1 How Biotic Abiotic Factors influence the BiosphereEcosystem

1. How Biotic & Abiotic Factors influence the Biosphere/Ecosystem? 2. What impact Biotic & Abiotic factors have on biodiversity?

Ecology – Unit 2 KEY CONCEPT (Day 1) Every ecosystem includes both living and nonliving factors. Key Voc – use to make unit 2 flash cards 1. Biotic & Abiotic factors 9. Biosphere 2. Biodiversity 10. Keystones Species 3. Population 11. 4. Organism 5. Biome 6. Community 7. Niche 8. Ecosystem

• Ecology - the branch of biology that deals with the interactions between organisms and their environment • Biodiversity – • Population - includes all the members of a species in a given area ex. all of the white tail deer in the Adirondacks is a population • Organism – a living thing • Biome – the biosphere is organized into smaller parts called biome • Community - all of the populations in a given area. E. g. deers, dogs • Niche - • Ecosystem – the living (biotic) community and the nonliving (abiotic) physical environment functioning together is an ecosystem • Biosphere - is the portion of the earth in which LIFE exists s made up of many complex ecosystems. * ALL OF THE ECOSYSTEMS COMBINED MAKE UP THE BIOSPHERE!

• Level of organization is used to show organisms interact with each other & their environment

Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors • Abiotic factors = non-living components that affect living organisms – Ex. Temperature, – sunlight, rocks • Biotic Factors = all living things or their materials that directly or indirectly affect organisms in its environment (includes interactions) – Ex. Plants, animals, – fungi, bacteria

Affect of Biotic and Abiotic Factors • Interactions with biotic and abiotic factors can have an effect on several different levels: cellular, organismal, population, ecosystem • Cellular Level: ex. temperature, water availability can affect a cell’s function. • Organismal level: ex. interactions (such as mutualism, predation) as well as abiotic factors (water, temperature)

Changing one factor in an ecosystem can affect many other factors. • Population, Ecosystem, Community Level: – ex. Water availability, availability of nesting materials and sites, species diversity, can all contribute to the stability of these groups. • Biodiversity is the assortment, differences or variety, of living things in an ecosystem. • Rain forests have more biodiversity than other locations in the world, but are threatened by human activities.

Biomes • Ecosystem types that are classified according to the dominant vegetation • Locations are closely tied to abiotic factors such as temperature and rainfall • Ex. Desert, tropical rain forest, tundra

Geological & Meteorological Events • Impact ecosystem distribution • Biogeographical studies – Studies that determine the distribution of species • Ex. Continental drift – Marsupials fill ecological roles in Australia similar to those filled by placental mammals on other continent

Species-specific events • Keystone species = have a strong influence on other species in the ecosystem • Loss of keystone species can result in drastic changes to or the collapse of the ecosystem.

Human Activities • Occurs on a local, regional, and global scale • Speeds up changes to ecosystems locally and globally • Ex. Urbanization, global climate change, introduced species