13 1 Ecologists Study Relationships KEY CONCEPT Ecology

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships KEY CONCEPT Ecology is the study of the relationships among organisms and their environment.

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships Environmental levels of organization: • An organism is an individual living thing (Ex: alligator) Organism

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • A population is a group of the same species living in one area. Population Organism

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • A community is a group of different species that live together in one area. Community Population Organism

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • An ecosystem includes all living and nonliving things in a given area. Ecosystem Community Population Organism

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • A biome is a major community of organisms--includes climate conditions Biome Ecosystem Community Population Organism

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships Ecosystems include both biotic and abiotic factors. • Biotic factors are living things. – plants – animals – fungi – bacteria plants

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • Abiotic factors are nonliving things. – moisture – temperature – wind – sunlight moisture

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships Biodiversity • Biodiversity is the variety, of living things in an ecosystem. • Importance of Biodiversity: – Interrelationships – Potential medicines – An ecosystem will most likely remain stable if it has a high level of biodiversity

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships Ecosystem Energy • Producers (autotrophs) make their own food. • Consumers (heterotrophs) get their energy by eating other living or once-living things.

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships • Consumers are not all alike. – Herbivores eat only plants. – Carnivores eat only animals. – Omnivores eat both plants and animals. – Decomposers eat dead organic matter. (fungi) – They break down organic compounds into atoms carnivore decomposer

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships A food chain shows a sequence of feeding relationships. If the grass (the producer) disappears, the cottontail (prey) has no food (dies), the hawk ( a predator) will lose its prey GRAMA GRASS DESERT COTTONTAIL HARRIS’S HAWK

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships A food web shows a complex network of food chains

13. 1 Ecologists Study Relationships Trophic levels show flow of energy in a food chain (through nourishment/food) n d o o gy r e n E w lf o up f e th i a ch Carnivores Herbivores (primary consumers which are (anything that only eat plants) Producers (plants, anything that makes its own food) 90% of energy lost as it flows up the food chain.