Transcript Intro to Ecology

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The
study of interactions that take
place between organisms and their
environment.
It
explains how living organisms
affect each other and the world they
live in.
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Habitat
is the place an organism lives.
Niche
is the unique position occupied
by a species both in terms of its
physical use of its habitat and its
function within an ecological
community.
“total way of life” or its “role” in the
ecosystem.
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Abiotic
factors- the nonliving parts of
an organism’s environment.
affect an organism’s life
Ex: air currents, temperature, moisture, light,
and soil.
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Biotic
factors- all the living
organisms that inhabit an
environment.
All
organisms depend on
others directly or indirectly
for food, shelter,
reproduction, or protection.
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Ecologists
have organized the
interactions of organisms, based on
different levels of complexity.
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 Atom
 Molecule
 Organelle
 Cell
 Tissue
 Organ
 System
 Organism
 Population
 Community
 Ecosystem
 Biosphere
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Organism:
An individual living thing that demonstrates
these characteristics:
• Made of cells,
• Metabolizes,
• Reproduces,
• Responds to Stimuli
• Evolves
• Heredity
• Homeostasis
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Population:
A group of organisms, all of the same
species, which interbreed and live in the
same place at the same time.
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Community:
All the populations of different species
that live in the same place at the same
time.
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Ecosystem: Populations of plants and
animals that interact with each other in a given
area with the abiotic components of that area.
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Biosphere:
The portion of Earth that supports life.
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