Levels of Organization Ecology The study of interactions between organisms and their environment. Organism = any living thing Environment = The part of biosphere that surrounds an organism. 1.Biosphere = The area around the earth where life exists. 2.Biome = A large ecosystem each having its own temperature ranges, rainfall amounts and types of organisms. Examples: Terrestrial (on land) = tropical rain forest, desert, tundra, coniferous forest, & more Aquatic (water) = oceans, estuaries, lakes, stream, & more 3.Ecosystem = An area where organisms interact with each other and their non- living environment. Biotic factors = The living components of an ecosystem Examples: Abiotic factors = The non-living components of an ecosystem Examples: 4.Community = All organisms living together in a certain area. 5.Population = all organisms of one species in a particular place and time. 6.Organism = Any living thing. Species = A group of the same organisms that can interbreeding and can produce offspring that can also make offspring, and so on. A lion is a species Tigons and Ligers are not species; they can only be classified as organisms. Biodiversity = The variety of organisms in an ecosystem A stable ecosystem has lots of biodiversity. There is more biodiversity in warmer climates than colder climates. The amount of biodiversity in an ecosystem depends mostly on the abiotic factors.