This document summarizes key concepts in ecology including: 1. It defines ecology as the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. 2. It describes different levels of ecological organization from organisms to populations to communities and ecosystems. 3. It discusses abiotic and biotic factors that influence population growth and carrying capacity. 4. It outlines different types of species interactions including competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships.

1. ecology

2. The branch of biology that deals with the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment. ecology

3. Ecosystem Structure

4. organism In a form of may be simple and one-celled or complex and multi-cellular.

5. population It consists of groups of similar individuals found in a certain area at a given time. The individuals that form a population may be of the same or related species.

6. Groups of Living Things

7. community All populations of organisms that live together in a specific area, and depend upon one another for food and shelter. ex. A rotting log.

8. ecosystem Any stable environment in which living and nonliving things interact and in which materials are used over and over again. ex. The seashore.

9. Defined as the major ecological grouping of organisms. biomes

10. biosphere The area in which life is possible.

11. Characteristics of Population

12. D=N/S N=number of individuals S=area Ex. There are 40 students in a 150m2. D=40students/ 150m2 D=0.26 students/m2 Population density

13. Dangers of predators Availability of food Water Light Heat Nesting places Factors of density

14. Well-maintained lawn density Semi-desert

15. random distribution uniform

16. clumped

17. Behavior of population Communication

18. aggression Visual displays defense

19. coloration

20. Mute animals Communicating by sound Sound making

21. Use of chemicals

22. Physical contact

23. Social behavior The interactions of animals among their own kind.

25. Schooling

27. Guidelines to reach biotic potential: Must have all the foods or raw materials Water Space it needs to survive Ideal climate Absence of competitors and disease Biotic potential

28. Ex. A pair of housefly.

29. The collection of factors that reduce the growth rate of a population. Environmental resistance

30. Biotic factors This includes the nonliving physical elements in the environment such as: temperature, humidity, water, light, soil, slope, air and wind. Factors affecting population growth Abiotic factors Living organisms or their characteristics in the environment.

31. Density-dependent Density factors Density-independent Ex. Badger and coyote. Ex. Forest fire.

32. Carrying Capacity The number of individuals of a population a particular area can support in terms of space, food and shelter. Organisms decrease as available food supply and living area are eliminated.

33. Community Structure and Function

34. Desert community Species Diversity Coastal community

35. Maple forest Dominant Species Red wood forest

36. Purple marsh crab habitat Rats

37. Cricket Niche Grasshopper

38. Special Relationships Among Organisms

39. It describes the relationship between two species which interact but do not affect each other. It describes interactions where the fitness of one species has absolutely no effect whatsoever on that of the other. Neutralism

40. Competition This is where both organisms that interact are harmed due to competition for resources.

41. Cooperation

42. Predation This shows one organism killing and eating another organism.

43. Symbiotic Relationships

44. Amensalism It is between two species involves one impeding or restricting the success of the other while the other species has no effect on it.

45. Mutualism A relationship in which two different kinds of organisms live together to the benefit of both.

46. Parasitism This is a relationship where one benefits at the expense of the other

48. Trophic levels (food getting interactions) Food Chains and Energy Flow

49. Primary producers(autotrophs) Food-producing organisms in an ecosystem.

50. Primary consumers(herbivores) Plant eating consumers

52. They feed on dead organisms (the wastes of living organisms). Ex. Fungi and bacteria Decomposers(heterotrophs)

53. Food chain The transference of energy in a community from one organism to another in feeding patterns.

54. Food web The collection of connecting feeding patterns in a community.

56. Characteristics of Ecosystem

57. Succession The sequence of replacement of one community of organisms with another.

58. This is the product of a calamity or disaster (ex. Earthquakes, lava flow, etc.) which directly affects the entire ecosystem. Primary succession

