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INTRODUCTION
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment. It examines the relationships between living organisms (including humans) and their physical surroundings, as well as the interactions between different species within ecosystems.
In this topic we will study the way the biosphere interacts with the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. This will be followed by a description of the major aquatic and terrestrial biomes. We will then learn about the abiotic and biotic factors that make up an ecosystem and examine how these factors interact. This will be followed by a discussion on energy flow and the different trophic levels in an ecosystem that can be represented by either a chain, pyramid or web.
Definition of basic terms
Community; all different species that live in one area and interact with each other .
Biotic ; all living features of an ecosystem eg preditors , disease etc
Abiotic ; all non living features of an ecosystem eg light , temperature etc
Ecosystem ; all living organisms found in one area , combined with non living aspects of their environment .
Habitat: the place where an organism lives within an ecosystem
Niche; the role played by a species within a habitat eg what it does , eat etc
Carrying capacity; the maximum size of population an ecosystem can support