Environment

• The physical surroundings of an organism, including all the conditions and circumstances that affect its development.

Interaction• a relationship between parts of the

environment.

Biotic Factors

• the parts of the environment that are living or were once alive.

• Examples- dog, bone, rotting log

Abiotic Factors • the parts of the

environment that are nonliving

• Examples: air, temperature, water, light, sand

Niche

• The role an organism plays in its environment. Its relationship with other organisms and with its physical surroundings.

Habitat

• The place where an organism lives.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Ecosystem • A group of organisms and their physical environment

• All abiotic and biotic factors that found a location suitable to make or find their habitat

Freshwater Ecosystem

TRIVIA: What would be an abiotic factor in this ecosystem?

Symbiosis • a kind of partnership between two

organisms in nature.

Commensalism

• a symbiotic relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

Mutualism • a symbiotic

relationship between two organisms in which both benefit.

Mutualism between ants, a caterpillar, and a flower in the American southwest. The caterpillar has a nectar organ which the ants drink from, the flower survives from the feeding caterpillar, and the ants provide protection for

both the plant and the caterpillar.

Parasitism

• a symbiotic relationship in which one benefits(the parasite) and lives in or on another (the host, which is harmed) and takes nutrients.

Symbiosis

Commensalism

Mutualism

Parasitism

Photosynthesis • The process of using sunlight, water, and

carbon dioxide to make food (glucose). Green plants do this.

Products

Producers

• Organisms that produce food for themselves and others.

Consumers

• Organisms that depend on other organisms for food.

Herbivores

• Consumers of only plants.

Carnivores

• Consumers of only meat.

Omnivores• Consumers that eat

plants and animals.

Predator

• Predator- A consumer that hunts or captures other organisms (prey) for food.

Prey• an organism that is hunted or

captured and eaten by another consumer.

Prey

Scavenger

• Scavenger- A consumer of dead or decaying plants and animals.

 Decomposer   Bacteria and fungi that break down dead and decaying

plant and animal matter and enrich the soil.

Population

• All organisms of the same species living in the same area.

Community

• All the populations of species living in an area.

Food chain

• A diagram showing how certain living things depend on one another for energy.

Gives energy to…

Gives energy to…

Gives energy to…

Gives energy to…

Gives energy to…

These ARE food chains:Grass Cow Human

Acorn Squirrel

Plant plankton Whale

Dead leaves Worm Robin Hawk

Tree buds Deer Cougar

These are NOT food chains:

• Sun Daisy Butterfly Frog

• Water Algae Fish Turtle

• Plankton DDT Fish Eagle

• Algae Minnow Bass Plastic fishing lure

• Corn Mouse Snake Water

Food Chain Rule #1Food chains only contain

biotic factors.

SUN WATER PESTICIDES NON_LIVING THINGS

These are food chains:

•Grass Cow Human

•Acorn Squirrel

•Plant plankton Whale

•Dead leaves Worm Robin Hawk

•Tree buds Deer Cougar

These are NOT food chains:

• Cow Grass Human

• Squirrel Acorn

• Whale Plant plankton

• Worm Dead leaves Robin Hawk

• Deer Tree buds Cougar

Food Chain Rule #2

Food chains must start with a producer.

Examples of Producers

•These ARE food chains:

•Grass Cow Human

•Acorn Squirrel

•Plant plankton Whale

•Dead leaves Worm Robin Hawk

•Tree buds Deer Cougar

These are NOT food chains:

• Grass Cow Human

• Acorn Squirrel

• Plant plankton Whale

• Dead leaves Worm Robin Hawk

• Tree buds Deer Cougar

• Remember means “gives energy to…”

Food Chain Rule #3

Food chains have arrows that go from left to right. It shows the food

“jumping” into the other organism’s mouth.

PRIMARYPRODUCER

PRIMARY CONSUMER

SECONDARY CONSUMER

TOP OF FOOD CHAIN

Food web

• A diagram showing as many food relationships as possible between living things in an area.

Succession

• Changes in an area that cause one group of organisms to be replaced by another.All rebuilt→ climax community

Succession All rebuilt→climax community