Unit 2 – Ecology and the Enviroment

Levels of Organization in

Ecologyatommoleculeorganellecelltissueorganorgan systemorganismpopulationcommunityecosystem

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Ecosystem

A biome is a group of ecosystems with similar climate, plant and animal species.

Biotic FactorBiotic = living things

life

Such as: animals, plants, bacteria, fungus, protists,

etc.

Abiotic Factors

A bio tic

Not Life

Non living things such as:

Rocks, water, temperature, soil, light. Etc.

There are more

abiotic factors

that there are

biotic factors!!!

Populations vs. CommunitiesA population is a group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same area at the same time

community -interacting populations All the living things that live together.

Symbiosis

Mutualism

Commensalism

Parasitism

Predation

Carrying Capacity

Trophic LevelEn

erg

y t

ravels

up

th

e

troph

ic levels

Only 10% of energy is transferred to the level above it.

Position that organisms occupy on the food chain or each step in the food chain

Ecological Pyramid

Food Web

Did you know?

The directions of the arrows in a food web show which way the energy flows…not who eats who.

Producer

AutotrophProducers are usually

plants but not always!! They just have to make food from the sun (autotroph).

PhytoplanktonSolar powered Sea Slug

Auto troph

Self feeding

DecomposersDecomposers are mainly

bacteria & fungi. They break down dead organisms

Without them, we would be covered in dead organisms in no time at all!!!

ConsumerConsumers are

heterotrophs (get energy from eating other organisms)

Hetero troph

Different feeding

Primary Consumer

Secondary Consumer

Lion - Secondary consumer after eating the goat

Tertiary Consumer

Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers.

Tertiary consumer after eating the jackal.

Herbivore

Omnivore

Carnivore

Detritivore

Limiting Factors

Ecosystem Sustainability

Ecological Succession

Primary Succession

Secondary Succession

Climax Community

Secondary Succession ends in the climax community, which is the most stable community and will remain until the next disturbance.

In the Colorado mountains, the climax community is the pine forest!