Organisms and Their Relationships

Module 2, Lesson 1
Ecology
Ecology is the study of how living organisms interact
with other living things and how they interact with
their environment.

Ecologists study organisms, their adaptations, and

environmental factors
The Biosphere
The portion of Earth that supports life is called the
biosphere
Biosphere includes ONLY the part of the Earth that
includes life; it extends into the atmosphere and below
the ocean’s surface
The Biosphere
Biotic factors Abiotic factors
The living things in an Nonliving things in an
organism’s environment organism’s environment
are the biotic factors are abiotic factors.
Examples? Examples?
Organisms depend on
these for survival
Organisms are adapted
to abiotic factors in
their environment
Levels of Organization
Increase in complexity as #s and interactions between
organisms also increases
From smallest to largest….
Organism (individual living thing)
 Population (group of organisms in same species; can
interbreed)
 Biological community (all populations in the same place;

only living things)

Ecosystem (all biotic and abiotic factors in a
community)
o Biome (group of ecosystems with similar climates &
communities)
• Biosphere
Ecosystem Interactions
A community increases its chance for survival when it
shares available resources by using them in different
ways
Ex- birds in the same tree but different levels
A habitat is the area where an organism lives
Niches are the role or position an organism has in the
environment
How it gets food, shelter, and reproduces
Community Interactions
Competition- occurs when 1 or more organisms use
the same resource at the same time
Usually strong survive and weak die
Predation- one organism pursues & consumes another
organism for food
Symbiosis
Is the relationship that exists when 2 or more species
live together
3 kinds
Mutualism- both benefit
Commensalism- one benefits & the other is not helped or
harmed
Parasitism- one benefits & the other is harmed
Flow of Energy in an Ecosystem

Section 2, Ch 2
Energy in an Ecosystem
Autotrophs
Heterotrophs
Models of Energy Flow
Food chains
Food webs
Ecological pyramids
Energy in an Ecosystem
Autotrophs collect energy from the sun or inorganic
substances to produce food
Are the foundation of ecosystems because they make
energy available for all other organisms
Heterotrophs consume other organisms for energy
Are predators; make up remaining levels
Omnivores eat plants and animals
Detritivores eat fragments of dead matter
**As energy is passed from one level to another, 10%
is the total that is passed on! SO- 90% is lost each time
(heat, metabolism, energy expended to catch food)
Models of Energy Flow
Each step is called a trophic level
Food chains show how energy flows through an
ecosystem
Models of Energy Flow
Food webs
show
interconnecte
d food chains;
shows energy
flow through
a group of
organisms
Section 2 Principles of Ecology
Ecological pyramids show energy flow through an
ecosystem
Shows relative amount or energy, number of organisms
at each level or biomass
Cycling of Matter
Objectives
I can determine how nutrients, such as carbon, oxygen,
water, and phosphorus, move through the environment.
I can identify the nutrients that are important to living
organisms.
I can find similarities between the biogeochemical
cycles on earth.
Cycles in the Biosphere
Natural processes cycle matter through the biosphere
because it is not created or destroyed
The exchange of matter through the biosphere is called a
biogeochemical cycle

Anything that takes up space and has mass is matter

Nutrients are chemical substances that organisms must

get from the environment to live and perform life
processes
Producer  consumer
The Cycles!!
The water cycle
The carbon and oxygen cycle
The nitrogen cycle
The phosphorus cycle
Section 3 Principles of Ecology
The water (H2O) cycle
The water (H2O) cycle
Water constantly evaporates, condenses, then falls
back to the atmosphere
 About 90% comes from the oceans, lakes & rivers;
10% comes from plants
Runoff flows into streams, lakes, etc.
The carbon (C) and oxygen cycle (O)
Section 3 Principles of Ecology
The carbon (C) and oxygen cycle (O)
Both are essential for life; CO2 & simple sugars

Carbon
Long-term: Organic matter converted to peat, coal, oil,
or gas deposits (carbon)

Short-term: Burning fossil fuels (carbon)

The nitrogen cycle (N)
Section 3 Principles of Ecology
The nitrogen cycle (N)
N is found in proteins; largest concentration is in
atmosphere but it cannot be used directly in this form
Nitrogen fixation is the process of capturing &
converting N to a useable form
The phosphorus cycle (P)
Section 3 Principles of Ecology
The phosphorus cycle (P)
Essential for growth & development of organisms
2 cycles:
short-term: P becomes part of a solution; cycles from soil
 producers  consumers; decomposers return P to soil
when organisms die or produce waste
long-term: weathering or erosion of rocks adds P to the
cycle

P limits the growth of producers