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Introduction to Ecology

Introduction to Ecology. Ecology. The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings. Discovery Channel :: Planet Earth :: Portrait of the Planet. Ecosystem. Living and non-living factors in the same place at the same time Ex:

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Introduction to Ecology

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  1. Introduction to Ecology

  2. Ecology • The study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings. • Discovery Channel :: Planet Earth :: Portrait of the Planet

  3. Ecosystem • Living and non-living factors in the same place at the same time • Ex: fish tank, pond, forest, etc.

  4. Organization of the Ecosystem Go to Section:

  5. Biotic Factors • Living factors that has an effect on another living organism • Example for a bird: Trees, other birds, insects, worms, etc

  6. Abiotic Factors • Non-living factors that has an effect on a living organism • Example for a bird: Water, wind, temperature, light

  7. Abiotic and Biotic Factors Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors ECOSYSTEM

  8. Discuss 2 ways biotic factors and 2 ways abiotic factors can affect the life of a tree.

  9. Habitat • The place where an organism lives • The address • The habitat for a bull frog = • The habitat of the giant anteater = Pond Grassland

  10. Niche • What an organism does in an environment • The occupation or the role of an organism • Includes how an organism gets its food, reproduces, avoids predators, etc. • Determines an organisms habitat • Example: Wood peckers survive by finding insects in the bark of a tree

  11. Three Species of Warblers and Their Niches Cape May Warbler Feeds at the tips of branches near the top of the tree Bay-Breasted Warbler Feeds in the middle part of the tree Yellow-Rumped Warbler Feeds in the lower part of the tree and at the bases of the middle branches Spruce tree

  12. Limiting Factors • Each species is adapted to a specific set of conditions • Organisms thrive best in environments that have specific conditions that meet their needs. • Example: Plants need sunlight. Certain fish may prefer certain water temperatures therefore will be found at certain depths.

  13. Populations&Communities

  14. Population • All the organisms of one species that live in one place at a particular time • Example: Herd of deer Flock of geese

  15. Community • All of the populations that interact with each other in a particular place • Living Organisms • Example: Bison, antelope, insects, grass

  16. Wolf and Moose Populations on Isle Royale 60 2400 1990 1995 Moose Wolves 0 0 1960 1965 1985 1995 1955 1970 1975 1980 1990 Moose Wolf Go to Section:

  17. Community Interactions • Competition • Predation • Symbiosis • Succession

  18. Competition • The main interaction between organisms • May be for food, water, shelter, mate • Results in natural selection= best fit survive (evolution) • • Types of Competition: 1. interspecific: competition between two different species Ex: lions and hyenas 2. intraspecific: competition between members of the same species Ex: a female lion competes with other lions for food

  19. Can you identify the types of competition??? • Video - on CBS • Number 2 • Number 3

  20. Predation • As a member of a population, you either “eat or be eaten” • Members of one population are the food source for another population • Predator: The organism which is eating another • Prey: The organism which is being eaten

  21. Define interspecific and intraspecific forms of competition. Give an example of each type.

  22. Symbiosis • When an organism has a close relationship with another organism • Each partner can help the other, harm the other, or have no effect on the other partner • Video clip of Symbiosis

  23. Types of symbiosis • 1. parasitism: A parasite lives on or in another organism for food or shelter The host usually continues to live, but it is harmed Ex: tapeworm in the human intestines • 2. commensalism: One organism benefits while the other is unaffected Ex. birds on the back of a buffalo Fish attached to shark • 3. mutualism: Both members of the relationship benefit Ex: bacteria in our intestines Bees and flowers

  24. Succession • The gradual replacement of one type of community for another • Occurs 2 ways: 1. Primary succession: • Occurs in areas where there is no soil (bare rock, hardened lava or ash) • Lichens: first organism to appear; also called pioneer species 2. Secondary succession: • Occurs in areas where soils present (after a forest fire)

  25. Lichens

  26. Ecosystems

  27. Basic Characteristics of an Ecosystem: • Biotic Factors • Abiotic Factors • Energy Flow between organisms and their environment

