Unit 11 – Organization of Life

1. Unit 11 – Organization of Life Ecology – study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

2. Ecosystem Structure • Biosphere – part of the Earth in which life exists including land, water, air and atmosphere • Ecosystem – different communities and their non-living environment • Community – different populations living in the same area • Population – many members of 1 species living in the same area • Species – group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring • Organism – 1 member of a species • Which is the biggest or broadest? • Which is the smallest or most specific?

3. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

4. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

5. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

6. Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere?

7. Factors in Ecosystems • Ecosystems are influenced by biological and physical factors. • Biotic Factors (Biological) • Living organisms that influence an ecosystem • Ex Predatorand Prey • Abiotic Factors (Physical) • Non-living factors that influence an ecosystem • Ex Soil, Water, Temperature, Sunlight

8. What is an ecosystem composed of? Mountain, clouds, water & rocks Non-Living ONLY Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors Living ONLY Trees, bird, grass, rabbit, & moose ECOSYSTEM Living & Non-Living Together

9. Roles in Ecosystems • Niche – an organisms role in its ecosystem - full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions • If an organism dies, another organism will take over its niche • Your niche right now is being a student • Habitat – the environment in which an organism lives • Your habitat is your house

10. Relationships - SYMBIOSIS • Symbiosis – organisms that live together • 3 types • Mutualism – both organisms benefit • Ex bee and flower • Commensalism – one organism benefits and the other is not hurt • Ex bird nest in a tree • Parasitism – one organism benefits and the other is harmed • Mistletoe growing on a tree

11. Parasite Example Cuckoo Egg! The cuckoo lays eggs in other species of bird’s nests. It hatches first and pushes out the other bird’s eggs. Then the mother bird raises the cuckoo rather than her own babies!

12. Land Biomes Biome = large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities

13. What determines the different types of biomes? • Latitude – distance of any point on the surface of the Earth north or south from the Equator • Impacts weather and climate

14. Climate vs. Weather • Climate – average weather conditions in an area including temperature and precipitation • Weather – condition of the atmosphere at a specific place and time • We listen to the weather report everyday on the news

15. Why we have different seasons and different biomes

17. Different Land Biomes • Tundra • Boreal Forest • Temperate Foreest • Temperate Woodlands/ Shrubland • Temperate Grasslands • Desert • Tropical Savanna • Tropical Seasonal Forest • Tropical Rain Forest

18. Tundra • Just below the polar ice caps • No trees • Soil only thaws a couple of cm during the spring/ summer, so it is impossible for tree roots to grow • Permanent layer of frozen soil • Called PERMAFROST

19. Boreal Forest • South of the tundra • Evergreen forest • Also called Coniferous Forest or Taiga

20. Temperate Forest • Directly south of the Boreal Forest • Covers most of southern Canada, the eastern US, most of Europe, Asia and Australia • We live in this biome • Composed mostly of DECIDUOUS trees • Trees that lose their leaves in the fall

21. Temperate Woodland/ Shrubland • Also called the Chaparral • Open woodlands (trees) and shrubs (small plants that have woody stems)

22. Temperate Grassland • Also called the prairie, pampas, savannah • Drought, grazing animals and fires keep the grassland from becoming forests • Fertile soil

23. Desert • Exist on every continent except for Europe • Any area in which the rate of evaporation is greater than the rate of precipitation • Very little precipitation • Coldest Desert – Polar Ice Caps

24. Tropical Savanna • Grasses, scattered trees, get less precipitation than other tropical areas • Africa, South America, Australia

25. Tropical Seasonal Forest • Has a dry season and a rainy season • During the dry season, the trees drop all of their leaves • Like the jungle

26. Tropical Rain Forest • Warm temperatures, large amounts of rainfall throughout the year • Found in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia • Most diverse of all biomes

27. Aquatic Biomes

28. Aquatic Biomes • Two Types – Marine (Salt) and Freshwater • Cover more than 75% of the biosphere • 97% of water on earth is salt water • 3% of water on earth is fresh water

29. Freshwater Biomes • Ponds and lakes • Rivers and streams • Wetlands

30. Ponds and Lakes • If they don’t have a connecting river, they were formed by glaciers. • Life: Plankton, Algae, Insects, Fish, Crustaceans (crawfish), floating aquatic plants • Climate can vary depending on Geographic location

31. Rivers and Streams • Bodies of flowing water, moving in one direction

32. Wetlands • Areas of standing water that support aquatic plants • Also called Marshes, Swamps, Bogs

33. Marine Biomes • Coral Reefs • Oceans • Estuaries

34. Coral Reefs • Warm, shallow waters • Usually barriers around continents or islands • Very many different species of plants and animals

35. Oceans • Largest biome of the world

36. Estuaries • Where freshwater streams or rivers meet the ocean • Higher salt concentration than freshwater, but less than marine biomes

37. Population Ecology

38. Population Characteristics1) Population Density2) Spatial Distribution3) Population Range

39. Population Density is the number of organisms per unit of area Population Characteristics -

40. Population Characteristics • Spatial Distribution – also called Dispersion – pattern of spacing of a population within an area • Uniform – black bears are spaced out pretty evenly • Clumped – animals found in herds - cattle • Random – deer – found clumped and uniform – no predictable pattern

41. Population Characteristics • Population Ranges – can be affected by temperature, humidity, rainfall, or sunlight. Also can be affected by predators, competition, parasites, threats to survival • Abiotic Factors • Biotic Factors

42. Things that Effect a Population • Predation - Predators: as the number of prey increase, the number of predators will too • Disease • Outbreaks occurs when population density is high • Disease is transmitted easier • Parasites • Similar to disease, when population density is high, parasites are transmitted easier • Competition - Individuals compete for: Food, water, shelter, & space

43. Population Limiting Factors Two Types Density-Independent Abiotic Factors Density-Dependent Biotic Factors

44. Density-Independent Factors • Any factor in the environment that does not depend on the number of members in a population. • Usually abiotic – weather events

45. Before After

46. Density-Dependent Factors • Any factor in the environment that depends on the number of members in a population • Usually biotic factors – predation, disease, parasites, competition

47. Predation – what happened to the moose population as the wolf population increased?

48. Disease – when the density of a population is too high, diseases are transmitted more easily than a low-density population

49. Competition – Competition increases when density increasesParasites – populations can be limited by parasites

50. Population Growth Rate Growth Rate, Emigration, Immigration, Exponential Growth, Logistic Growth, Carrying Capacity