Ecology Unit

Modified by Beth Roland Jacobs Fork Middle School

What is Ecology?

the study of interactions betweenorganisms and other organisms,organisms and their environment

Where do we fit in?

(What is our environment?)

The Biosphere!

Factors that effect us:

Abiotic FactorsA- stands for nonBio- stands for living

Abiotic Factors=nonliving factors Wind/Air currents

Moisture

Soil

Light

Temperature

2. Biotic Factors: Biotic- Living factors

What is the organization of Ecological Study?

Population

Community

Ecosystem

Biosphere

Organism

Levels of Organization Individual- one

organism (living)

Ex a moose

Levels of Organization Population- groups

of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. (living-living same species)

Ex many moose

Levels of Organization Community- groups of

different populations (more than one population or different groups of species)

Ex many groups of moose beavers, trees, grass (all living)

Levels of Organization Ecosystem- all

organisms in a particular area along with the nonliving. (living and nonliving)

Ex many groups of moose beavers, trees, grass, rocks, water, mountains

Levels of Organization Biome- group of

ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities

Biomes: tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savannah, temperate grassland, desert, temperate woodland and shrubland, temperate forest, northwestern coniferous forest, boreal forest (taiga), tundra, mountains and ice caps

Levels of Organization Biosphere- all of

the planet where life exists, includes land, water, and, air

Life extends 8 km up and 11 km below the surface

IN AN ECOSYSTEM:

Organisms live in a Habitat

Organisms fit into a Niche of the environment

Habitat vs. Niche Habitat- an area where an organism lives Niche- an organisms role in its environment

– The Long Version full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. Includes where in the food chain it is, where an organism feeds

Habitat is like an address in an ecosystem and a niche is like an occupation in an ecosystem.

Community Interactions

when organisms live together in an ecological community they interact constantly.

Three types of interactions– Competition– Predation– Symbiosis

Competition- competing for resources

occurs due to a limited number of resources

Resource- any necessity of life. water, nutrients, light, food.

Competitive exclusion principle- no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

Predation Predation- when

an organism captures and feeds on another organism.

Predator- hunter Prey- hunted

Symbiosis Symbiosis- any relationship where

two species live closely together. (3 types)– Mutualism– Commensalism– Parasitism

Symbiosis Mutualism- both

species benefit from a relationship.

Lichens (fungus and Algae)

One example is the lichens, little non-descript patches of stuff you see growing on rocks and tree bark. This is a symbiosis, consisting of a fungus and an alga. The fungus provides a protective home for the algae, and gathers mineral nutrients from rainwater and from dissolving the rock underneath. The alga gathers energy from the sun. There are thousands of species of lichen in the world; actually thousands of species of fungi with just a few species of algae which can form a partnership with almost any of them.

Symbiosis Commensalism – One

member of a symbiotic relationship benefits and the other is neither helped or harmed

Ex. Holes used by bluebirds in a tree were chiseled out by woodpeckers after it has been abandoned .

Symbiosis Parasitism- One

creature benefits and one creature is harmed

Ex tapeworm. Feeds in a humans intestines absorbing his/her nutrients.

Relationships: Symbiosis = Living Togethera)

commensalism b) mutualism

c) parasitism

Identify these relationships

Energy Flow (Trophic Levels)

Producers- make their own food

Consumers- get energy from consuming producers

Producers Producers- capture

energy from sunlight or chemicals and use the energy to produce food.

Producers are autotrophs- they make food from their environment

2 main types of autotrophs

One type gets energy from the sun-by photosynthesis

Another type gets energy without light- by chemosynthesis

Consumers Consumers are

heterotrophs- get energy from other organisms

Types of Consumers Herbivores- eat only plants Carnivores- eat animals Omnivores- eat both plants and

animals Detritivores- eat dead matter (plants

and animals)

Feeding Relationships Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction

from:– 1. the sun or inorganic compounds– 2. To autotrophs (producers)– 3. To heterotrophs (consumers)– Decomposers get energy from decomposing dead

organisms

Food Web- A network of feeding relationships.

(More realistic that a food chain)

Food Chain- a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating or being eaten.

Food Web

They can become very complex!

Trophic levels

Each step in a food chain or a food web is called a trophic level.– Producers are the first

trophic level– Consumers are the

second, third, or higher trophic level

Each trophic level depends on the one below for energy

Energy Pyramid Only part of the energy

stored in one level can be passed to the next- most energy is consumed for life processes (respiration, movement, etc., and heat is given off)

Only 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms in the next trophic level

Biomass Pyramid Biomass- the total

amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.

A biomass pyramid represents the amount of potential food available for each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Energy Losses

Energy transfers are never 100 percent

efficient

Some energy is lost at each step

Limits the number of trophic levels in an

ecosystem

Energy flow is a one way path! (not a cycle)

All Heat in the End At each trophic level, the bulk of the

energy received from the previous level is used in metabolism

This energy is released as heat energy and lost to the ecosystem

Eventually, all energy is released as heat