Ecology

Ecology terminology

Biomes

Succession

Energy flow in ecosystems

Loss of energy in a food chain

Terminology • Ecology- the study of the interactions of living

organisms with one another and with their physical environment

• Habitat- place where a particular population of species lives

• Community- is when many different species live together in a habitat

• Ecosystem- a community including the physical aspects of its habitat (soil, water, weather)

Habitat

Example- The habitat for a black bat is a cave

Community

Example- A black bat, brown bat, worms and moss are apart of a community

Ecosystem

Example- Loose soil, moderate climate and a pond nearby in addition to the “cave community” would be considered an ecosystem

Terminology con’t

• Biotic factors- are organisms in a habitat

– Ex. Animals, bugs, plants, flowers, etc

• Abiotic factors- are the physical aspects of a habitat

– Ex. Wind, water, rocks, sunlight, shade, etc.

What is a Biome?

A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment

Terrestrial biomes are

defined by temperature & moisture;

characterized by the organisms that live there, particularly the plants!

Terrestrial Biomes

Desert – cacti and succulants

Chaparral – shrubs, some grasses, few small trees; drought and fire resistant

Grasslands – tall grasses, few if any trees, wildflowers

Temperate deciduous forest – deciduous trees & other plant species

Tropical rainforest – many trees and a huge variety of other plant species

Taiga – conifers & other plant species, including mosses, shrubs & vines

Tundra – cold and relatively dry; very few small plant species

Terrestrial Biomes

Desert Chaparral

Grassland Deciduous forest

Rainforest

Taiga Tundra

What biome do we live in?

Biomes Aquatic biomes are defined by light and depth

• Freshwater biomes:

– Lakes and ponds – Streams and rivers – Wetlands- swamps, bogs, flood plains

• Marine and saltwater: – Oceans – Coral Reefs – Estuary- place where freshwater runs into salt

water

Lakes and Ponds

Rivers and Streams

Wetlands

Oceans

Coral Reef

Estuary

What is succession?

Succession- the somewhat regular progression of species replacement

• Primary succession- when species begin to inhabit a place where life has not existed before

• Secondary succession- when species take over areas that have had previous growth

Primary succession- when species begin to inhabit a place where life has not existed before

Examples: • The edge of an iceberg melts exposing uninhabited soil and plants begin to sprout

• A volcano erupts leaving behind ash and lava rock

Secondary succession- when species take over areas that have had previous growth

Examples: • A forest has been burned and new growth sprouts • A crop field is abandoned and wild species begin to repopoulate

Succession

Pioneer species:

• Small, fast growing plants are the first organisms to live in a new habitat where soil is present

• Build up soil for successive species

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

The flow of energy is the most important factor that controls what kinds of organisms live in an ecosystem and how many organisms can be supported

Energy FLOWS

solar chemical heat

(glucose)

photosynthesis food chain

heat energy is not converted back into solar energy

Nutrients CYCLE

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Producers- organisms that first capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis (autotrophs)

• Plants, algae and some bacteria

Consumers-

all other organisms that consume other organisms to obtain energy (heterotrophs)

•Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Trophic levels

In an ecosystem, organisms are

assigned to specific levels based on their

source of energy

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Food chain- is the path of energy that travels through the trophic levels of an ecosystem

Sun Producer Consumer Consumer

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• First level => Producers

• Second level => Herbivores (animals that eat plants/primary

consumers)

– also called primary consumers

• Third level => carnivores (animals that eat other animals) and omnivores (animals that eat both plants and animals)

– also called secondary consumers

• Fourth level =>carnivores that eat other carnivores

– also called tertiary consumers

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

First level

Second level

Third level

Fourth level

Producers

Primary consumers

Secondary consumers

Tertiary consumers

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• “Special consumers” called detritivores are organisms that obtain their energy from the organic wastes of dead bodies at all trophic levels

– Ex. Worms, fungi and bacteria

*Bacteria and fungi are known as decomposers because they cause decay

Energy Flow in Ecosystem

Food web- is an interconnected group of food chains

*Note direction

of the arrows.

Loss of Energy in a Food Chain

• Energy pyramid

• The ultimate source of all energy is the sun

Contains the greatest amount of energy

Top carnivore

Carnivores and omnivores

Herbivores

Producers

Loss of Energy in a Food Chain • The loss of energy limits the number of trophic levels an

ecosystem can support

• At each trophic level, the energy stores is about 1/10 of that stored by the organism below

100% energy stored from the sun

1%

10% energy stored

.1%

Stop and think

• Where does all energy come from?

• Why does an energy pyramid usually have no more than 4 levels?

• In a food chain which direction does the arrow point? Why? (Hint: think about energy transfer)