Global Systems

Ecology

Study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Biotic factors

Living organisms

Abiotic factors

Nonliving entities

Global Systems

Influence life on Earth, no sphere stands alone.

What are the four Earth Spheres and what are they?

Lithosphere (solid Earth), Hydrosphere (all water on Earth), Atmosphere (the gases that surround the Earth), and Biosphere (all life on Earth).

The Biosphere

A closed system where matter is continually recycled. And the organisms within the biosphere are influenced by antibiotic factors.

Biota

Plants and animals in a particular area.

Ecosystems

Made up of biotic and abiotic components

and refer to specific environments. The abiotic factors control what organisms live in the area and are more specific than biomes.

Communities

All of the various organisms living in a single ecosystem, consists of many individuals from many different species and abiotic factors are not included.

Species

A single type of organism.

Populations

All the members of the same species living in

a specific area.

What is the difference between species and population?

Species have no geographic boundaries while populations do.

Biomes

One of the highest levels of ecological organization and are repeated geographic regions.

What times of Biomes are there?

Aquatic and Terrestrial.

Terrestrial Biomes

Defined by their climate (average annual rainfall and

temperature) as well as their flora (plant) and fauna (animal) communities, land based.

Aquatic biomes

Are defined by salinity (the saltiness of the water), depth and water flow, water based.

What are abiotic factors in an ecosystem?

Rock placment, how much sun the environment gets, the amount of water, ect.

What are biotic factors in an ecosystem?

The plants, animals, cells, bacteria, ect.

Biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms.

Niche

An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes a living. Very important to the environment it is apart of.

What are major biomes around the world?

Rainforest, Grassland, Desert, Temperate Forest, Boreal Forest, Tundra, Polar, and Chaparral.

What is the order of ecology?

Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere