Ecology – Honors Biology

1. Ecology – Honors Biology 2010

2. Hierarchy of Organization • Biosphere: combined portions of the planet in which all life exists – land, water & atmosphere • Biome: group of ecosystems with same climate and similar dominant communities • Ecosystem: collection of all organisms in a particular place together with physical environment • Community: Assemblages of different populations living in same area • Population: group of individuals belonging to same species living in the same area: (Species) Group of organisms that can breed together.

4. Energy flow • Energy power’s life processes • Ultimate source Nuclear fusion from sun

5. Flow of Energy – Food Chain Secondary consumer Carnivore/Omnivore Primary consumer, Heterotroph/Herbivore Producers/Autotrophps

7. Nutrients Recycle

9. Energy Pyramid 10% transfer from one trophic level to next

10. Biomass Pyramid

11. Numbers pyramid

12. What is a species niche? • Place on the food web • Types of food an organism eats, how it obtains the food • Abiotic factors needed to survive: sunlight, water, temperature • When and how it reproduces • No two species can share the same exact niche – “competitive exclusion principle”

13. What is a species niche? • Place on the food web • Types of food an organism eats, how it obtains the food • Abiotic factors needed to survive: sunlight, water, temperature • When and how it reproduces • No two species can share the same exact niche – “competitive exclusion principle”

14. Two closely related species of flour beetles grown together and forced to use same exact resources: What is happening to the population of one species of beetles when forced to share the same niche as another species?

17. Define the following terms: • Symbiosis • Mutualism • Commensalism • Parasitism • Predation • Competition

18. Common dog tick: What relationship?

19. Barnacles on whale tail: What relationship?

20. What relationship?

21. What relationship?

22. Carbon Cycle • How does Photosynthesis cycle carbon into living biomass? • How does Respiration cycle carbon into the atmosphere? • What are geological sources of carbon? • How does burning of some of #3 add carbon to the atmosphere?

23. Nitrogen cycle • What three processes are bacteria involved in getting nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form usable by plants? • What form must nitrogen be in to be usable by plants? • How is nitrogen cycled from the soil back into the atmosphere?

24. Water Cycle • What role do plants play in the cycling of water? • How does water that enters the soil return to atmospheric water cycling? • How would increasing air temperatures affect the water cycle?

25. Ecological Succession • What is the difference between primary and secondary succession? • How are new plants/animals able to colonize the area? • What are “pioneer species”? • What adaptations do shade plants have in a forest ecosystem?

26. Environmental Concerns • Biomagnification of pollutants • Global warming • Ozone depletion • Habitat destruction • Invasive Species

27. Biomagnification Persistant toxins – Mercury, TCDD Pesticides -DDTs Complete Biomagnification WS

28. High mercury levels in sushi

29. Global Warming Rise in global temperature due to human activity

32. Causes of Global Warming: • Greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide • Absorbs heat, prevents sunlight from radiating back into space

33. Ozone Depletion Thinning of ozone layer (O3) at poles – “holes in ozone layer” Ozone layer absorbs harmful UVB rays Increase in skin cancer? Cause: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – chemically reacts with ozone

34. Habitat Destruction Main cause of loss in species diversity/ Main cause of extinction

35. Invasive Species NUTRIA