Section 2.1 Notes Name. Studying nature a. The study of plants and animals is called What is ecology? a. Ecology is the study of interactions that take place between and their environment. b. Ecological research uses both and quantitative methods. The Biosphere a. The biosphere is the portion of the Earth that supports F b. Living things are affected by both the and by other living things. c. The non living parts of an organism's environment are the factors. i. Example: d. The living organisms that inhabit an environment are called factors. i. Example: Levels of Organization a. Ecologists have organized the living world into levels- : : , and b. What is an organism? c. A population is a group of organisms, of all the same ___, which____ and____in the same area at the same time. d. A biological community is made up of populations in a certain area at a certain time. e. Anecosystem is made up interacting in a biological community and the community's factors. i. There are two types: andV. Organisms in Ecosystems aA is the place where an organism lives out its life. bA is the role or position a species has in its environment. c. Symbiosis is a in which there is a close and | permanent association between organisms of different species. | i. : both benefit 1. example. | ii, : one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited. 1. example iii. : when one species benefits at the expense of another species. 1. example. Answer the following: 1. Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic factors in the environment. 2. Compare and contrast the characteristics of populations and communities. Provide examples of populations in a community. 3. Clownfish are small, tropical marine fish often found swimming among the stinging tentacles of sea anemones without being harmed. Interpret and describe this type of relationship.