Topic 2: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

Community

Populations that live together in a defined are

Population

Group of Organisms of one species living in particular area

Organism

Individual living thing

Biosphere

The part of earth that contains ecosystems

Ecosystems

Community and its non living surroundings

Biotic Facter

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

Ex: Animal, Plant, Mushroom bacteria

Abiotic

Any non living part of the environment

Ex: Sunlight, heat, precipitation, soil

Ecological Resources

Food, water, shelter, mates, Land/Space

Predator

Does the killing/hunting

Prey

Is eaten/food sources for predator

Mutualism (+/+)

Two different species benefit from the relationship

Commensailsm (+/no effect)

One species benefits while the other species is neither helped nor harmed

Parasitism (+/-)

On Species benefits whereas the second species is harmed/negatively affected (typically the one benefiting lives inside the organism that is being harmed)

Ammensalism (-/no affect)

One species is harmed/negatively affected but the other species is not affected (One species causes harm to another without any benefit to itself

As prey increases, Predators…

Increase

As Predator’s increase, prey…

Decreases

Autotroph

Produces their own food

Heterotroph

Can’t produce their own food

Producer

Living thing that makes, grows, or creates their own food or energy

Primary Consumer

An organism that feeds on primary consumers to obtain energy

Secondary Consumer

An organism that feeds on primary consumers to obtain energy

Tertiary Consumer

An animal that feeds on secondary consumers in a food chain or food web

Decomposer

A living thing that breaks down dead plants, animals, and waste into nutrients

Detritivore

A heterotrophic (can’t produce own food) organism that obtains nutrients and energy by eating and digestion dead plants & animals

Carnivore

An organism who eats meat

Omnivore

An organism that consumes multiple trophic levels eating fungus, plants, and animals

Herbivore

An organism that only consumes Plants

Insectivore

An organism that only consumes insects

Scavengers

Consumes caresses of other animals

Detritivore

Feed on detritus particles (leaf litter, decayed particles)

Decomposer

Feed by chemically breaking down organic matter

Autotrophs

Organisms that need to CREATE and synthesize their own food via PHOTOSYNTHESIS (producers)

Heterotrphs

Organisms that need to OBTAIN their food from their environment and GAIN ENERGY from the BREAKDOWN of that food (Consumers)

Energy flows through an ecosystem from…

Primary producer to various consumers

Food chain

A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

Food Web

A network of feeding interactions between multiple trophic levels

How much percent of energy is transferred to the next trophic level?

10%

Biomass

Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

Pyramid of biomass

Shows the relative amount of living matter available at each trophic level in an ecosystem

Pyramid of numbers

Shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem

Carrying Capacity

The maximum amount of total individuals the environment can support without destroying or degrading the environment

Key factors in Carrying Capacity:

Food availability, Water, Space

Once a population reaches Carrying Capacity its population will begin to…

Decline/Decrease

Overshoot

When a population exceeds the carrying capacity of an ecosystem