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| In this page there will be
two subjects explained; ecology and ecosystems. At the top of the page
there is information about ecology. At the bottom there is information on
ecosystems. |
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Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with
the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Something that limits the population of organisms in the ecosystem is called
a limiting factor.
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Diversity of animals is needed because with too many of
one species there is no food chain at all which is needed for survival
of all. |
Animals
relate to each other because they need one another to survive. A predator
can't live if there is no prey in the ecosystem, and there can't be too
many animals that have no predator or else they will over populate. |
| Here are some examples
of limiting factors. -Too many predators -Temperature -Water -Competition -Introduction of alien species |
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| An ecosystem is a biological
community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. This
means that an ecosystem is everything in an area, biotic and abiotic alike.
Water, rocks, grass, trees, and animals are all part of an ecosystem. |
Here is an example of an abiotic rock and a biotic
tree.
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| An adaptation is
a physical change to animals or plants over many years so they can live
a better life in the habitat. For example, a bird would develop a longer
beak over a long period of time so it could catch fish more easily. A plant
could grow thorns to keep animals from eating the food it grows. Below is
an example of a long beak grown over time by the egret. |
A
symbiotic relationship is a relation of animals and how they help or hurt
one another and there are three types of them. They are mutualism, in which
both species benefit, commensalism, where one species benefits and the other
is unaffected, and parasitism, when one species benefits and the other is
harmed. Below is an example of a symbiotic relationship between a clown-fish
and an anenome. |
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