290 likes | 779 Views
POPULATION INTERACTIONS. How orgs interact in an ecosystem! What role are you up for?. What is a niche?. What does it mean to have a role in an ecosystem?. NICHE : THE ROLE AN ORGANISM PLAYS IN ITS ECOSYSTEM ONLY ONE SPECIES CAN OCCUPY A NICHE AT A TIME
E N D
POPULATION INTERACTIONS How orgs interact in an ecosystem! What role are you up for?
What does it mean to have a role in an ecosystem? • NICHE: • THE ROLE AN ORGANISM PLAYS IN ITS ECOSYSTEM • ONLY ONE SPECIES CAN OCCUPY A NICHE AT A TIME • LEADS TO COMPETITION IF MORE THAN ONE SPECIES WANTS ROLE • SIMILAR SPECIES CAN COEXIST AS LONG AS THEY HAVE DIFFERENT NICHES! • EX: p102 in RB – WARBLERS!
HOW CAN I REMEMBER THAT “NICHE” MEANS ROLE AND NOT SPACE? • THINK OF A PLAY! • EVERY ROLE NEEDS TO BE FILLED IN ORDER FOR THE PLAY TO WORK! • IF MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE WANT A ROLE, THERE IS COMPETITION AND THE BEST WINS!
What are the relationships in an ecosystem? • FOOD CHAINS • Illustrate relationships between predators and prey • Specific orgs are included • Let’s take a look!
What are the relationships in an ecosystem? • Niches defined by how obtain food • Autotrophs (Producers): • Make own food (grass) • Heterotrophs (Consumers): • Herbivores: Eat plants (grasshopper) • Carnivores: Eat animals (snake) • Omnivores: Eat plants and animals (humans) • Scavengers: Eat dead things; life’s clean-up crew! (vultures) • Decomposers: life’s recyclers(bacteria and fungi)
What are the relationships in an ecosystem? • Symbiotic relationships – Brain Pop Video • When orgs live in REALLY close quarters • Parasitism: • Live off other orgs but USUALLY don’t kill them (some worms, ticks, fleas) VIRUSES on HUMANS!! • Mutualism: • Orgs that both benefit (clownfish (NEMO!!) and sea anemone) • Commensalism: • One org benefits, other isn’t affected either way (whale and barnacles)
What are the relationships in an ecosystem? • FOOD WEBS: • All food chains in an ecosystem are illustrated in a food web • How many food chains can you make from this food web?
Let’s talk energy! The fuel of life! • Ask yourself: Where does our ultimate source of energy come from? • The sun of course! • Ask yourself: Which orgs can harness sun’s energy and make food? • Plants of course! • Ask yourself: What happens to the plant’s energy when a herbivore eats it? • Ask yourself: What happens to the herbivore’s energy when a carnivore eats it? • Ask yourself: What happens to the carnivore’s energy when another carnivore eats it?
What happens to energyin an ecosystem? • Every organism uses energy to carry out life processes • If an organism is eaten, it will give less energy to the predator • THEREFORE, ENERGY DECREASES AS YOU MOVE UP A FOOD CHAIN! • WE USE AN ENERGY PYRAMID TO SHOW THIS!
RECYCLING NUTRIENTS • Decomposers extract what little energy is left • They return raw materials (nitrogen) back to soil • Other orgs continually recycling carbon dioxide and oxygen • ENERGY IS NEVER RECYCLED! • Let’s look at p108 in RB!