Transcript Ecology
Ecology the study of the interactions among organisms and their relationships with the physical environment • no organism exists in isolation Population is ALL the members of a species inhabiting a given location Community is all the interacting populations in an area Ecosystem the living community and the physical environment functioning together as a stable system abiotic + biotic = ecosystem Biosphere the portion of the Earth in which life exists • composed of many ecosystems simple complex 1. population 2. community 3. ecosystem 4. biosphere B. Ecosystems Self-sustaining if 1. There is a constant source of energy such as sunlight and organisms who can use that energy to make food (photosynthesis) 2. There is a recycling of materials between organisms and their environment. This is primarily accomplished by the action of decomposers such as bacteria and fungi. Without decomposers, materials in dead bodies would not be available to other organisms. Chunk! Define ecology. Define population, and give an example. Define community, and give and example. Define ecosystem, and give an example. What is the biosphere? Arrange the red terms above in order from smallest to largest. What is the memory visual for a “self-sustaining ecosystem”? Explain the 3 requirements for a self-sustaining ecosystem. 2 Components of an Ecosystem: Abiotic & Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors are non-living like chemicals and physical factors Examples include • • • • • intensity of sunlight temperature range type of soil availability of space pH (acidic/basic/neutral) Limiting Factors Abiotic factors can act as limiting factors which means they determine which types of organisms can live in an environment • if temperatures are low, only certain species of plants and animals can survive (no flamingos and palms) • bodies of water must have a high amount of oxygen for some species of fish (such as trout) to survive • salt limits the types of organisms that exist in oceans and coastal areas (freshwater vs saltwater fish) Biotic Factors Biotic factors are living things and their interactions Chunk! Define abiotic, and give 4 examples of abiotic factors. Define limiting factors, and give 3 examples. Define biotic factors, and give 4 examples. Describe 3 interactions in the ecosystem below. Just for Fun Facebook!!!