59. Secondary succession

60. Biomes

61. Tundra

62. LOCATION: located in the far northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America. CHARACTERISTICS: almost treeless plain. The subsoil is called permafrost. Winter: very long with short daylight Summer: very short with long daylight. The ground is soggy because moisture cannot soak into the permafrost ground. Because of the severe winters, many of the animals are migratory and move from one region to another with the change in seasons. Tundra

63. Tundra trees and plants Dwarf willows Birches Mosses sedges

64. Tundra hervibores Caribou Arctic hare Lemming

65. Tundra carnivores Polar bears Bobcat Arctic fox

66. Taiga

67. LOCATION: 1300-1450 km. wide band south of tundra. CHARACTERISTICS: it has long cold winters. :it’s summer season are longer than in tundra. And summer temperatures may reach 10-21˚C. the subsoil thaws completely during this season. Taiga

68. Taiga's abundant body of water lakes ponds

69. Taiga coniferous trees Spruce tree Pine tree Fir tree

70. Taiga decidous trees Poplar tree Aspen

71. Taiga hervibores Snowshoe hare Squirrel Predatory martens

72. Taiga migratory hervibores Moose Deer Elk

73. Taiga predators Timber wolf Grizzly bear Wolverine

74. Temperate-decidous forest

75. LOCATION: south of the taiga in the northern hemisphere. CHARACTERISTICS: it has hot summers, cold winters, rich soil and abundant rainfall. Trees lose their leaves during winter. Temperate-decidous forest

76. Consumers and decomposers Millipedes Snails Fungi

77. Common decidous trees Beech Oak Hickory Walnut Maple

78. Common hervibores Chipmunks Rabbits Beavers

79. Important predators Black bear Fox

80. Predatory birds Hawk Eagle Owl

81. Ectothermic inhabitants salamanders Snakes Frogs

82. Grassland

83. CHARACTERISTICS: :it usually have deep, rich soil. :hot summers, cold winters and irregular rainfall. Grassland

84. Important grasses Indian grass Slough grass

85. Short grasses Mesquite grass Blue grama grass

86. Large hervibores Bison Wild horse Pronghorn antelope

87. Small hervibores Ground squirrel Jack rabbit Prairie dog

88. Desert

89. LOCATION :leeward side of mountain ranges, the side opposite the main wind direction. CHARACTERISTICS: generally have hot days and cold nights. Desert

90. Plants (during cold winters) Sagebrush Saltbush

91. Plants (during warm winters) Cactus Yucca Creosote bush

92. Herbivorous animals Jack rabbit Ground squirrel

93. Predators Badger Coyotes Kit fox Prairie falcons

94. Other important biomes

95. Tropical rain forest

96. Location: within (roughly) 10 degrees north or south of the equator. They are common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and on many of the Pacific Islands. Characteristics: Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall. This often results in poor soils due to leaching of soluble nutrients. Oxisols, as are the soils of many seasonally flooded forests, which are annually replenished with fertile silt. Tropical rainforest

97. Common animals Monkeys Colorful birds

98. Aquatic biome

99. Forms: Ponds, lakes, streams Rivers

100. Common inhabitants Algae Flatworms Clams

101. Marine biome

103. LOCATION: Savannas are frequently in a transitional zone between forest and desert or prairie. Savanna covers 20% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of savanna is in Africa. CHARACTERISTICS: seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season. :tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forest. Savanna

104. Chaparral

105. LOCATION: the west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean. CHARACTERISTICS: very hot and dry. As for the temperature, the winter is very mild and is usually about 10 °C. Then there is the summer. It is so hot and dry at 40 °C that fires and droughts are very common. Chaparral

106. Coniferous forest

107. FUN FACTS The largest Coniferous forest exists in a ring in Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia, in a ring in the Northern Hemisphere. This forest is called the "Taiga". Most of the world's commercial softwood timber, used for paper, comes from the Taiga. Coniferous Forests are the largest land Biome of the World. Coniferous forest

108. =end= Prepared by: Rhonabelle C. Felix For: Sir JV (gen. bio instructor)