Unit+12+Ecosystems

Bundle 3: Organisms and Their Environment

Guiding Questions

1. What are the levels of organization within an ecosystem?

2. How does an organism interact with its environment?

3. How are comparative and descriptive investigations used in science?

Vocabulary

**matter** - anything that has mass and volume **abiotic** - nonliving matter **biotic** - living, or once was living matter **organisms** - one individual **populations** - a group of organisms that are the same species **niche** - a job/role **commensalism** - a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is not affected **prokaryotic** - a cell without a visible nucleus **eukaryotic** - a cell with a visible nucleus **unicellular** - an organism composed of only one cell <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**multicellular** - an organism composed of 2 or more cells <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**autotrophic** - an organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**habitat** - where an organism lives; its home <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**mutualism** - a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**heterotrophic** - an organism who must get nutrients from other organisms <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**kingdom <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">- ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">a large classification of living organisms (Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protists, Fungus, Plants, Animals) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**communities** - 2 or more populations that live in an area <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**classification -** to put into groups <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**domains** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">- <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">classifications even larger than kingdoms (Bacteria, Archae, Eukarya) <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">**parasitism** - a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and one is harmed

<span style="color: #0f7b0f; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; line-height: 25px;">**Important Links** Ecology Introduction [|Biotic & Abiotic Factors in Ecosystems] Food Chains / Trophic Levels The Food Chains Song Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

**GAMES** **Exploring Ecosystems** **Biotic or Abiotic Baseball** **Soccer Biotic or Abiotic** Alien Attackers **Food Chains Game** **Bigger Food Chains Game** **Build A Food Chain** **Fun With Food Webs**