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• Ecological community


  A group of species that are commonly found together. Ecological communities may be animal or plant assemblages with similar habitat requirements and contain species which may influence each other or rely on similar processes in their environment.
• Community ecology


  • Concerns the mechanisms governing interactions between various species and their overarching effects
• Ecosystem ecology


  • Studies living things and nonliving components, including populations, communities, and organisms
• Scientists have predicted that a particular community will have a different species compositions
• Ecological succession


  The process where populations tend to control the environment, enabling them to survive
• Environmental disturbances are the most common factor that causes changes in community composition and structure
• Environmental disturbances


  • Flood
  • Forest fires
  • Volcanic eruption
• Primary succession


  Happens when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time. Organisms must start from scratch.
• Secondary succession


  Happens when a climax community or intermediate community is impacted by a disturbance. Soil and nutrients are still present.
• Climax community


  The "endpoint" of succession within the context of a particular climate and geography. It will persist in a given location until a disturbance occurs.
• Ecological succession continues until the ecosystem becomes stable
• Stability


  The species composition hardly changes, even if environmental conditions change
• Dominant species


  The species prevailing in a particular community. They determine what type of vegetation will inhabit the area.
• Rare species


  Determine the diversity of species.
• Species richness


  The number of species present in an ecosystem
• Evenness


  The number of individuals representing each species. A community with a high degree of species richness in which all the kinds of species have almost the same number will have a high degree of evenness.
• Ecosystem


  The interrelationship of organisms with their environment
• Biome


  A specific geographic area notable for the species living there, can be made up of many ecosystems
• Ecology


  The branch of biology that studies the interrelationship of organisms with their environment
• Ecosystem


  Coined by British plant ecologist Sir Arthur George Stanley
• Habitat


  A system of constant interaction with its biotic and abiotic components
• Two major groups in ecosystem

  • Producers or Autotrophs
  • Heterotrophs
  • Consumers
  • Decomposers
  • Scavengers
• Biotic components


  The living things found in an ecosystem

  
• Abiotic components


  The non-living things found in an ecosystem

  
• Energy from the sun is essential in an ecosystem
• Trophic level


  The feeding levels where energy is transferred from producers to various trophic levels
• Energy pyramid


  Shows the trophic level or feeding levels where energy is transferred from producers to various trophic levels

  
• Flow of energy in an ecosystem

  1. Food chain

  2. Food web
• Food chain


  A single path or flowchart of what organisms eat
• Food web


  Describes the feeding relationship of organisms in an ecosystem, introduced by Charles Elton
• Types of interaction in an ecosystem

  • Competition
  • Predation
  • Symbiosis

  
• Biome is not the same as ecosystem
• Examples of terrestrial biomes

  • Tropical forest
  • Temperate forest
  • Taiga
  • Tundra
  • Desert
  • Grassland
  • Savanna
  • Shrubland
• Tropical forest


  • Found near the equator, temperature is always warm, receives abundant rainfall, two types: tropical seasonal forest and tropical rainforest
• Taiga


  • Biome of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or score leaved evergreen forest, very cold forests, found in the Northern hemisphere
• Temperate forest


  • Found south of taigas, temperature ranges from 6 to 28 degrees Celsius and changes every season, has well-defined seasons: summer, spring, winter, autumn
• Tundra


  • Found in the Arctic circle, south of the Polar ice caps in the Northern Hemisphere, temperature ranges from -26 to 12 degrees Celsius, characterized by a thin layer of topsoil over the permafrost
• Desert


  • Found on every continent except Europe, temperature ranges from 7 to 38 degrees Celsius, plants and animals are adapted to endure dry, hot conditions
• Savanna


  • Found in South Asia, Australia, South America, and in Central and Southern Africa, temperature ranges from 16 to 24 degrees Celsius, characterized as tropical grasslands with scattered deciduous trees and shrubs
• Grassland


  • Found in Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and Africa, temperature ranges from 0 to 25 degrees Celsius, covered with tall grasses in moist areas and short grasses in drier areas