Organizing Living Things

1. Cunningham, Cunningham 2002 Organizing Living Things • Organism • Population • Biological • Community • Ecosystem • Biosphere

2. Food Web: Cross-connected Food Chains Cunningham, Cunningham 2002

3. Cunningham, Cunningham 2002 Where do humans fit in? What levels do humans manage or change?

4. Are these trophic levels present in our classroom? Primary Producers? Top carnivores? Herbivores? Decomposers? Kane Hall Rm 130; University of WA homepage

5. Cunningham, Cunningham 2002 EnergyPyramid Most energy in most ecosystems is stored in the bodies of primary producers. Only about 10 % of the energy at one level passes to the next highest trophic level.

6. What is missing here? Does it matter? Cunningham, Cunningham 2002

7. Cunningham, Cunningham 2002 It takes numerous small organisms or plants to feed one large organism. The efficiency for extracting energy out of food is higher at the top of the pyramid.

8. But we live in a human ecosystem where some people consider humans to be the top predator! SO Humans change the flows and fluxes in an ecosystem and have replaced or perform the functions occurring in ecosystems. Example: we have eliminated or drastically reduced the population of top predators that might hunt or harm us, or eat our food http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/acari/index.html, http://www.dfwpest.com/scorpion.htm

9. http://webhome.idirect.com/~preeves/wildlife/bears/grizzley02.htmlhttp://webhome.idirect.com/~preeves/wildlife/bears/grizzley02.html

10. West Africa Deserts. The Encroaching Wilderness. Ed. Allan and Warren. 1993 Oxford University Press

11. Deserts. The Encroaching Wilderness. Ed. Allan and Warren. 1993 Oxford University Press Utah Chaco Canyon, San Juan Basin, New Mexico http://www.ratical.com/southwest/ChacoCanyon.html

12. Tranvsvaal, South Africa Sudan Deserts. The Encroaching Wilderness. Ed. Allan and Warren. 1993 Oxford University Press

13. Closed system: has to be sustainable if trophic levels are to survive from what is present. This is a shrimp / bacteria system that can persist for several years (I had one that persisted for 4 years) Biosphere 2 Ecosphere, Arizona;Photo: K Vogt

14. Alaska TUNDRA Photo: K Vogt Iceland

15. What parts of the pyramid are missing here in the tundra?Can humans be self-sufficient and survive here?Are animals self-sufficient? Why would large mammals migrate in winter? TUNDRA Iceland Photo: K Vogt volcanic layers ice polygons

16. TUNDRA Caribou; http://www.beautyworlds.com/articphotos.htm;

17. TUNDRA Harbour seal http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaMax.asp?pg=3&ti=034D1000&idx=461530760 http://www.beautyworlds.com/articphotos.htm

18. Kayaks;http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/archeo/oracles/kayak/11.htmKayaks;http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/archeo/oracles/kayak/11.htm TUNDRA Lichen in Iceland; photo K Vogt Reindeer; Siberia http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaMax.asp?pg=3&ti=761556603&idx=681500039

19. TUNDRA Layers of Ice Alaska - permafrost Photo: H Bormann

20. TUNDRA Iceland Alaska Human habitation similar to animals that don’t migrate – underground, covered with organic materials Photos: K Vogt, H Bormann

21. Alaska TUNDRA Keystone species – all other animals eat to survive; their loss would have a major impact on the continued persistence of that ecosystems Photo: H Bormann

22. Far Side Brown lemming – another keystone species in the tundra http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaMax.asp?pg=3&ti=761564834&idx=461517314

23. Malaysia dipterocarp forest, TROPICAL FOREST What parts of the pyramid are missing here in the tropics?Can humans be self-sufficient, survive?Are animals self-sufficient? Do animals migrate? Photo: K Vogt

24. Brazil Amazon, TROPICAL FOREST Photo: K Vogt

25. Cassava / manioc, Brazilian Amazon, TROPICAL FOREST Photo: K Vogt

26. Cabybara, Venezuela Cabybara, Amazon, SAVANNA (Tropical) Piranha, Brazilian Amazon,TROPICAL FOREST Photos: K Vogt

27. TROPICAL FOREST Puerto Rico - bread fruit Açai – Brazilian Amazon Photo: K Vogt

28. What happens in the environment when humans change parts of the ecosystem, one of the trophic levels? How do we know when we are having a negative impact? What do we need to change to imbalance the system? Lets look at the classroom in Kane Hall again which is totally of human construct (not very natural) NOTE: Most environmental problems result from manipulating trophic levels UW homepage

30. Different roles of a species the coqui: In Puerto Rico - important in speeding up the recovery rate of forests after hurricanes; In Hawaii invasive pest that is out competing native species and taking over their habitat. Coqui, golden Puerto Rico

31. Brazilian Amazon;Photo: K Vogt Margay, Belize; http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/mammals/mar/mar4.html Conservation, Sustainable Development or Empowering Indigenous People?

32. Pet parrots, Amazon Brazil, TROPICAL FORESTS Photo: K Vogt

33. Jaguar, Belize Conflicts: Agriculture, food production Animal species conservation Preservation Maya ruins Persistence of forest cover Political power at all levels Persistence of Maya culture, etc TROPICAL FOREST; photo: Programme for Belize

34. Degraded grasslands with sheep, TUNDRA Iceland Photo: B Hecht

35. Icelandic BOREAL FOREST Lupine All introduced species – not native Siberian Larch Photo: K Vogt

36. Food Web: Cross-connected Food Chains Photo: K Vogt Cunningham, Cunningham 2002