Ecology

1. Ecology

2. What is Ecology? • The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

3. Levels of Organization • Individual organisms • Populations: groups of individuals that belong to the same species (Species- group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring) and live in the same area • Community: Assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area

4. Levels of Organization (continued) • Ecosystem: Collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with nonliving, or physical, environment • Biome: A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities • Biosphere: Combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, and air, or atmosphere (8km above surface and 11km below in the oceans)

6. Energy Flow

7. Energy Flows • Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction • Sun Autotrophs Heterotrophs

8. Sunlight • The main energy source for life on Earth

9. Autotroph • Plants, some algae, and certain bacteria • Capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food • Also called producers because they make their own food

10. Photosynthesis • Autotrophs use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates

11. Chemosynthesis • Autotrophs (such as bacteria) that use chemical energy instead of sunlight to make carbohydrates

13. Heterotroph • Animals, fungi, and many bacteria • They must rely on other organisms for their energy & food supply • Also called consumers

14. Types of Heterotrophs • Herbivores • Eat only plants • Cows, deer, & caterpillar • Carnivores • Eat only animals • Snakes, dogs, & owls • Omnivores • Eat both plants & animals • Humans, bears, & crows

15. Types of Heterotrophs • Detritivores • Eat plant & animal remains & other dead matter known as detritus • mites, earthworms, & snails • Decomposers • Break down organic matter • Bacteria and fungi

16. Classification • Pick up a stack of pictures • Sort them into 2 piles • Autotrophs • Heterotrophs • Sort the heterotrophs into 4 piles • Herbivores • Carnivores • Omnivores • Decomposers • Make a list of what organisms are in each pile

17. Food Chains • A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten • Must be a straight line • Grass Antelope Coyote Primary Consumer Secondary Consumer Producer

18. Food Chain • Draw a food chain of which you are a member

19. Food Web • Network of complex feeding relationships among various organisms • Links all food chains in an ecosystem together

20. Trophic Level • 1st trophic level – Producers • 2nd trophic level – Primary Consumer • 3rd trophic level – Secondary Consumer • 4th trophic level – Tertiary Consumer • 5th trophic level – Quaternary Consumer

21. Ecological Pyramid • A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food web or food chain • Energy Pyramid • Biomass Pyramid • Pyramid of Numbers

22. Energy Pyramid Only about 10% of the energy in each trophic level is transferred to the next higher level 90% of the energy is lost as heat 1%-2nd level Consumer Heat 10%- 1st level Consumer 100% -Producers

26. Biomass Pyramid • Amount of living matter at each level in grams • The greatest biomass is usually at the base of the pyramid Human 50 grams Chicken 500 grams Grain 5000 grams

29. Pyramid of Numbers • Shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level 3rd level consumers 2nd level consumers 1st level consumers Producers

30. Pyramid of Numbers

31. What Shapes An Ecosystem?

32. What shapes an ecosystem? • Abiotic Factors • Physical or nonliving factors • Temperature, precipitation, humidity, soil type, sunlight • Biotic Factors • All living things with which an organism might interact • Birds, trees, mushrooms, algae, herons

33. Niche • Full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses these conditions • Includes type of food and how it obtains food, physical conditions it needs, how and when it reproduces, and more

34. Predation • An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism • Predator • Organism that does the killing and eating • Prey • The food

35. Predator and Prey

36. Symbiosis • Any relationship in which two species live closely together • Three types • Mutualism • Commensalism • Parasitism

37. Mutualism • Both species benefit from the relationship • + , + • Example-Flowers and insects

38. Commensalism • One member benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed • + , 0 • Example- Barnacles and whales

39. Parasitism • One organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it • + , - • Example- Tapeworms and mammals or fleas and dogs

40. Parasitism

41. Biomes

42. Biomes • Tropical Rain Forest • Tropical Dry Forest • Tropical Savanna • Desert • Temperate Grassland • Northwestern Coniferous Forest • Boreal Forest • Tundra

43. Biomes • Species vary in their adaptations to different conditions • Adaptations-Inherited characteristics that increases an organisms ability to survive and reproduce

44. Adaptations of Plants and Animals • Cactus-Leaves are only spines to reduce water loss and stem stores water • Desert rats-kidneys conserve water and extract water from food • Rain forest plants have long thin leaves that shed excess water

50. Population Growth