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Topic 6. Ecology. The environment is every living and nonliving thing that surrounds an organism. Ecosystem describes any portion of the environment. All the living things in an ecosystem are called biotic. Non living influences are called abiotic factors.
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Topic 6 Ecology
The environment is every living and nonliving thing that surrounds an organism
The specific environment in which organisms live is their habitat
All the organisms of a species that live in the same area make up a population
All the different populations are combined to form a community
Collectively all of the Earth’s ecosystems make up the biosphere
The fundamental concept of ecology is that all living organisms are interdependent, and they interact with one another and with the physical environment
Factors in the environment that limit the size of populations are known as limiting factors
The number of organisms of any single species that an ecosystem can support is referred to as its carrying capacity
DISCOVERY CHANNEL VIDEO CLICK ON PLANET EARTH
The role that each species plays in the ecosystem is called its ecological niche
In predator – prey relationships food chains show what eats what
Photosynthetic organisms make their own food. They are known as autotrophs or producers
Heterotrophs must acquire food by consuming other organisms. Heterotrophs are also called consumers
The wastes and dead bodies of all organisms are consumed by decomposers
Scavengers are consumers that eat dead organisms they do not kill
Parasites are organisms that attack other live organisms (called host organisms) but rarely kill them
Food webs are diagrams that show more complex feeding relationships
Almost all organisms use the solar energy (the sun) in food to power their life processes
As energy is transferred, much of it is lost to the environment 1000 Calories 990 Calories lost to the environment 9Calories lost to the environment 10 Calories of plant matter available as food 1Calorie available as food
An energy pyramid is a diagram that illustrates the transfer of energy through a food web or chain
Carnivores Herbivores Producers
Release of carbon dioxide Dead animals Release of oxygen (photosynthesis) Decomposition nutrients
Biodiversity is a measurement of the degree to which species vary within an ecosystem
Many species may be lost when natural disasters cause large scale destruction to habitats
Species can also be lost when humans do not consider the environmental impact of their action
Biodiversity also represents one of the greatest resources known to humans. Medicinal herbs and plants are one example
The series of changes by which one habitat changes into another is called ecological succession
Climatic changes, natural disasters, and the activities of animals (including humans) can alter stable ecosystems
View the process of ecological succession as it occurs in coastal lowlands by clicking on the image below