Transcript Aim: What is Ecology

What is Ecology?
Ecology is the study of living things and their
interactions with the environment
Examples:
1. Studying clownfish and how they interact with coral and
anemones in a coral reef
2. Studying seagulls and their migratory patterns, based on
weather
3. Studying cacti and their ability to store water in hot, dry
climates
4. Studying frogs and fish that live in a pond, and the animals
in the woods that eat them
Ecologist –
a scientist who studies living
things and their interactions with the environment
Now That you’ve studied earthworms,
and their environment, you are an
Ecologist!!!!
Is there another name to describe any
living thing?
An Organism is any living thing
• Recall that all living things:
• Have one or many cells (with DNA)
• Can grow and change
• Take in and use Energy
• Produce wastes
• Respond to their environment
• Can reproduce
• Have a life span
Ecosystem –
all the living and non-living things
that interact in a particular area
Examples: Rainforest, Grassland, Coral Reef, Desert
Living
things:
birds, fish,
lobster
Non-living
things:
water,
oxygen,
sand,
sunlight
Biotic factors – the
living parts of an
ecosystem
• Plants
Abiotic Factors –
the non-living parts
of an ecosystem
• Water
– Moss, grass, shrubs, cacti,
trees, seaweed
• Animals
– Birds, mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, fish, insects,
starfish, clams,
crustaceans
• Fungi
– Mushrooms, yeast, mold
• Microscopic organisms
– Bacteria, germs
•
•
•
•
•
– Rain
– Snow
– Sleet
– ice
Air
– Oxygen
– Carbon dioxide
Sunlight
Rocks and minerals
Dirt and soil
Sand
Ecosystems provide habitats for
organisms
• Habitat – a place where an organism lives
that provides all of its needs
–
–
–
–
Food
Shelter
Proper temperature
Proper amount of moisture
• Examples:
– A dying tree with holes that animals live in
– A freshwater stream where mussels grow
Brain Pop on Ecosystems: