This document summarizes key concepts in ecology including:
1. It defines ecology as the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.
2. It describes different levels of ecological organization from organisms to populations to communities and ecosystems.
3. It discusses abiotic and biotic factors that influence population growth and carrying capacity.
4. It outlines different types of species interactions including competition, predation, and symbiotic relationships.
4. organism In a form of may be simple and one-celled or complex and multi-cellular.
5. population It consists of groups of similar individuals found in a certain area at a given time. The individuals that form a population may be of the same or related species.
7. community All populations of organisms that live together in a specific area, and depend upon one another for food and shelter. ex. A rotting log.
8. ecosystem Any stable environment in which living and nonliving things interact and in which materials are used over and over again. ex. The seashore.
9. Defined as the major ecological grouping of organisms. biomes
27. Guidelines to reach biotic potential: Must have all the foods or raw materials Water Space it needs to survive Ideal climate Absence of competitors and disease Biotic potential
29. The collection of factors that reduce the growth rate of a population. Environmental resistance
30. Biotic factors This includes the nonliving physical elements in the environment such as: temperature, humidity, water, light, soil, slope, air and wind. Factors affecting population growth Abiotic factors Living organisms or their characteristics in the environment.
32. Carrying Capacity The number of individuals of a population a particular area can support in terms of space, food and shelter. Organisms decrease as available food supply and living area are eliminated.
39. It describes the relationship between two species which interact but do not affect each other. It describes interactions where the fitness of one species has absolutely no effect whatsoever on that of the other. Neutralism
40. Competition This is where both organisms that interact are harmed due to competition for resources.
62. LOCATION: located in the far northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America. CHARACTERISTICS: almost treeless plain. The subsoil is called permafrost. Winter: very long with short daylight Summer: very short with long daylight. The ground is soggy because moisture cannot soak into the permafrost ground. Because of the severe winters, many of the animals are migratory and move from one region to another with the change in seasons. Tundra
67. LOCATION: 1300-1450 km. wide band south of tundra. CHARACTERISTICS: it has long cold winters. :it’s summer season are longer than in tundra. And summer temperatures may reach 10-21˚C. the subsoil thaws completely during this season. Taiga
75. LOCATION: south of the taiga in the northern hemisphere. CHARACTERISTICS: it has hot summers, cold winters, rich soil and abundant rainfall. Trees lose their leaves during winter. Temperate-decidous forest
89. LOCATION :leeward side of mountain ranges, the side opposite the main wind direction. CHARACTERISTICS: generally have hot days and cold nights. Desert
96. Location: within (roughly) 10 degrees north or south of the equator. They are common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico and on many of the Pacific Islands. Characteristics: Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall. This often results in poor soils due to leaching of soluble nutrients. Oxisols, as are the soils of many seasonally flooded forests, which are annually replenished with fertile silt. Tropical rainforest
103. LOCATION: Savannas are frequently in a transitional zone between forest and desert or prairie. Savanna covers 20% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of savanna is in Africa. CHARACTERISTICS: seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season. :tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forest. Savanna
105. LOCATION: the west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean. CHARACTERISTICS: very hot and dry. As for the temperature, the winter is very mild and is usually about 10 °C. Then there is the summer. It is so hot and dry at 40 °C that fires and droughts are very common. Chaparral
107. FUN FACTS The largest Coniferous forest exists in a ring in Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia, in a ring in the Northern Hemisphere. This forest is called the "Taiga". Most of the world's commercial softwood timber, used for paper, comes from the Taiga. Coniferous Forests are the largest land Biome of the World. Coniferous forest
108. =end= Prepared by: Rhonabelle C. Felix For: Sir JV (gen. bio instructor)