Ecology - is the branch of biology that tries to understand how these kinds of interactions betweenorganisms and their environment happen.
Ecology is the study of the relationships and interactions of living things with one another and with their external environment.
Ecology is derived from the Greek word "oikos" which means house and "logos" which means study.
Ecologists - are scientists who study these interactions of organisms.
Ecologists study both nonliving; physical environment and living; biologicalenvironment.
Biosphere - is the part of Earth that supports life, which includes the top portion of Earth's crust; Lithosphere, all the bodies of water on Earth's surface; Hydrosphere, and the surrounding atmosphere.
Biome - refers to a set of ecosystem occupying large ecological areas, sharing distinct abiotic characteristics among its unique flora and fuana.
Biomes are usually defined by abiotics factors such as climatepatterns, soil type and vegetation.
Ecosystem - an area where living things interact with one another and with their environment.
Community - where different species of organisms interact with one another in a given area.
Species -are group of organisms that share the same general physicalcharacteristics and are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
The organisms may share or depend on one another for food, shelter, and other needs.
Population - a form that consists of group of organisms of the same species that live in a community.
Habitat - the actual place or type of environment where an organism or a population lives.
Niche - is the role of an organism in its habitat.
Biotic Factors - Living parts of an ecosystem.
Abiotic Factors - Nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Biotic Factors include:
• Animals
• Plants
• Organisms
Abiotic Factor includes:
• Light
• Temperature
• Water
• Oxygen
• pH ( acidity and alkalinity )
• Salinity ( saltconcentration )
Ecological Niche - a precise description of the exact way in which an organism fits into its environment.
Classifications of Organisms in a food chain:
• Producers
• Consumers
• Decomposers
Producers are also known as autotrophs or self feeders, which are mainly green plants on land that manufacture their own food.
Producers are the beginning of the food chain.
Consumers - are organisms that cannot make their own food and depend on producers for food and energy.
Consumers are also known as Heterotrophs.
Herbivores - are animals that consume plants for food.
Herbivore is derived from the Latin word "Herba" which means herb and "Vorare" which means eat.
Carnivores - are animals that eat flesh of another animals.
Omnivores - are organisms that eat both plants and animals, known as humans.
Carnivore comes from the word "Carnis" which means flesh.
Omnivore comes from the word "Omnis" which means all.
Scavengers - are consumers that feed in decaying bodies of dead animals.
Detritivores or Detritus Feeders - are organisms that eat fragments of dead organic matter and return them as nutrients to enrich the soil.
Decomposers - are microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.
Food Chain- is a way of describing the flow of energy in food through a community.
Trophic Level - each stage in a food chain.
Predator- an animal that feeds on another or animal called prey.
Food Web - a network of food chains that connect and overlap.
Energy Pyramid - the flow of energy through an ecosystem illustrated in a blockdiagram.
Pyramid of Numbers - shows the number of organisms interacting Ina food chain in a certain community.