Ecology

What is Ecology?

• Eco means environment

• Logy means the study ofSo, ecology is the study of environment

What is an environment made of?• Living things (organisms)• Non-living things

Ecology- the study of interactions among _________ and between ___________ and their environment.

Biotic factors- ________ _______ that influence other things in the ecosystem.

Abiotic factors- __________ ________ that have an impact on the ecosystem.

organismsorganisms

living things

Non-livingthings

Can you use what we just learned in an activity?List the biotic and abiotic factors in each picture:

1 2

34

Warm-up: Answer in notebook

1. Ecology is the study of ___________________________.

2. An environment is made up of _______________ and ___________.

3. __________ factors are living things.

4. __________ factors are non-living things.

Levels of Organization

6. Species-similar organisms that interbreed (smallest)

5. Populations-groups of the same species

4. Communities- groups of different populations in the same area (mice, deer, grass, snakes, hawks, trees)

3. Ecosystem- collection of living & nonliving things in one area

2. Biome- group of ecosystems that have the same climate & communities (desert, grassland, ocean, etc.)

1. Biosphere- Portions of the planet in which life exists (largest)

Levels of Organization

SpeciesPopulation

CommunityEcosystem

BiomeBiosphere

Energy Flow

________ is the main energy source for life on earth.

___________- (_________) organisms that can produce their own food(plants, some bacteria, some protists)

____________- (__________) organisms that rely on other organisms for food, consumers(animals, bacteria, protists)

sunlight

autotrophs producers

heterotrophs consumers

Types of Consumers

_____________- eat only plantsHerbivores

____________- eat only animalsCarnivore

___________- eat both plants & animals

Omnivore

______________________- organisms that eat dead organisms & clean up the environment(vultures, hyenas, earthworms, snails, crabs)

____________- organisms that absorb nutrients from dead organisms and waste(fungi, bacteria)

Energy Flow

Detritivores/Scavengers

decomposers

Warm-up: Answer in Notebook

1. The pictures below are _________ ________.

2. The pictures below are _________ _________.

3. Organisms that make their own food are called _________________.

4. Organisms that consume their food are called _________________.

Abiotic factors

Biotic factors

autotrophs

heterotrophs

Energy Flow: Food Chains

Plankton Crustaceans Fish Seals

Trophic levels- energy levels within the food chain

1. Producers- make food

2. Primary consumers- eat producers

3. Secondary consumers- eat primary consumers

4. Tertiary consumers- eat secondary consumers

Food Chain = small series of organisms and how theytransfer energy.

Energy Flow: Food Webs

Food Web- all the food chains within an ecosystem

Assignment Work in your lab groups.

Construct the following on the paper provided:

1. A food chain (with pictures & names of each organism, label each trophic level)

2. A food web ( with pictures or names)

Ecological Pyramids

Biomass- total amount of living tissue within a trophic level

Only about 10 % of available energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

Assignment

1. Review Safety Symbols (Inside cover of book)

2. Complete Inquiry Activity on p. 62 of Biology book.

Focus: Answer in notebook1. The different energy levels in a food chain are

called _______ ________.

2. How much energy is available to the next level on an ecological pyramid? ____

3. In the food web below, which organism is both a primary & secondary consumer?

grass

cricket

bird

snake

Trophic levels

10 %

Outdoor Exploration1. On a piece of paper, list examples of the following that you see outside:

a. abiotic factors (x 3)

b. biotic factors (x 3)

c. autotrophs (x3)

d. heterotrophs (x 1)

e. population (x 1)

2. Collect the following for your group ecosystem: grass, sticks, soil, rocks)

Symbiotic Relationships

__________- when one organism benefits and the other is harmed.

Example: a tapeworm obtains nutrients from an organism’s intestines.

___________- when both organisms benefit from each other.

Example: the cleaner fish eats the bacteria and parasites off of the moray eel

Symbiotic Relationships

____________- when one species benefits, and the other is unaffected.

Example: A bird uses a tree for it’s shelter, which neither helps or harms the tree.

Succession

__________- is the series of changes that occurs in a community over time.

________ - occurs on surfaces where no soil exists.

_______________- is when something disturbs a community and it changes.

Limits To Growth

_______________- are factors that cause population growth to decrease. __ types.

1. __________________- depend on the population size (competition, predation, parasitism, disease)

2. ___________________- affect all populations, regardless of populations size (weather, natural disasters, human activities)