E C O L O G YWhat is meant by:

Everything in nature is connected?

PLEASE read about the 1995 experiment

in your handout

C O N C L U S I O N In nature, things that we

would never think were connected— mice, acorns, ticks, & humans---can be linked to each other in a complex web

THE ORGANIZATION OF LIFE

ECOSYSTEM: all the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.

Examples: oak forest, coral reef, vacant lot

ECOSYSTEMS MICONCEPTION: often ecosystems are

viewed as isolated from each otherBUT

Ecosystems DO NOT have clear boundaries Things move from one ecosystem to another

Soil washes from mountain into lake Birds migrate from Canada to Mexico Pollen blows from a forest into a field

REAL – LIFE CONNECTION COMPLEX SYSTEMS SAN DIEGO EXAMPLE---PLEASE

READ What are some other problems that

the city faced?

THE COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

For survival ecosystems need 5 basic components:

1. ENERGY (mostly from sun)2. MINERAL NUTRIENTS3. WATER4. OXYGEN5. LIVING ORGANISMS

ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING ALL THINGS IN NATURE ARE

CONNECTED? ANOTHER EXAMPLE………… THINK ABOUT HOW A CAR WORKS?

The engine is made of 100s of parts that all work together. Even if 1 part breaks, the car might not run.

If one part of an ecosystem is destroyed or changes, the entire system may be affected

THE COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

Jot down all the things you need for survival

OXYGEN, WATER, FOOD, SHELTER

What types of ecosystems might produce these necessities?

THE COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

An ecosystem is composed of both LIVING & NONLIVING things

BIOTIC FACTORS: the living & once living parts of an ecosystem. Including: dead organisms, dead parts of organisms

(leaves), & organism’s waste products

ABIOTIC FACTORS: the nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Including: air, water, rocks, sand, light, & temp.

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

WILDEBEEST

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

AFRICAN SAVANNA

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

ORGANISM↓

POPULATION↓

COMMUNITY↓

ECOSYSTEM↓

BIOSPHERE

LEVELS OF ECOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION ORGANISM: an individual living thing

Species: group of organisms that are closely related & that can produce fertile offspring.

Example: humans--- Homo sapiens POPULATION: all the members of the same species that live & in

the same place at the same time. Example: field mice in a corn field

COMMUNITIES: a group of various species that live in the same place & interact with each other. Example: Pond Community; includes all the populations of plants,

fish, & insects that live in and around the pond. All living things in an ecosystem belong to 1 or more Difference btwn. communities is the types of species. (PLANTS-often

determine what species live in community) HABITAT: The place an organism lives

Example: howler monkey- rain forest cactus--- desert waterlily—pond Every habitat has specific characterisics that the organisms that live

there need to survive. If any of these factors change, then the habitat changes