Ecology

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 \n