Name Class Date
3.1 What Is Ecology?
Studying Our Living Planet
1. What is ecology?
2. What does the biosphere contain?
3. How are human economics and ecology linked?
Levels of Organization Use the diagram to answer Questions 4–10
4. Use the words above to label each level of organization in the diagram.
5. Explain the relationship between ecosystems and biomes.
6. Which level of organization contains all of the organisms of one species that live in a certain area?
7. What is the highest level of organization studied by ecologists?
8. A group of populations is called a(n)
9. Which includes animals of different species living together? Circle the correct answer.
Population Community
10. A pond with all of its many species of creatures living together in this one location would be a good example of a(n)
A. population. C. biosphere.
B. community. D. organism.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
11. What is an abiotic factor? Provide several examples.
12. What is a biotic factor? Provide several examples.
Ecological Methods
13. Why might an ecologist set up an artificial environment in a laboratory?
14. Why are many ecological phenomena difficult to study?
15. Why do ecologists make models?