Catalyst:

Write down your answer in the Monday

Catalyst box.

Write your definition of ecology and what is

entails as a science.

EcologyI will be able to identify the

different levels of

organization in Ecology and

identify what shapes an

ecosystem.

Interactions and Interdependence

Ecology is the study of the interactions of

organisms with their physical environment

and with each other.

The study of ecology ranges from the study of

an individual organism to populations,

communities, ecosystems, biomes, and to the

entire biosphere.

Levels of Organization-from

smallest to largest

Organism: an individual.

Organisms belong to a species. Species are

groups of organisms so similar to one another

that they can breed and produce fertile

offspring.

Population: groups of individuals that belong

to the same species and live in the same area

(throwback to last unit!)

Ex: pod of whales, pride of lions

Levels of Organization-from

smallest to largest

Community: consists of all the organisms living in one area.

Ex: Pride of lions, hyenas, antelope, grass, etc. What do all of these things have in common?

Ecosystem: includes all of the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors(nonliving) with which they interact.

Ex: pride of lions, rocks, water, grass, antelope, soil, sunlight, wind, etc.

Levels of Organization-from

smallest to largest

Biomes: a particular physical environment that contains a characteristic assemblage of plants and animals.

Ex: tropical rain forest, tundra, desert, etc.

Biosphere: contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists. Includes the land, water, and atmosphere.

Let’s put it into practice!

You try!

Brain Break!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuJxd2G

pxo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH6WDJB

5uxg&index=3&list=PL3wgUsES99dWz2Mz2

4YgczQPfYotqJ4hk

Memory Monday

At the very core of EVERY organisms interaction with its environment, is its need for energy.

Where does it come from?

Autotrophs!

What are they?

Organisms that capture sunlight and use that energy to produce chemical compounds for food.

Memory Monday! Continued…

Who gets the energy next?

Heterotrophs!

They rely on other organisms for their energy

(Consumers)

3 kinds!

Herbivores, Omnivores, and Carnivores.

Memory Monday continued! Energy flows one way in a ecosystem. From the sun, to

autotrophs, to heterotrophs.

Food chains: very simple chain of organisms showing the flow of energy.

Food Webs: More complex, consist of several food chains, even include decomposers-detritivores

Ecological Pyramids: 3 kinds! Energy pyramids: Shows the relative amount of energy

available at each trophic level.

Biomass pyramid: represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level.

Pyramid of numbers: shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level.