Reviewer(release Candidate 1)

COMMUNITY -

It is not a geographical area • It is where populations interact • Group of different populations interacting with each other in a definite space and time

ECOSYSTEM - Consists of all organisms living in a community as well as all the abiotic factors with which they interact. POPULATION – group of individuals of the same species BIOSHPERE – all the ecosystems on earth with the physical environment.

Ecological Interaction 1. Competition - One of the biological interactions that can limit population growth; occurs when two species vie with each other for the same resource a. Intraspecific – competition among members of the same species b. Interspecific – competition among members of different species 2. Mutualism – association in which both members of the partnership benefit. 3. Commensalism – type of symbiosis in which one member clearly benefits and the other is neither benefited nor harmed. 4. Parasitism – type of symbiosis in which one member benefits and the other is harmed. 5. Predation – organisms feeds directly upon another living organism. Prey Defensive Mechanisms Warning Coloration - Toxic chemicals, body armor, noxious odors or poisonous secretions, Poisonous animals. Batesian mimicry: harmless species will evolve colors, patterns, or body shapes that mimic species that are unpalatable or poisonous. Muellerian mimicry: two species, both of which are unpalatable or dangerous have evolved to look alike so that when predators learn to avoid either species, both benefit. Camouflage - protective coloring that helps hide an animal species also evolve amazing abilities to avoid being discovered. Ecological Roles 1. Producers - Organisms (specifically, plants) that can produce their own food 2. Consumers - are organisms that cannot make their own food; they must eat other organisms to get energy.

a. Primary - The first level of consumers on the food chain. They are know as herbivores and eat the producers (plants). b. Secondary - The second level of consumers on the food chain. They are known as the meat-eaters. These can be carnivores or omnivores. The secondary consumers prey upon the primary consumers. c. Tertiary - Larger consumers in the fourth trophic level 3. Decomposers - Fungi and bacteria that break complex organic material into smaller molecules. 1. Food web - A complex, interlocking series of individual food chains in an ecosystem 2. Food Chain - The relationship between plants and animals that shows who eats what. Energy is transferred from one organism to another through the food chain. Biomes 1. Tundra- A level or rolling treeless plain in the arctic or subarctic regions; the soil is black and mucky, the subsoil is permanently frozen, and the vegetation is dominated by mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs. A similar environment occurs in mountainous areas above the timberline. 2. Taiga (CONIFEROUS FORESTS) - One of the six biomes, taiga is another word for

boreal forest. Taiga exists in northern areas that have 40-100 centimetres per year of precipitation, much of it snow. The forest contains conifer species (Abies, Picea, Larix, and Pinus), and some deciduous trees. Ground cover is mostly mosses and lichens. 3. Desert - A region with low precipitation (usually defined as less than 25 cm per year). 4. Temperate Deciduous forest - A terrestrial biome with a temperate climate (four Seasons)

where one or two species of deciduous trees predominate –

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BIOTIC FACTORS LIVING components of the ecosystem which includes plants, animals and microorganisms. ABIOTIC FACTORS-NON-LIVING components in an ecosystem. Factors such as; WATER The most important ecological factor It brings about changes in the life forms of plants and animals. In science, it is the universal solvent for biological processes SOILThe character of soils determines largely the character of vegetation and the types of animals that maintain themselves upon it. Soil is made of particles of inorganic and organic matters such as bacteria, protozoan, algae, fungi etc. The decomposing matter in soil is called humus

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SUNLIGHT An important physical factor Without light, life on earth would be possible.

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PHOTOSYNTHESIS = organisms depend for the manufacture of food. It has been the main source and oldest of all energy sources.

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TEMPERATURE The effects of temperature on the presence or absence of animals in different habitat are varied.

Carbon – backbone molecule for all living things Nitrification - conversion of ammonia to Nitrite (NO2) or Nitrate (NO3). •

Nitrogen Fixation- Example of Bacteria that can fix nitrogen: –

Rhizobium sp. Found in legumes and etc.

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Blue green algae bacteria

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Nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria

Dentrification- reduction of nitrates to gaseous nitrogen Ammonification- nitrogen gas -> ammonia Phosphorus Cycle- earth’s crust (main source of phosphorus) •

It is a simple cycle because it doesn’t involve any atmospheric component.

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The transfer of phosphorus involves movement from land, to sediments in the sea and then back to the land.

Assimilation - It is the process by which nitrogen is incorporated into protein molecules by the plant