Your Definition:

Ecology is the scientific study of interaction of organisms

with one another and with the physical chemical
environment.
Our Paraphrase:
Ecology is the relationships between different species and
their environment.
A community is when two or more species live in the same area.
The interactions that are formed, such as the food supply and
predator prey system, between the two species effects which
species can survive, or if they can live in harmony.
An example of a community would be the different kinds of coral
living in a coral reef. The coral is living in the same space as other
coral, as well as other sea plants and sponges. The fate of the
community depends on how the coral interacts with each other
and whether or not the food supply and other factors can support
both species.

Community is part of ecology because a
community is interaction between species
and environments, the same as Ecology.

Sources:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=community%20in%20ecology%20pow
erpoint&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uic.edu
%2Fclasses%2Fbios%2Fbios101%2FCommunity%2520Ecology.ppt&ei=RiRpU8ifMsfio
ATwmICACg&usg=AFQjCNF0G_JfinVqndTuGxkkYb5OGnt6zg
Prey is an organism that is hunted by another organism and is one of the predators
food source. The prey is usually weak or defenseless to the predator. An animals
survival depends on the amount of prey available and whether it can support the
predator population.
An example of prey would be a Thompson gazelle. Many large African cats eat
the Thompson gazelle, making it the prey. Without the interaction between the
gazelle and big cats, the big cats would not be able to survive. The location of
prey also depicts where other species will be located. For example, If the
Thompson gazelle population was relatively low in one given area, the big cat
population would be low as well. Since prey has to be able to support another
species survival, the prey will have to over produce to survive on their own. This is
one of Darwin's theories.
Prey is a part of ecology because the
interactions with the predators will effect
which species will survive, as well as the
location of the two organisms.

Sources: esajournals.org
Mutualism is a positive relationship between two organisms, where both
species are benefited by each other. Although it may seem that each
species is working together for the benefit mutually, the relationship is more
of a reciprocal exploitation (Smith, p.1). While a mutualistic relationship
can happen when two or more organisms are living in the same space,
they also can benefit each other and form a relationship when not living in
the same area.

An example of a mutualistic relationship is the honey badger and a honey
guide. The small bird detects a bee hive and leads the honey badger to it.
The badger can use its strength to open it to eat the honey found inside
and the honey guide can feed on the remains. Both animals are
benefited with the source of food the other provides.
Mutualism is part of ecology because the
relationships between animals and plants
allows advantages not only in the
environment, but with factors such as food
and reproduction.

Sources:
www2.mcdaniel.edu/Biology/eco/mut/mu
tualism.html
Limiting factors are parts of an environment that restricts an animals
reproduction. They can also be a part of the animal itself and restrict
how it can survive. An example of limiting factors is the temperature
for starfish. If the water is too cold, the starfishs metabolism slows
down, eventually killing the animal. Other factors such as climate,
food availability, and predation can limit a whether or not a species
can reproduce. Limiting factors relate to ecology because how the
organisms can interact with its environment effects if the animal or
plant can survive.
A pioneer species is an organism that begins living in an
area that currently has little to no life forms. These species
are usually plants like moss and other bacterium that can
adapt to living in almost anywhere. This can be caused
by over population or accidental distribution. After living
in the environment for a while, the pioneer species attract
other life and start an ecosystem that would not be able
to survive without them. A pioneer species is lichen. This
form of algae breaks down rocks and turns them into soil
for future plants to sprout. Then the plants will bring other
forms of life, eventually creating a wide span of organism
with the same starting point, lichen. Pioneer species are
part of ecology because depending on how they react
with a given environment, they could start future
ecosystems.
Species population is the amount of species in the
same geographical area. Population ecology is often
used in conservative ecology, as well. An example of
this would be like in Arizona, there are a lot of coyotes
within the region, and they are all the same species.
This has to deal with ecology due to the fact that the
definition of ecology is how organisms interact with
their environment, and since this topic has to deal with
environments and species, these are similar.

A habitat is an environment where a specific specie or
species live. Habitat types can range from tundra to
tropical, underwater to the desert, and the grassy fields
to a mountainous paradise. A species tends to live in
an area to fit their physical needs and eco-friendly
necessities. For example, an electric eel needs to live in
shallow, muddy waters so it can get air every 10 minutes
for their circulatory system. They purposely live in muddy
waters so that other creatures or hunters cannot find
them. This relates to ecology because every species has
an environment and adapts to it.
Competition in ecology is much like our
modern-day society. For example, male lions
often fight to be the leader of their pact. This is
much like our marketing world. Like in the
video we watched a few days ago, it
mentioned that an old, family owned
hardware store versing a giant, modernized
Home Depot just isnt going to work out. Like
the lions, they fight until the other cannot fight
anymore, then the winner is declared. Which
in the modern-day society case, the winner
was Home Depot because it caused the
hardware store to shut down. In ecology,
competition is where two or more species are
fighting for the same resources like food,
water, shelter, etc.
Commensalism is a two-species relationship
type where one of the species benefits and
the other one is not harmed. An illustration of
this would be a bird and a tree; the bird has
shelter, but the tree is not harmed.
Carry Capacity is known as how many offspring
a species can have. Female cats can produce
up to 6 9 kittens in a litter. So, 9 would be their
carrying capacity. Although, a female cat can
produce about 29 litters in 10 years, which
could be considered as their overall carrying
capacity. Carry capacity relates to ecology
because the number of offspring an animal
can carry depend on their relationship to the
environment.
Niche is the relation of species and the population in an
ecosystem. How a population responds to its resources and
enemies in the environment is affected by interaction
between organisms. For example, a squirrel's niche is
chewing on acorns and its habitat is the forest. This ties to
ecology because niche and environments are nearly similar.
Animals that survive by preying on other
organisms for food is a predator. The predator
feeds on smaller organisms, forming a food
chain. For example, a water buffalo is under
the lion in the food chain. Therefore, a lions
prey is a buffalo, so the lion is the predator. This
has to deal with ecology because animals are
interacting with other animals in the
environment.
Symbiosis is when two unlike organisms live together in the same
area. This can also be considered a mutualism relationship,
because both organisms get something they need out of the
relationship. A hummingbird and flowers are a perfect example
of this. The hummingbird gets its craved nectar out of the flower
while the bird is pollinating. Symbiosis can be dependent by
either physical or emotional needs. Symbiosis is related to
ecology because it is the interaction between organisms.
Parasitism is a form of dependent living in which two organisms
that are unrelated co-exist over a long period of time. Parasitism
often occurs in humans, animals, and plants. Parasitism is often
harmful to one specie, yet helpful to the next. Parasites like tape
worms find their way into dogs, and often humans, intestines.
They make a home there and feast off of left over food that has
yet to be digestedyum. Although parasitism isnt the most
charming part of ecology, it still plays a major role in it by giving
parasites and bacterium a habitat to live in.
Succession is the slow process of change in an ecosystem while
the other ecosystem is being damaged. In foresty areas, tall
trees and bushes are commonly found. When grass and weeds
appear, they kill off those plants and create an ecosystem of
their own. In ecology, this is talked much about due to the fact
that some environments are thriving while others are struggling
to sustain the species and plants living among it.