Chapter1EnvironmentalScience.docVIP

Chapter 1 Environmental Science Populations and Communities Section 1-1 Living Things and the Environment Introduction All living and nonliving things that interact in a particular area make up an ecosystem. Habitats The place where an organism lives and that provides the things the organism needs is called its habitat. Needs include food, water, and shelter. A single ecosystem may contain many habitats. Biotic Factors The living parts of an ecosystem are called biotic factors. Examples of biotic factors in a prairie dog ecosystem are… grass and other plants prairie dogs eat. hawks, ferrets and other animals that hunt the prairie dog. worms, fungi and bacteria that also live in the soil. Abiotic Factors The nonliving parts of an ecosystem are called abiotic factors. Abiotic factors include water sunlight oxygen temperature soil Water is needed by all living things. It is needed by algae and plants to make food. The process in which plants and algae make food using water, sunlight and carbon dioxide is called photosynthesis. Organisms that live on land get oxygen from the air. Fish and some other aquatic organisms get oxygen from the water around them. Populations A species is a group of organisms that are physically similar and can reproduce with each other to produce fertile offspring. Examples of a population are… All the prairie dogs in a prairie dog town. All the daisies in a field. All the pigeons in New York City. Not all populations live in the same size area. Communities All the different populations that live together in an area make up a community. Smallest to Largest Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem In addition to a community of different species, an ecosystem includes abiotic factors. To be considered a community populations must live close enough together to interact. What is Ecology? Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and with their environment. Scientists who study how living things interact with e