Ecology is the study of interactions between living things and their environment. Biosphere: • Part of the planet containing living organisms

Example biosphere Deep in the oceans and high in the mountains. Ecosystem: • Group of organisms that interact with their environment. Example: Woodlands, grasslands, bogs, lakes, hedgerows, desert.

Habitat: • A place where a plant or animal lives. Population: • All the members of the same species living in an area Example: population of rabbits in a field. Community: • All the different populations living in an area Example: population of bacteria, fungi, plants and animals in a field.

Environmental factors affecting organisms: • Abiotic factors relate to non living factors • Biotic factors relate to living factors • Climatic factors refer to weather over a long period of time (rainfall, temperature) • Edaphic factors relate to the soil (soil pH, soil type, soil temperature and soil moisture). Effects of abiotic factors (non- living factors) • Altitude = High altitudes are cooler and plants and animals cannot