Unit 4, Lesson 1: What is an Ecosystem?

habitat

*the place where an organism lives within an ecosystem *several populations often live in a ______________. i.e. barred owls & hawks live in woods with bodies of water

factors affecting diversity

1. CLIMATE AND LOCATION: affect the amount and types of resources available for organisms (ex. warm temperatures and high rainfall near the equator allow for diverse ecosystems----coral reefs and rainforests) 2. HUMAN ACTIVITY: can damage and reduce the number of species living in an ecosystem; ex. OVERHUNTING may lower the numbers of an important species OR DEFORESTATION may destroy organism habitats and decrease diversity

population*

a group of organisms of the SAME SPECIES (ex. a population of zebras or a population of the same grasses)

broad niche

a variety of ways of living that allow organisms to move around large areas (i.e. sharks can eat many different types of food)

narrow niche

a very specific way of living that requires an organism to live in a specific place (i.e. pandas must live in a habitat where bamboo grows)

BIOTIC parts of the environment*

all LIVING THINGS in an environment: plants, animals, and other organisms

environment

all the living and nonliving things that surround and affect an organism

ecosystem

all the organisms living together and INTERACTING in a place with their environment; (can be huge such as a large forest or desert OR small such as a mud puddle or a single bush)

niche

an organism's complete role or function in its ecosystem; includes all the ways the organism lives and survives (ex. how it finds food, the climate it thrives in)

important role of ABIOTIC factors in an ecosystem (especially temperature, water, soil, and air)*

determine which which plants and animals can live in a place

ABIOTIC parts of the environment

nonliving things in an environment: climate (temperature), water, soil, light, air, and nutrients

community

the DIFFERENT POPULATIONS that SHARE an ecosystem; all of the populations that live in and interact in an area (i.e. gazelles, zebras, lions, grasses, and trees in a savanna)

competition

the interaction BETWEEN POPULATIONS to meet needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, and space to live); the STRUGGLE for resources this interaction can also occur WITHIN A POPULATION (weaker organisms may not get enough resources to survive)

importance of diversity*

the more types of organisms in an ecosystem, the larger the web of organism relationships and the MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE

limiting factors

the things that are necessary to support a population of organisms in an area; factors that determine the SIZE of a population ex. food, shelter, and space that can support a certain number of organisms

diversity

the variety of species in an ecosystem