Ecology Ecology is the branch of biology that studies the Definition Definition interactions between organisms and their environments. A biome is a large region containing An organism is any plants and animals adapted to its soil and living thing. It Simplest Level climate. Biomes contain many could be a plant, an A single organism Ecosystem ecosystems. Major biomes include deserts, animal, a bacteria, An ecosystem is is the simplest level Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors grasslands, tundra, forests, and aquatic or many other all living things of ecosystem Biotic factors are Abiotic factors are environments. Each of these can be further things. in an area and the organization. all living or once all the nonliving broken down based on temperature, soil living components environment in components of an type, and the organisms that live there. of an environment. which they live. environment.
Level 1: Level 5: Organism Biome Ecosystem Organization Definition A population is Level 2: Biosphere made up of all the T The biosphere is the part members of a given Population Level 4: Ecosystem of Earth that supports species that live in life, including all the the same area at the biomes, ecosystems, same time. Level 3: communities, and populations. Competition Community
Competition occurs in a population Limiting Factor as members struggle to obtain the A limiting factor is any Definition resources needed for survival and biotic or abiotic factor that An ecosystem is made reproduction. Competition restricts the number of up of all the Carrying Capacity increases with population size as individuals in a population. communities in an The carrying capacity of an more members fight for the same A single limiting factor can Definition area and the abiotic ecosystem is the number of resources. It is most intense affect multiple populations A community is made factors that affect individuals in a species it can support between individuals of the same in an area. of all the populations of them. When we study over time. If a population grows species since they compete for the interacting species in a ecosystems, we look at beyond the ecosystem’s carrying same resources, but it can also given area. They may the way living and capacity, some individuals will not exist between different species. rely on each other for nonliving parts have enough resources to survive. Competition limits population size food, shelter, and other interact and affect They will either die or find a new since limited resources support a resources. Community each other. place to live. limited number of individuals. size can vary a lot.