PLEASE READ: The Energy Pyramid, simple Food Chains and Food Webs all show transfer of energy

through arrows.

energy

transfer

Example:

Our body gives off

heat. We

gain a percentage

of energy

by eating other

organisms.

The amount of energy that moves

or is transferred

from one feeding level to another as a

result of feeding

patterns of a series of organisms. This

energy decreases as

it moves up the pyramid.

food

chain

A path of energy

from one living

thing to another.

Decomposers like bacteria are necessary for all

food chains. **Notice the producer (plant) - consumer (herbivore, omnivore, and

carnivore) relationship.

food web Drawing that shows how food chains

connect together and

their feeding relationships-

identify a food

chain within a food

web.

Energy

Pyramid

See below for

example of

how energy is

lost at each

level.

Analyze the interactions of living organisms with their ecosystems.

limiting

factor

Anything that restricts the

number of individuals living in a population.

A resource that is so scarce that it limits the size of a

population.

For example, 10 rabbits may live in a habitat that has enough water, cover and space to support 20

rabbits, but if there is only enough food for ten rabbits, the population will not grow any larger. In this example, food is the limiting factor.

carrying

capacity

The maximum

amount of

organisms that can live

in an area.

the largest population an environment can support

-Describe and analyze how major

changes in the limiting factors

affect the carrying capacity of

organisms in an ecosystem. See # 16 on CRT

example Test.

habitat

The environment where an

organism lives that can be affected by the limiting

factors Adaptation Skunks-chemical

Lizard-camouflage

Prairie dog-runs

away

In order for animals to survive, they need to be able

to adapt. (Moving in large groups is a

behavioral adaptation; it helps

protect the members of the

group from predators.

The thick fur coat of an arctic

fox is a structural adaptation.

It helps protect it against the

cold weather.

These limiting factors

cause individuals to

die off or leave

causing the

population to

decrease.

symbiosis relationship between

living things in which at least one benefits

Parasite

(Example: tick or flea harms

the dog)

Symbiotic relationship

in which an organism

(parasite) benefits

while the other (host) is

harmed.

Host

(Example: Dog

gets harmed)

living thing that a parasite lives on or in

that gets harmed

environment The environment

includes not only

physical factors* such as

climate or terrain, but also living factors such

as predators, prey, and

other members of a population.

survival rate Interpret an analyze data

to predict survival rate in organisms due to

changing

environmental factors:

Environmental

(Physical*)

factors

Droughts

Floods

Temperature changes

Wildfires

Pollution

Droughts

Severe droughts affect regions in a number of ways. Vegetation that requires

frequent water cannot survive long under these conditions. Shrinking water sources increase competition between animals and threaten populations. Droughts occurring

in areas with dense vegetation also increase the risk of wildfires.

Floods

Though in some areas like river flood-plains where frequent flooding is a natural and important occurrence, excessive flooding can cause lasting damage. Like

droughts, extreme flooding can impact an ecosystem by eroding the surrounding

soil and uprooting the plants and trees that hold the soil in place. Floods can also leave behind toxins and pollutants picked up along the way.

Climate Change

The last decade has seen obvious signs of climate change. As the earth's

temperature continues to warm, the effects will become more apparent and damaging. Ice caps are melting, causing ocean levels to rise and placing more water

into Earth's natural water cycle. Temperature change also increases the chances of

stronger storms in some areas while causing longer, more extreme droughts in others. Stronger and more frequent occurrences of these natural disasters leave little

time for an ecosystem to bounce back from serious damage.

Wildfires

Fires play an important role in wildlife management when they are planned to

prevent larger wildfires during the dry season. When the wildfires are unplanned, it

causes events that can sweep across an area and destroy everything in its path. By destroying the vegetation, erosion occurs leaving nothing to prevent catastrophic

flooding during the rainy season. The loss of habitat means the loss of homes for

both humans and wildlife.

Evaluate Data Related To Problems Associated With

Population Growth And The Possible Solution

Overgrazing

1. The ground cover (grass) would be depleted causing soil

erosion. 2. The native plants would be replaced by less favorable

plants.

3. The food web in the area would be disrupted. 4. The land would not hold the rain as well and you would get

major run off.

5. Dust storms. 6. Droughts might occur due to the overheating of the land

due to no ground cover.

7. Animals would starve and die. 8. The land may be permanently changed

Non-native

(exotic) species

Species that do not

naturally occur in an ecosystem.

NO NATURAL

PREDATORS.

Most exotic species introduced into

North America do not become invasive. Many of the species our

civilization relies upon such as wheat,

barley and rice are exotic but not

invasive.

invasive species

Sometimes used by humans to manage

other organisms.

*See # 21 on CRT example Test.

plants or animals that

aggressively establish themselves in an

ecosystem at the

expense of its native species and natural

functions

Invasive species damage our

ecosystem by competing for resources native species need to survive,

sometimes choking out natives

entirely. (If they overgraze, then erosion is one side effect, followed by

floods).

ENERGY RESOURCES:

Renewable

resources

Resource that can be replaced at the same

rate it is used.

Non- Renewable

resources

Cannot be replaced in

our lifetime or takes

thousands or millions of years. (fossil fuels)

Mining Removing fossils

fuels from the Earth’s

crust. (coal)