Organisms & their Environment
Introduction Ecosystem ecology is the study of questions about the living and nonliving components within the environment, how these factors interact with each other, and how both natural and human-induced changes affect how they function. The biosphere is the ultimate determinant of where organisms can live, grow, and reproduce. Ecologists study environmental systems and the interaction between the organisms. These systems are biotic factors, which are the living parts of an ecosystem, and abiotic factors, which are the nonliving parts.
Food Chain and Energy flow A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food. This series of processes by which food is grown or produced, sold, and eventually consumed is called a Food Chain.
A general energy flow scenario follows: Solar energy is fixed by the photoautotrophs, called primary producers, like green plants. Tertiary consumers, which may or may not be apex predators, then consume the secondary consumers, with some energy passed on and some lost, as with the lower levels of the food chain. This contributes to the organisms and their environment they exist in.
Energy Flow Illustration
Environmental issues affecting organisms The organisms and their environment is affected by the following: ❖ Deforestation ❖ Pollution ❖ Ozone Layer Depletion ❖ Acid Rain ❖ GreenHouse effect ❖ Global Warming
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