Communities and competition

• What is a key concept in ecology regarding organisms?

  All organisms have relationships with each other
• What types of relationships do mice have?

  With other mice, plants, and predators
• How do mice interact with their environment?

  They breathe oxygen and burrow in soil
• What happens if the mouse population decreases?

  Predators have less food and soil quality declines
• What is a habitat?

  • The place where an organism lives
  • Examples: field, forest, basement
• What is a population in ecology?

  All organisms of a particular species in a habitat
• What constitutes a community in ecology?

  All populations of different species in a habitat
• What are biotic factors?

  Living factors like food availability and predators
• What are abiotic factors?

  Non-living factors like temperature and soil pH
• What is an ecosystem?

  • Interaction of a community of living organisms
  • With the non-living parts of their environment
• What is competition in an ecosystem?

  Organisms compete for limited resources to survive
• What resources do animals typically need?

  Space, food, water, and mates
• What resources do plants typically need?

  Light, space, water, and mineral ions
• What is interdependence in ecology?

  All species depend on other species in some way
• How does a food web illustrate interdependence?

  • Shows feeding relationships within a community
  • Changes in one species affect others
• What happens if the mouse population increases?

  Grass availability decreases, affecting other species
• What might happen to hawks if the mouse population increases?

  Hawk population might not increase much
• What is the significance of understanding ecological relationships?

  To predict the knock-on effects of changes
• What is the main focus of ecology?

  • Understanding how ecosystems function
  • How they might change in the future