After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can change populations and species diversity

• interpret relationships among organisms in an ecosystem including commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, and predator-prey relationships

• compare variations and adaptations of organisms that help them grow, reproduce, and survive in different ecosystems

• analyze matter and energy flow between organisms and their environment

• describing how environmental change impacts ecosystem stability

• analyze the flow of matter and energy through different trophic levels using various models 

• summarize the role of microorganisms in both maintaining and disrupting the health of both organisms and ecosystems

•  describe the flow of matter through the carbon and nitrogen cycles and explain the consequences of disrupting these cycles