Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

UngerBiology

Name:
Period:

What Shapes an Ecosystem?

Biotic vs. Abiotic Factors
What is the definition of a biotic factor?
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the definition of an abiotic factor?
______________________________________________________________________________
Enter the items from the following list into a Venn diagram.
In the center, place what contains both biotic and abiotic factors.
whale
sand
tree
mushroom
clouds
rocks
water
snail
dirt
desert
Athletes foot
oxygen
temperature
steak
tundra
glass
mold
ants

hair
ocean
coral
paper
grass
predator

Abiotic

Biotic
Both

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

UngerBiology

List the biotic and abiotic factors in both pictures. What other factors may relate but cannot be seen in
the pictures?

Biotic Factors

Abiotic Factors

All biotic and abiotic factors are interrelated. In nature, you will find that if one factor is changed or is
removed, it impacts the availability of other resources within the system. Knowing this, give an example
of what might happen given the following situations.
In the empty spaces, place either a B for Biotic or an A for Abiotic to identify what the object is.
1. All of the rocks (_____) are removed from a desert ecosystem. What would happen to the population
of rock dwelling lizards (_____) and in turn the animals that eat them?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. A ten mile area of trees (_____) is removed from the tropical rainforest. How will this affect the
amount of oxygen (_____) in the area?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

UngerBiology

Ecological Niche
An ecological niche is the role and position a species has in its environment - how it meets its
needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it reproduces. A species' niche includes all of its
interactions with the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment. It is advantageous for a species to
occupy a unique niche in an ecosystem, because it reduces the amount of competition for resources
that species will encounter.
Every living thing on Earth has a role to play in its environment. In fact, you are filling a niche
right now as you read this lesson. Your niche also includes where and how you obtain food and all of the
things you do in order to survive.
Describe your niche. Consider biotic (family, the living things you eat, other living things in your
home) and abiotic factors (location, transportation, neighborhood, community, resources you
receive). How is your niche different from other family members?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

UngerBiology

Community Interactions
True or False

_____ 1. The group of trees that a monkey lives in is its habitat.

_____ 2. Fungi need a moist, humid climate in which to grow. This need for moisture is part of
their niche.
_____ 3. When two populations try to share the same niche or use the same resource,
competition occurs and one of the populations will go extinct.
_____ 4. If two organisms are competing, that means predation is occurring.
_____ 5. If you get a tapeworm and it ends up living in your intestines, feeding off of every meal
you eat, that means you and your tapeworm have a parasitic relationship.
_____ 6. An example of commensalism would be you and the bacteria living in your intestines,
because you give them a home, and they break down food and synthesize vitamins for
you.
_____ 7. Mutualism is where both organisms in the relationship benefit from the relationship.
Define each of these in 5 words or less, then give an example in nature and an two examples in your
family, community, or in society.
Intraspecific
competition

Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

Interspecific
competition

Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

Predation

Def:

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

Symbiosis

Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

Mutualism

Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

Commensalism Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:
Parasitism

Def:
Nature:
Your example 1:
Example 2:

UngerBiology

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

UngerBiology

Ecological Succession
1. Any change in plant communities over time is called a(n)
_________________________.
2. A common pioneer organism in a succession is the
___________________________.
3. The final stable state of a succession is called the
___________________________ community.

Stage
A
B
C
D
E

Dominant Flora
None (freshly plowed land)
Annual grasses
Various shrubs
Birch and cherry trees
Beech-maple forest

4. The first organism in a succession is called the ____________________________.

5. Several years after some ground was cleared, grasses began to grow in an area. After 10 years, small
bushes replaced the grasses. This pattern of plant growth is known as
(1.) cover cropping (2.) evolution (3.) ecological succession (4.) biological control
6. Which organisms would most likely be the pioneer organisms on a newly formed volcanic island?
(1.) conifers (2.) lichens (3.) deciduous trees (4.) tall grasses
Base your answers to questions 7 through 9 on the chart and your knowledge of biology.
7. Which stage represents a pioneer community?
(1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D (5.) E
8. The replacement of stage B by stage C and the replacement ofstage C by stage D in a particular
location
is known as
(1.)exploitation (2.) cover cropping
(3.) ecological succession (4.) punctuated equilibrium
9. Which stage would best represent a climax community?
(1.) A (2.) B (3.) C (4.) D (5.) E
10. Starting on bare rock, what is the usual ecological succession of organisms?
(1.) lichens grasses shrubs trees (2.) grasses shrubs lichens trees
(3.) lichens shrubs grasses trees (4.) shrubs grasses lichens trees
11. The stable stage that is established in an area as a result of the process of ecological succession is
known as the
(1.) pioneer organism (2.) climax community (3.) biotic stage (4.) heterotrophic community

Ecology Unit

Guided Notes #1

12. The diagram represents a map

showing different zones in an
area once covered by a glacier.
This diagram best represents

Position of
edge of
glacier
100 years
ago

UngerBiology

Shrubs
algae
and
tundra
mosses
and
young grasses
lichens
trees

bare
rock

Position of
edge of
glacier at
present
time

movement of glacier
(1.) nutritional relationships (2.) a pyramid of energy (3.) a food chain (4.) ecological succession
Use the diagram below and your knowledge of succession to answer questions 13 through 15.

II

III

IV

Four Stages of a Biological Process

13. What would most likely be the predominant life-form found in stage 1?
(1.) ferns (2.) pioneer species (3.) trees (4.) mushrooms
14. Stage IV will persist until it is altered by
(1.) a major change in an abiotic factor (2.) seasonal dieback of vegetation (3.) the reappearance of
lichens and mosses (4.) the growth in diameter of the trees
15. What is a major limiting biotic factor for animal succession in each stage?
(1.) plant species (2.) sunlight (3.) soil minerals (4.) moisture
16. In a pond, which change would most likely lead to terrestrial succession?
(1.) a decrease in the number of suspended particles in the pond water
(2.) an increase in current velocity of the pond water
(3.) an increase in sediment, fallen leaves, and tree limbs accumulating on the bottom of the pond
(4.) a decrease in the number of diverse organisms in the shallow water of the pond
17. Which statement concerning the climax stage of an ecological succession is correct?
(1.) It is the first community to inhabit an area. (2.) It consists entirely of plants.
(3.) It persists until the environment changes. (4.) It changes rapidly.