Biological Oceanography

Ecology

Ecology- the study of living things and their interactions with their environment (other living things and non-living things)

Ecosystem- collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place together with their non-living environment

Habitat- the area where an organism lives

Community- assortment of populations that live together in a specific place

Population- a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area

Individual

Variations & Adaptations

Variations- Differences among individuals of the same species

Adaptation- Inherited trait that increases an organism’s chance of survival; allows the organism to survive where it lives

Variations & Adaptations

A variation can become an adaptation if it increases an organism’s chances for survival

Examples:

You observe a population of crabs that live on and under rocks in a tidepool. The crabs are different colors – shades of brown, tan, yellow, and black. The rocks in the tidepool are also shades of brown, tan, yellow, and black.

Examples

What is the variation of the crab population? › Difference in color

How is the variation an adaptation?› The colors of the crabs are the same as

the color of the rocks, which means the crabs will be camouflaged – it will be harder for predators to see them because they blend in with the rocks.

Examples You are lying on the beach

watching the sanderlings play a game of tag with the waves. As the waves come in, they run away. As the waves go out they run back towards the ocean. The birds are digging into the sand with their beaks to grab prey buried beneath. The tide is washing away sand making easier for the birds to get their meal. You notice most of the birds have very similar lengths of beaks. There are a few that have slightly longer beaks. These birds are farther away from the incoming tide. They are able to access prey buried deeper in the sand.

Examples

What is the variation of the bird population? › Beak length

How is the variation an adaptation?› Longer beaks allow the birds access to more food

Food Chains & Webs Food Chain- follows the feeding

relationships in one linear path Food Web- shows all feeding

relationships in an ecosystem Both trace the energy transfer through

trophic levels Arrows are drawn to show the transfer

of energy› From food source to food consumer

Food Webs

Stability: the more connections (arrows) between various organisms, the more stable a food web is.› Simple: dependence on very few

organisms, few interactions within the community

› Complex: distribution of dependence on a variety of organisms, many interactions between the organisms of the community

Ecology

Producer- organisms that can make their own food, autotrophs

Consumer- organisms that cannot make their own food, heterotrophs› Primary- eats producers› Secondary- eats primary consumers› Tertiary- eats secondary consumers

Decomposer- organisms that break down dead organic matter

Stable or Unstable? Simple or complex?

Symbiosis

Symbiosis- interaction between two species of organisms in an ecosystem

Three types of Symbiotic Relationships:› Commensalism› Mutualism› Parasitism

Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism- interaction in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected

Mutualism- interaction in which both organisms benefit

Parasitism- interaction in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed› Parasitism is different than predation

Symbiotic Relationships

Type of Relationship Species 1 Species 2

Commensalism

Mutualism

Parasitism

Symbiotic Relationships

Type of Relationship Species 1 Species 2

Commensalism + 0

Mutualism + +

Parasitism + -