ECOSYSTEMS:
Biotic & Abiotic Factors
Levels of Organization
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Introduction
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Ecology—study of living things
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Way they interact with physical environment
Greek words
Oikos meaning house
 Logic meaning to learn
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Important for determining role they play
How to best maintain for future generations
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Made of Cells, Adapt, Reproduction, Heredity, Homeostasis, Use Energy,
Grow and Develop,
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Biotic—living organisms, plants, animals,
bacteria, fungi
Abiotic—nonliving factors of environment
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air
water
rocks
minerals
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temperature
altitude
light
soil
Ecologists study interaction of biotic and
abiotic worlds
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Niche – role an organism plays in its
environment
Resource – something needed (such as
food, water and space)
Adaptation – structure or behavior that
increases the chance of species survival
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Habitats
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Where an organism lives
Smallest level of relationship
ecologists study
Refers to an organism’s
specific requirements:
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food water shelter space
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Habitats (continued)
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Food requirements vary greatly
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Basis of how organism derives energy
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All organisms require water to survive
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Shelter—way organism protects itself from environment
 Protective body parts or constructing a shelter
Space in which to live
 Small to large area depending on organism
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Levels of Organization
1 - Biosphere – realm of living things, thin film of life
on Earth
2 - Ecosystem – short word for ecological system
- Interaction of all the organisms and
abiotic factors in a given area
Amount of sunlight a region receives
Amount of moisture in an area
Temperature of the environment
Surrounding landscape
- Aquatic and terrestrial
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3 - Community – Interaction between all the different
populations of species in a given area
4 - Population -
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Group of the same type of organism living in
the same geographic area at a given time
Group of organisms genetically resemble each other
(species)
Can reproduce with each other
Small— bacteria on particle of soil
Large—human beings in the United States
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