Ecology: the study of relationships between living organisms and organisms and their environment

Species: a group of organisms which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Population: a group of organisms of the same species who live in the same area at the same time

Community: a group of populations living and interacting with each other in the same area

Ecosystem: a community and its abiotic environment (non-living environment)

Trophic Level: the position of an organism in a food chain

Autotrophs: species which are able to make their own food from inorganic materials

- ex. all plants that photosynthesize

- use light energy from the sun to synthesize sugars, amino acids, and vitamins using inorganic substances such as water, carbon dioxide and minerals to obtain energy

Heterotrophs: species that obtain their food from organic matter

- ex. herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers

Detritivores: ingest dead organic matter such as fallen leaved, or the bodies of dead animals

- ex. Earthworms, Millipedes, Woodlice

Saprotrophs: secrete digestive enzymes onto organic matter and then absorb their nutrients in a digestive form- they are responsible for the decomposition of organic matter and ate referred to as decomposers

- ex. bacteria and fungi

- detritivores + saprotrophs are important because their recycling role is votal to the well-being of any ecosystem

• if species are separated in different populations for long periods of time → over many generations the 2 groups may evolve and become different from one another resulting in the possibility of them not being able to interbreed

• the climate and physical conditions of any ecosystem (its ABIOTIC FACTORS) affects the survival and growth of living things found there as well as their ability to reproduce

• Euglena are examples of organisms that are capable of feeding both autotrophically and heterotrophically

• catastrophic natural events and human interference can disrupt an otherwise stable ecosystem