Introducing
Ecology is the study of the
interactions between organisms and
their environment.
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© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX
Ecosystem
includes all abiotic and biotic factors in
one particular environment
Biotic Factors
Abiotic Factors
the living parts of
an ecosystem
the nonliving parts
of an ecosystem
© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX
Examples of Biotic
Factors
© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX
Examples of Abiotic
Factors
© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX
Biotic Factors
Producer/consumer
interact with each
Predator/prey
other in complex such as
Parasite/host
ways
also interact with
abiotic factors in
the ecosystem
© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX
dependent upon
water, minerals,
temperature, light
The environment can be divided into 5
different levels, increasing in size:
1. Organism (ex: zebra)
2. Population (ex: a herd of zebras)
3. Community (ex: all the zebras, giraffes,
lions, warthogs etc. in an area)
4. Ecosystem (ex: all the biotic plus abiotic factors)
5. Biosphere (Earth)
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“One pony comes each birthday”
Food Chains
• Show the path of energy from one
organism to the next with arrows
• Always start with a producer!
• All food chains in a community make
up a food web
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• A pyramid can be used to show how
much energy is available at each
level of a chain:
Secondary
consumers
Primary
consumers
Producers
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Types of Relationships
– Competition for Biotic and Abiotic factors
– Predator/Prey
– Parasite/Host
– Producer/Consumer
*Ecosystems can be terrestrial, marine, or
freshwater
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The Food Web Community
• Producer
– Plants
– Uses sun to produce food by photosynthesis
• Consumer - Usually animals
– Must eat/consume other organisms
1. Herbivore = eats plants
2. Carnivore = eats animals
3. Omnivore = eats both plants and animals
4. Decomposer = feeds on dead animals
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1
2
3
4
…continued
• Decomposer
– Gets energy from breaking down the
remains of dead organisms
– Examples are bacteria and fungi (such as
mold and mushrooms, and worms)
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© 2004 Plano ISD, Plano, TX