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Background: Students know that the environment influences the types of species that can live in a certain habitat.

Essential Question:What is the importance of a keystone species? What does an ecosystem include?(CIRCLE ans. )

Vocabulary: Highlight or underline the important vocabulary terms

Organization levels of biology.

Notes 28- Introduction to Ecology

I. Introduction to EcologyA. Ecology

1. Is the study of relationships– Between two organisms (living)

– Between an organism and its environment (living or nonliving)

B. Biotic Factors1. All living factors within a habitat.

ex) Such as Plants, animals, fungus, bacteria etc.

C. Abiotic Factors1. Nonliving factors

in the ecosystem.

ex) water,

temperature,

soil and light

What does it mean to be alive?

Item Cells? DNA? Capable of growth?

Has metabolism?Use energy?

Canreproduce?

Adapt to surroundings?

Living?

1) Human

2) Shoe

3) Oak Tree

4) Deer

5) Leaf on ground

6) Bacteria

7) Wood Desk

8) Milk

9) Acorn

D. Criteria of Life

1. Be composed of one (unicellular) or more cells (multicellular).

2. Contain either DNA or RNA as their genetic material.

Living OrganismsCriteria for Life

3. Be capable of both growth (becoming larger) and reproduction(producing offspring).

Reproduction can be:– Sexual (mating between two organisms of the same species)

or– Asexual (offspring arise from single parent)

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Living OrganismsCriteria for Life

4. Demonstrate the ability to respond to the outside stimuli.– Stimulus = a change in organism’s environment “cause”– Response = how an organism reacts to change in their

environment “effect”

Ex. Sunflowers tend to grow facing east (response),

towards sunrise (stimulus)

Living Organisms Criteria for Life

5. Ability to adapt to the environment.

– Populations of living things change over time as individuals who are better adapted live longer and reproduce more

6. Have metabolism, meaning it both consumes both energy and produces waste.

– Metabolism = process of your body doing cellular respiration to break down food for energy

Living ThingsCharacteristics Song(“To the tune of Row, Row, your Boat”)

Cells, Cells, Cells, Respond,

Grow and Reproduce,

Use energy,

Have DNA,

Adaptive Living Dudes.

Pair Share

• Short hair- Describe and give examples of 2 of the characteristics of living things.

• Long hair- sing the living thing characteristic song (row boat)

E. Habitat

1. The place where species live.

2. Necessary for survival

F. Levels of Ecological Organization1. Organism – individual

member of a species or population

– Ex. One deer

2. Population -multiple individuals of the same species living together.

– Ex. All of the deer in a field

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Levels of Ecological Organization

3. Community – multiple populations of different species living together.

– Ex. All of the birds, deer, plants, insects, squirrels, etc. in the field

4. Ecosystem – the same size as the community level, but takes into account the abiotic factors surrounding the community.

– Ex. All of the living things (listed above) AND the nonliving things (temperature, precipitation, etc.)

Levels of Ecological Organization

5. Biome- this level recognizes multiple ecosystems that share similar characteristics, such as amount of annual sunlight and precipitation, but that are located in different parts of the planet.– Ex. Grassland, Tundra, Rainforest, Desert,

Deciduous Forest, etc.

Levels of Ecological Organization

6. Biosphere- this is our planet, and all of the biotic and abiotic factors on it– Ex. Earth

Population

Ecosystem

Biosphere

Community

BIOME

G. Keystone species

1. A species with many interconnections in the ecosystem

2. Has a large impact on the ecosystem if removed

Sea otters eat sea urchins which keeps the urchin population in check.

If not the urchin population would destroy the kelp beds and

life for other animals.

Sea stars also keep the population of mussels in the ocean under control. Other

wise they would grow unchecked because they have no other natural predators

H. Biodiversity1. The number of species living within an ecosystem.

2. More diversity, better chance of survival.

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I. Organization of Life1. Cladograms and Dichotomous Keys:

– Tools used to display relationships and classify organisms using their characteristics

These are all pointing to ______ factors.

A camels _______ is a desert

Hot, Dry but at least you

don’t get bothered by

people

What are the levels of

organization?

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Pair Share

• Describe how a cladogram is organized