Transcript Living Things & the Environment

Living Things & the Environment
What is an Ecosystem?
• Ecosystem
– All the organisms that live in an area together with the nonliving
factors of the environment.
• An organism obtains food, water, shelter, and other
things it needs to live, grow, and reproduce from its
surroundings.
• Habitat
– The place where an organism lives and that provides the things
the organism needs.
Parts of an Ecosystem
• Biotic Factors
– Living parts of an ecosystem.
– Ex. Plants, animals
• Abiotic Factors
– Nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
– Ex. Water, sunlight, oxygen, temperature, and soil.
Parts of an Ecosystem (cont.’d)
• Species
– A group of physically similar organisms that can mate and produce
offspring that in turn can produce more offspring (fertile offspring).
• Population
– All the members of one species in a particular area.
• Community
– All the different populations that live together in an area.
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Ex. Prairie ecosystem
Figure 3-2 Ecological Levels of
Organization
Section 3-1
Biotic Factors, Abiotic Factors,
Specific Habitat?
Ecology
• Ecology
– The study of how organisms interact with
each other and with their physical
environment.
Key Questions
• What basic needs are provided by an organism’s
habitat?
• List these terms in order from the smallest unit to
the largest: population, organism, ecosystem,
community.
• Why do ecologists study both biotic and abiotic
factors in an ecosystem?
• Would all the insects in a forest be considered a
population? Why or why not?