Is there Really a Circle of Life?

What is Ecology? / A. ______is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment.
Two parts of an environment:
1.______factors- all living things
2.______factors- all non-living things
(ex.-soil, water, light, temperature)
Organization
/ 6 Levels or organization
1. ______Organism
2.Population- group of similar organisms
3. ______- different populations
4.Ecosystem- community and abiotic
factors
5.______- all ecosystems within specific
climate
6.Biosphere – part of the earth where all life
exists
All Living Things Need Energy
/ A. ______(AKA – Autotroph) - use sunlight to make food
(plants and some protists)
B.
______(AKA – Heterotroph) - eat other organisms for food

Herbivore – eat ______

______– eat meat
Omnivore – eat ______and ______
______– feed on dead animals
C. Decomposers- break down dead organisms (recycle nutrients)
Organization of Energy Flow /
  1. ______– shows direct flow of energy
  2. ______– more complex; organisms have more than one food source
  3. ______– there is a loss of energy in each step of the food chain/web
  4. ______– the environment in which an organism lives
  5. ______– the role an organism plays in its habitat

Types of Interactions /

A.Interactions with the ______

  • ______– scarce resources (not enough food, water, or living space
B. Interactions Among Organisms
  • ______- two or more organisms try to use the same resource
  • ______– When one organism eats another
  • ______- a close long term relationship between two or more organisms
1. ______– both benefit
  1. Example: ______
2. ______– one benefits while the
other is harmed
  1. Example: ______
3. ______- When one benefits and the other is unaffected.
a. Example:______

Which Symbiosis is it?

  1. Oxpecker and zebras: Oxpeckers are a type of small bird that land on zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on the zebra’s skin. The oxpeckers get food and the zebras get rid of harmful pests.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Tapeworm and animals: Tapeworms are segmented flatworms that attach themselves to the insides of the intestines of animals such as cows, pigs, and humans. Tapeworms get food by eating the host's (animal) partly digested food, depriving the host (animal) of nutrients.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Spider crab and algae: Spider crabs live in shallow areas of the ocean floor, and greenish-brown algae lives on the crabs' backs, making the crabs blend in with their environment, and unnoticeable to predators. The algae get a good place to live, and the crab gets camouflage.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Remora and the shark: Remora fish are small fish that make their niche by picking up the scraps that sharks leave behind while feeding. The shark doesn’t seem to mind the remoras and make no attempt to prey on the remora fish.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Bee and the flower: Bees fly from flower to flower-gathering nectar, which they make into food. When they land in a flower, the bees get some pollen on their hairy bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some of the pollen from the first one rubs off, helping the plants to pollinate or reproduce.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Bacteria and the human colon: Bacteria live in the colon of humans and are able to feed off the indigestible food that the human body cannot break down (cellulose of plants). In the process of breaking down the food, the bacteria also make much-needed vitamins that the human body in turn can use to keep healthy.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Symbiotic Relationship: ______

  1. Dog and the tick: Ticks live on dogs and feed off the dog’s blood. They may also infect the dog with a parasite that can cause the dog to become quite sick. Dogs also are sometimes found to be very tired because a large volume of their blood has been drained.

Organism 1:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped

Organism 2:  helped harmed not harmed/not helped