• a branch of biology • It deals with the relations of organisms to one
another and to their physical surroundings.
Biomes
• Usually a biome is named after its predominant vegetation
• A biome is way to describe a large group of similar ecosystems. Biomes have similar weather, rainfall, animals, and plants
Tundra• The average temperature in
the tundra is around -18 degrees F.
• The tundra gets around 10 inches of precipitation per year.
• The tundra has few nutrients to support plant and animal life.
• Permafrost - Below the top soil, the ground is permanently frozen year round.
Taiga• Cold weather – average
temperature of 32 degrees F.
• Dry - Average precipitation is between 12 and 30 inches per year.
• This forest is covered with evergreen trees
• Thin layer of soil• a long winter and a short
summer
Grasslands• The temperate grasslands
have seasons including a hot summer and a cold winter. Can be -40 – 70 degrees F.
• The amount of rain is not enough to grow tall trees and produce a forest, but it is enough to not form a desert. 10-35 inches
• Grasslands are wide expanses of land filled with low growing plants such as grasses and wildflowers.
Desert
• Drastic temperature changes from 20 degrees-130 degrees
• 10 inches or less rain in a year.
• Little to no plant life, mostly cacti
• Deserts are characterized in an overall lack of water.
Rainforest•The temperature is generally between 70- 90 degrees F.•75-100 inches of rain•Lots of different types of plant life•The rainforest can be divided up into three layers: the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor.
Deciduous Forest• The temperature is generally
between -20- 90 degrees F.• 30-60 inches of rain• Fertile soil so lots can grow
there. Mostly oak and maple trees
• Four seasons - There are four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Each season is about the same length of time.
Individual
• One single organism
Population
• All of the same type of organism
Community
• Multiple populations interacting
Ecosystem
• A community interacting with all of the biotic and abiotic factors
• An ecosystem is an interacting community of organisms, plants and animals, and their physical environments, from soil minerals to geography to weather patterns
• a specific area where the organisms work together as a unit. It could be any size from a tiny pool of water to hundreds of square miles of desert
• Ecosystems contain biotic or living, parts as well as abiotic factors, or nonliving parts which interact
• Every factor in an ecosystem depends on every other factor, either directly or indirectly
Biotic
• These are living things in the ecosystem• Biotic factors include plants, animals, and
other organisms.
Abiotic
• These are non-living things• Abiotic factors include rocks, temperature,
and humidity. Sunlight, Precipitation, Water or moisture, Soil or water chemistry (e.g., P, NH4+)
Niche
• An organisms job in the ecosystem and how it interacts with other biotic and abiotic factors
Predator and Prey• predation is a
biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked).
• Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation often results in the death of its prey
Commensalism
• one individual benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed
Mutualism • both or all individuals
benefit from the relationship
Parasitism • one individual, the parasite, benefits from
another individual, the host, while harming the host in the process.
• Parasites feed on host tissue or fluids and can be found within (endoparasites) or outside (ectoparasites) of the host body
Interaction Species 1 Species 2
Mutualism + +
Competition - -
Parasitism, Predation, and Herbivory
+ -
Commensalism + neutral