13.

1 Ecologists Study Relationships

KEY CONCEPT
Ecology is the study of the relationships
among organisms and their environment.

New Vocab:
Ecology
Community
Ecosystem
Biome

Review Vocab:
Organism
Population

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Main Idea 1:
Ecologists study environments at different levels of
organization.

Ecology is the study of the interactions

(relationships) among living things, and between
living things and their surroundings.
Studying how life interacts within the biosphere.
Scientists used to study each organism separately
as if they existed in isolation.

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Levels of Organization
(There are 5 levels)

However, now scientists study nature on

different levels, from local to a global
scale. This organization reveals the
complex relationships found in nature.

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

First level:
An organism is an individual living
thing, such as an alligator.

Organism
Organism

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Second level:
A population is a group of the same
species that lives in one area.
What can cause populations to
change?

Population
Population
Organism
Organism

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Limiting Factors of
Populations
Birth & death rates
eventually balance
Factors: Disease,
food, predators,
climate, space,
mates

Carrying Capacity:
Greatest number of
individuals that a population
can sustain
What stage is the human
population in?

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Human Population: Fast Growth

How have
Stage
humans
extended
our
carrying
capacity?

Farming
Medical
innovations
Clean
water
Public
assistance

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Third level:
A community is a group of different
species that live together in one area.

Community
Community
Population
Population
Organism
Organism

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Fourth level:
An ecosystem includes all of the
organisms as well as the climate, soil,
water, rocks and other nonliving things
in a given area.
Ecosystem

Ecosystem

Community
Community
Population
Population
Organism
Organism

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Fifth level:

Biome

A biome is a major regional or global

community of organisms characterized
by the climate conditions and plant
communities that
Ecosystem
thrive there.

Ecosystem

Community

Community
Population
Population
Organism
Organism

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Basically, a biome is a large area with distinct climate,
plant, and animal life.
Climate factors
that affect
biomes: sun,
rain,
topography
Climate
determines
life.

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

KEY CONCEPT
Every ecosystem includes both living and
nonliving factors.

New Vocab:
Biotic
Abiotic
Biodiversity
Keystone
Species

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Main Idea 1:
An ecosystem includes both biotic and abiotic factors.
Biotic factors are
living things, like:
plants
animals
fungi
Bacteria
Bio = Life
If something has life,
then it is living.

plants

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Abiotic factors are nonliving things, like:
moisture
temperature
wind
sunlight
soil
rocks

A = Without Bio = Life

If something does
not have life, then it is
not living.
The balance of these
factors determines what
can live in a particular
environment.

sunlight

moisture

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Main Idea 2:
Changing one factor in an ecosystem can affect many
other factors.
An ecosystem is a complex web of connected biotic and abiotic
factors.
Biodiversity is the assortment, or variety, of living things
in an ecosystem.
The amount of biodiversity in an ecosystem depends on
many factors.
Rain forests have more biodiversity than other locations
in the world, but are threatened by human activities.
Why is this?

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

A keystone species is a species that has an
unusually large effect on its ecosystem.
Because there are complex relationships within
an ecosystem, a single change (a few broken
strings in a web) in biotic or abiotic factors
could have a variety of effects.
What would happen if the keystone in the arc was missing?

keystone

13.1 Ecologists Study Relationships

Here is an example of a Keystone species and how they form
and maintain a complex web of life.

creation of
wetland
ecosystem

increased waterfowl
Population

increased
fish
population

keystone species
nesting sites
for birds