  28. The shore is lined with grasses that provide shelter and nesting places for birds and other organisms. Frogs lay eggs in the shallow water near shore.The eggs hatch in the water as tadpoles and move to the land as adults. The roots of water lilies cling to the pond bottom, while their leaves, on long flexible stems, float on the surface. Plankton and the organisms that feed on them live near the surface where there is enough sunlight for photosynthesis. Microscopic algae are among the most important producers. Fish share the pond with turtles and other animals. Many of them feed on insects at the water’s edge. The bottom of the pond is inhabited by decomposers and other organisms that feed on particles drifting down from the surface. Freshwater Pond Ecosystem Spoonbill Duck Water lilies Frog Dragonfly Mosquito larvae Duckweed Phytoplankton Snail Pickerel Diving beetle Trout Hydra Crayfish Benthic crustaceans Snail

  29. Energy Flow through Ecosystems • Sunlight: main source of energy for life on Earth • Trophic levels: Trophic= feeding examples: producers consumers

  30. 1st level • Also called autotrophs • Uses energy from the environment (SUNLIGHT) • plants Producers

  31. Primary Consumers • Also called heterotrophs • Organisms that feed on producers • Deer, buffalo, mice, etc

  32. SecondaryConsumers • Organisms that feed on primary consumers • Birds, fox, etc

  33. Tertiary Consumers • Organisms that feed on secondary consumers • Large hawk, cat, etc

  34. Types of Consumers • Herbivores: Eats plants Ex. cows, deer, caterpillars • Carnivores: Meat eaters Ex: snakes, dogs, owls • Omnivores: Eats both plants and animals Ex. humans • Detritivores: Feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter Ex. mites, earthworms, snails, crabs • Decomposers: Breaks down organic matter Ex. bacteria, fungi

  35. Food Chain • Energy that is passed from one trophic level to a trophic level that is higher • Example:

  36. Food Web • Interconnected Food Chains

  37. Food Pyramid • Shows trophic levels • Producers on lowest level • Also can show total mass of each organism in the level

  38. Ecological Pyramids Energy Pyramid Shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level. Organisms use about 10 percent of this energy for life processes. The rest is lost as heat. Pyramid of Numbers Shows the relative number of individual organisms at each trophic level. Biomass Pyramid Represents the amount of living organic matter at each trophic level. Typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid.

  39. DDT and Food Webs • DDT was used as insecticide • DDT does not break down in organisms and is passed from one trophic level to the next • Highest levels found at the top of the food chain • Known as biomagnifications

  40. DDT in Eagles and Osprey • Have highest levels of DDT • Causes shells of eggs to be fragile • Cause decrease of populations

  41.  Why is a food web more accurate than a food chain in portraying the relationships that exist among organisms in an ecosystem?

  42. Biome •Based on yearly precipitation and temperature (climate) Heating of the Earth’s Surface and Some Factors That Affect Climate Different Latitudes Greenhouse Effect 90°N North Pole Sunlight 66.5°N Sunlight Arctic circle Some heat escapes into space Sunlight Tropic of Cancer 23.5°N Equator Greenhouse gases trap some heat Most direct sunlight 0° Tropic of Capricorn 66.5°S 23.5°S Sunlight Atmosphere Arctic circle Sunlight Earth’s surface 90°S South Pole

  43. The World’s Major Land Biomes Temperate grassland Tropical rain forest Temperate forest Tundra Northwestern coniferous forest Mountains and ice caps Tropical dry forest Desert Temperate woodland and shrubland Tropical savanna Boreal forest (Taiga)

  44. Project • Food Web Biome Poster

  45. The Recycling of Materials in Ecosystems:

  46. Carbon • 4 ways carbon is recycled in an ecosystem: 1. photosynthesis 2. respiration 3. decomposition (decay) 4. burning

  47. The Carbon Cycle CO2 in Atmosphere CO2 in Ocean

  48. Oxygen Cycle

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