Ecology

1. Ecology By gillianO’Bryant

2. Adaptation • Adaptations are physical or behavioral traits in a living thing that help it to adapt, or live within, a certain place or habitat. • Examples: An owl has wings made for silent flight. A crane’s long legs help it to stand above the murky water of swamps. A duck’s feet are webbed so that it may swim in ponds or lakes. Here are some adaptations that are found in frogs.

3. Symbiosis • Symbiosis is a long-term association between two species where at least one benefits. • There are 3 types of symbiosis:Mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism.

4. mutualism • In mutualism, both species benefit from a relationship with one another. • An example of mutualism exists between bees and flowers. Bees receive food as nectar or pollen from the flowers, while the flowers are pollinated by the bees. It’s a win-win situation.

5. commensalism • Commensalism is when one species benefits form another species. The other species is not at all affected. An example of commensalism can be found between cattle and cattle egrets. The cattle stir up the bugs in a field while they roam, which makes it easier for the cattle egrets to catch the bugs and eat them. The cattle egrets benefit, and the cattle are unaffected.

6. parasitism • Parasitism is a form of symbiosis in which one species benefits from another and the other species gets harmed. An instance in which parasitism occurs involves humans and mosquitos. Mosquitos (the parasite) bite humans (the host) and benefit by making a meal human blood. It’s parasitism because the mosquito is positively affected, but at the cost of the human.

7. Producers • Producers are organisms that make their own food by converting the Sun’s energy into simple sugars. This process is called photosynthesis. In order to live and make energy, producers must have light energy, water, and carbon dioxide.

8. herbivores • Herbivores are consumers that eat only producers. They are what you may call primary consumers.

9. carnivores • Carnivores are consumers that eat only meat. They are more than likely to be tertiary consumers.

10. omnivores • Omnivores are consumers that eat both meat and plants. They could technically be a primary, secondary, or tertiary consumer. • Bears are a good example of omnivores.

11. Primary consumers • Primary consumers eat only producers. They would be found near the bottom of a food web, after any producers.

12. Secondary consumers • Secondary consumers eat primary consumers, and may eat producers as well. They come after primary consumers in a food web.

13. Tertiary consumers • Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers, but could eat primary consumers and even producers as well! They’re found near the top of a food web, often times below the sun.

14. Predators • Predators are consumers that hunt down what they plan on eating, which is called their prey. For example, a frog would be a predator of flies.

15. prey • Prey is the term used to describe the species that is consumed by another, which would be the predator. A field mouse would be the prey of a snake.

16. Food chains • Food chains show what species are eaten by another and so on in an ecosystem. These are two different food chains from two different ecosystems.

17. Food webs • Food webs trace the energy and nutrients that move through an ecosystem. • Here is a good example of a food web that includes a river ecosystem.

18. decomposers • Decomposers take the remains of dead plants and animals and decompose them for energy. The decomposed remains turn into minerals and nutrients that are absorbed by plants to help them grow. • Earthworms are known for being excellent decomposers.

19. competition • Competition is when two organisms are competing for the same food source. • An example of competition is between is between gray seals and harbor seals. They both eat a type of fish called sea lances.

20. Carrying capacity • The carrying capacity is the largest population that can be supported by a ecosystem over a long period of time.

21. Limiting factors • Limiting factors are resources that limit the size of the population of a certain species in an ecosystem. • Some examples include: • Tornadoes/hurricanes • Forest fires • Deforestation • Pollution • Disease • The construction of buildings • Hunters

22. Primary succession • Primary succession occurs when bare rock turns into soil, and in turn creates an ecosystem. It works like this: • A pioneer species, in this instance lichens, may begin to grow on some granite. The lichens will produce acid that gradually deteriorate the rock. This breaking down of rock will in years turn eventually become soil, which will be able to support the roots of small plants like moss. Small organisms might begin to live there also, and more soil will be created from their dead remains. • After even longer, larger animals and plants such as ferns, grasses, and wildflowers may live and grow in the area. The soil may even become efficient enough to support shrubs and small trees. • After many, many years, the soil may support an entire forest complete with trees and all sorts of animals.

23. Secondary succession • Secondary succession is the rebirth of a community after a natural disaster. Here is an example of this process: • After a major disturbance in nature, weeds (the pioneer species) begin to grow in an empty field. These weeds are crabgrass. • New weeds begin to grow, which are in this case horseweeds. Their seeds were blown into field or carried by an insect. • In decades, small pines may begin to grow with the weeds. Years and years after, a forest may develop that could possibly support even hardwoods.

24. Pioneer species • Pioneer species are the first organisms to grow in the creation of a community, such as those in the first stages of primary and secondary succession. • These may include lichens or moss (primary succession) and grasses as well as weeds (secondary succession).