Welcome to Ecology

1. Welcome to Ecology

2. What is Ecology? Welcome to the Anthropocene…

3. Inquiry Activity • In groups of 2-3, you have five minutes to make a list of all of the types of organisms, including plants, humans, animals, insects etc that you have seen in a specific location. • Rainforest • Tundra!

4. Inquiry Activity • Make a diagram that shows how the organisms that you listed interact with each other. • Who eats who/what? • Where do these organisms live?

5. Think About It 1. Which organisms on your list provide energy or nutrients to the others? 2. What would you expect to happen if all the plants in your diagram died? EXPLAIN your answer. 3. Why is it difficult to make accurate predictions about changes in communities of organisms?

6. 1. Ecology Definitions

7. 3.1: What is ecology? • Ecology is the scientific study of interactionsamong organisms and between organisms and their environment • Etymology (word Root): eco comes from the Greek oikoswhich means house.

9. The Biosphere The biosphere contains the combined portions of the Earth in which all life exists, including land, water and air or atmosphere. It extends 8 km above the Earth’s surface and as far as 11 km below the surface of the ocean.

12. Within the Biosphere are levels of organization

13. 1. Ecology Definitions: Feeding relationships

15. Autotrophs/ Producers/ (Trophic Level 1) Food energy is most commonly produced from light energy through photosynthesis Some autotrophs can produce food energy without light, instead using chemicals like hydrogen sulfide. These autotrophs use a process called chemiosynthesis.

16. Chemotrophs Some autotrophs can produce food energy without light, instead they use chemicals like hydrogen sulfide. These autotrophs use a process called chemiosynthesis. Let’s meet some… Deep Sea Challenger Compare chemosynthesis with photosynthesis Giant Amoeba

17. Heterotrophs/ Consumers (and decomposers) Organisms that rely on other organisms for food are called heterotrophs or consumers.

18. Decomposers can be detrivores or saprotrophs • detritus 1 • detritus 2 Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) recycle nutrients (organic matter and other essential elements) in an ecosystem

21. 3. Feeding relationship: Food webs and food chains

24. Food chainsshow how food passes from one living thing to another

25. All food chains start with aPlant Plants can make their own food, using sunlight

26. FOX RABBIT An animal that eats other animals GRASS An animal that eats plants A plant - makes its own food The arrows show the food chain

27. FOX RABBIT An animal that eats other animals GRASS An animal that eats plants A plant - makes its own food PRODUCER The plant is a ‘producer’

28. FOX RABBIT An animal that eats other animals GRASS An animal that eats plants CONSUMER A plant - makes its own food PRODUCER The rabbit is a ‘consumer’ - a herbivore or plant-eater

29. FOX RABBIT An animal that eats other animals GRASS An animal that eats plants CONSUMER CONSUMER A plant - makes its own food PRODUCER The fox is also a ‘consumer’ - a predator or meat-eater

30. Food chains and food webs work in the same way in the sea ... … but the plants and animals look a bit different!

31. FISH COPEPOD An animal that eats other animals ALGAE A tiny animal that eats plants Microscopic plants - make their own food Out in the ocean, there is no grass or trees The plants are tiny ALGAE - you need a microscope to see them This is a food chain in the ocean

32. CONSUMER CONSUMER PRODUCER FISH COPEPOD Out in the ocean, there is no grass or trees ALGAE

33. The food chain won’t stop there ...

34. In most habitats, there are several food chains These are linked together to form aFood Web

35. Food webs can be quite complicated Here is one from the ocean around Antarctica …

36. Seals eat squid and fish Squid eat fish and krill Fish eat krill and copepods A simple food chain - whale eats krill eats algae Copepods also eat algae, and are eaten by krill This food web contains 7 types of living things, and 9 food chains

37. 1. Ecology Definitions: Pyramids of energy/ biomass/ numbers

41. We often use BIOMASS in order to evaluate changes in energy in food chains/webs

44. Not all energy from food is turned into tissue ‘growth’ • A lot of food energy is used to provide energy for heat, warmth, cellular respiration… • Some is indigestible, and is ‘lost’ (e.g. cellulose, teeth, claws, skin…)

45. 50 grammes of food are used to provide energy for swimming and catching more food 70 grammes of algae eaten per day 10 grammes - about 15% - is indigestible An example: krill feeding on algae This leaves 10 grammes of food that can be used for growth

46. 70 grammes ‘in’ = 100% 10 grammes to growth = 15% of food eaten 50 grammes plus 10 grammes ‘to waste’ = 85% of food eaten

47. The same thing happens at every step along the food chain Look at the food web from Antarctica ...

48. A large blue whale will eat 3 tonnes of krill each day The amount of growth will be 120 kilogrammes -96% of the food has ‘gone to waste’

49. The rate at which animals grow is often related to their body size

50. FOX RABBIT GRASS On land, herbivores and predators are often similar in size