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Ecology Lecture I

Ecology Lecture I. Ecology Standards : 6a ~ Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats

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Ecology Lecture I

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  1. Ecology Lecture I Ecology Standards: 6a ~ Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats 6b ~ Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, nonnative species introduction, or changes in population size The study of complex interactions among organisms and the world

  2. Human Impact • In the late 1700’s an economist by the name of Thomas Malthus stated • “the human population is growing faster than the Earth’s resources can support” • Naturally, the rest of the world didn’t believe these claims • The world’s population was around 1 billion people worldwide at this time

  3. Human Impact • Scientists tried to predict human population growth and vastly underestimated it! • Today we have gone past the predicted carrying capacity with a world population of over 6 billion! • Carrying capacity – the maximum number of individuals that the environment can normally and consistently support

  4. Human Impact • Several human “advancements” have made it possible for the human population growth explosion! • Technology • Agriculture • Transportation • Medical advancements • Sanitation

  5. Human Impact • Oil and Coal • These natural resources are what humans have relied upon for power for the last 258 years • Oil and coal are considered nonrenewable resources • Nonrenewable resources – resources that are used faster than they are replenished

  6. Human Impact • If humans continue at the rate of 77 million barrels of oil per day (and growing) we will quickly approach or exceed our carrying capacity! • We must make a choice to invest in renewable energy technology if we wish to survive and preserve a planet capable of supporting life • Renewable energy – resources that cannot be used up or replenish themselves regularly

  7. Human Impact • Water is considered a renewable resource because of annual rains and snow ‘returning’ water back to the earth • Humans are finding ways to make water a nonrenewable resource by polluting water sources and overuse!

  8. Human Impact • Humans need resources in order to survive • There is a problem when people need too much! • An ecological footprint is the amount of land and resources necessary to maintain an individual • Maintenance includes: food, water, shelter, health, energy, and waste

  9. Human Impact • What is Global Warming? • The trend of an increasing global temperature • What contributes to Global Warming? • Our earth is protected by a thin layer of atmosphere from outer space • Greenhouse gases are certain gases that become “trapped” by the ozone around our planet • Gases like CO2, Methane CH4, and water vapor

  10. Global Warming

  11. Levels of Organization • An ecologist is a scientist that studies the interactions of living things with other living things and their surroundings • When ecologists study organisms in their environment they look at the levels of organization • When studying nature, scientists recognize 5 levels of organization

  12. Levels of Organization • Levels of Organization: • Organism – any individual living thing (example: a single alligator) • Population – a group of the same species that live in the same area • Community – groups of different living species that live together in the same area • Ecosystem – the community and all of the non-living components such as water, soil, mountains, etc. • Biome – a major region of the planet that has a defined climate (ex: deserts)

  13. Levels of Organization

  14. Factors in an Ecosystem • All ecosystems are made up of living and nonliving components • Biotic factors – are all of the living parts of an ecosystem such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria • Abiotic factors – are the nonliving components such as temperature, water, wind, sunlight, and Earth’s landmasses

  15. Factors in an Ecosystem ECOSYSTEM Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors

  16. Factors in an Ecosystem • An ecosystem is a complex web of biotic and abiotic factors • Some ecosystems have more diversity than others • Biodiversity – is the assortment or variety of living things in an ecosystem

  17. Biodiversity • Biodiversityis the sum total of different kinds of organisms and it is affected by changes in the habitat

  18. Factors in an Ecosystem • Certain ecosystems are held together because of the actions of one biotic factor • A keystone species is a biotic organism that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem • For example: the beaver creating a dam and a large body of water

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