All the living and nonliving things in an area

Ecology-the study how all these things interact in order to survive

There are many different types of ecosystems

All have the same parts:◦Abiotic factors◦Biotic factors

Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors Nonliving parts of an ecosystem

Living things need these nonliving things to survive

Water, minerals, sunlight, air, climate and soil

Living parts of an ecosystem

Plants, animals, fungi, protists and bacteria

Located in Texas Largest remaining prairie in America Was once covered in wild grasses Rich black soil was found here Land was occupied by buffalo snakes, lizards, types of birds, raccoons, coyotes, deer and bats

50 different kinds of tall and short grasses

Many types of flowers

Now the prairie is used for planting crops (wheat, corn) and cattle grazing

When towns, cities and farms were built the buffalo and many other animals left, such as black bears and jaguars

Some animals came, such as armadillos

All the organisms of a species living in the same area

Populations of the Blackland prairie◦Armadillos◦Badgers◦Indian grass◦Pond algae◦Soil bacteria

Scientists want to know how these populations interact with one another

All the populations living in an area Scientists study the interactions of different populations in an ecosystem’s community

This helps them to understand what makes an ecosystem grow

The place where an organism lives Examples:

◦red bat’s habitat is above ground◦Chorus frog-ponds of Blacklands◦Bees-beehive◦Sharks-live in the ocean

Role of an organism in the community No 2 species can have the same niche

◦They would have to be identical for this to occur

◦No 2 species are identical Scientists study niches and habitats to

find out if a community is healthy or in trouble

Includes:◦What a species eats◦What eats the species◦Active by day or night◦Kind of environment the species needs to

live in

Habitats can change year to year This affects the organisms Animals either finds a new habitat or adapt to the changes in their environment

Ex: spadefoot toad is able to survive during a drought◦The toad digs with its hind feet to cover itself with soil

◦Absorbs water from the soil which contains clay

Treasure is the soil Topsoil-dark brown to black Rich in humus-partly decayed plant matter produced by bacteria and fungi

Full of minerals◦Magnesium-helps produce chlorophyll◦Calcium-important element of cell walls

Good to grow crops

Energy in an ecosystem comes from the sun

The energy in food is passed from one organism to another

Represents the movement of energy from one organism to another

1st organism is a plant (producers)◦Sun’s energy is stored in foods the plant makes

2nd organism is consumer (herbivore) 3rd organism is consumer (carnivore) All organisms receive the sun’s energy Food chains end with decomposers-eat dead animals and plants

Shows the relationship between all of the species in a community

Shows how populations must compete for food

Map of overlapping food chains Begin with producers

◦use Sun’s energy to make their own food

◦Ex: grasses, trees, algae (oceans)

Consumers-can’t make their own food◦Get energy from other organisms◦Grouped according to what they eat◦Herbivores-eat only plants (producers) Ex: grasshoppers, rabbits, mice

◦Carnivores-eat only other animals Ex: wolves, foxes, sharks

◦Omnivore-eats both plants and animals Ex: humans, bears

Decomposers:◦Every food web ends with decomposers

◦Breakdown dead matter into substances that can be used by producers

◦Some of the substances return to the soil

◦Ex: insects, bacteria, fungi

Populations in an ecosystem are connected together

If one animal population changes, it will affect the animal population that eats that animal

A change in a population affects all the organisms in the food web

Organisms may adapt to the changes, especially when they eat more than one animal

Animals compete for food Sometimes competition causes an animal

to change its habitat

Producers get energy from the sun Consumers get energy from the foods they eat

Energy is lost as it passes from one organism to another

This is shown in the energy pyramid Shows there is less food at the top of the pyramid than at the base

Organisms decrease as you move up the pyramid

energy decreases as you move up the pyramid

90% of energy is lost from one level to the next

Dead matter is important to living things

Decomposers turn dead matter into substances other organisms need to survive

Break down dead plant parts into carbon dioxide and ammonia-contains nitrogen

All organisms need nitrogen in order to make proteins

Nitrogen found in plant fertilzers

Is a way to recycle plant material Compost is used to make soil more fertile

To make compost take 3 parts leaves and plant material, 1 part fresh grass and 1 part food scraps

Earthworms can be used to turn the leaves, grass and food scraps into compost

Nonrenewable resources will eventually be used up, such as oil and natural gas

Renewable resources, such as wood, can be replenished

If we recycle paper and paper products we will be decreasing the destruction of forests