58A shared planet
Humans are not the only species on the planet.
We share it with at least 1.6 million other types
of animal and plant. The way that living things
interact is highly complex, but vital for survival.
OEcology is the study of the relationships
between animals and plants and the
environment they live in. Ecologists divide
the world up into a series of environmental
regions called biomes, which are based on
climate and inhabited by similar types of
animal and plant. Within these biomes are
smaller areas called ecosystems, which
have their own groups of animal and plant
that have adapted to the particular
conditions found there.WHAT IS ECOLOGY?JUST THE JOB
Animals and plants have
adopted different strategies
to survive in their
environments. Some have
specialized to live in one
particular habitat, others
can survive in many. Often,
they have changed physically
or adapted their lifestyles to
suit the conditions.Habitat Thorny devils
change the color of their
skin when they are cold
or alarmed.Migration Some birds
and animals travel great
distances every year to find
food or to breed.Population The
number of lemmings
changes according to
food availability.LIVING WORLD
There are very few places on Earth where life
does not exist. Even extreme places, such as
the icy poles or hot volcanoes, are populated
by organisms. Scientists describe the whole
of the living world as the biosphere.ENVIRONMENTAND ECOLOGY