4. Ecology 

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