ecology

• Ecology is the study of

  organisms and their

  interactions with each

  other and their

  environment.
• The biosphere is the part of the

  planet containing living

  organisms
• An ecosystem is a group of

  organisms that work with each

  other and with their environment.
• habitat - the place where an animal or plant lives
• A population is all the members of

  the same species living in an area
• A community is all the different

  populations in an area
• biotic factors -living features of an ecoststem that affect the community
• biotic factors examples

  • food
  • disease
  • polllination
  • decomposers
• abiotic factors the non-living features of an

  ecosystem (i.e. the physical and chemical

  conditions) that affect the community.
• abiotic factors examples

  • climate factors - temperature
  • edaphic factors -soil pH
  • aquatic factors -wave action , tides
• Feeding allows energy to flow from

  one organism to another in an

  ecosystem
• Producers –make their own food
• Consumers – cannot make their own food
• Consumers can be:

  Herbivores – eat plants only

  Carnivores – eat animals only

  Omnivores – eat both plants and animals
• Decomposers break down dead plants and

  animals
• A food chain is the order of organisms in a feeding relationship
• Food chains start with a producer
• A detritus food chain is one where the chain begins with

  dead organic matter and animal waste (detritus)
• A trophic level is the position of the organism in a food chain or the feeding stage.
• Producers always occupy the 1st Trophic Level