Ch. 50Ecology – the study of interactions of organisms and their environment

• I. The environment includes abiotic and biotic components

– A. Biotic – involves living components (food)

– B. Abiotic – nonliving components (water, temperature)

• II. Ecological research– A. Organismal – distribution of organisms

– B. Population – Factors that effect population size and composition

– C. Community – Studies inhabitants of a certain area

– D. Ecosystem – energy flow and chemical cycling

• I. Aquatic and Terrestrial biomes– A. Aquatic biomes occupy the most biosphere

» 1. Life arose in water» 2. Fresh water = 1% salt, Salt water

3% salt» 3. Vertical stratification – decreased

light intensity with increasing depth» a. Photic zone – upper layer, light

sufficient for photosynthesis» b. Aphotic zone – little light, no

photosynthesis» c. Shallow water warm, deep water

cool» d. Thermocline – narrow horizontal

zone between warm and cold waters» e.Benthic zone- bottom of aquatic zone

Interesting research54

• 4. Freshwater biomes– a. Littoral zone – shallow well lit waters

close to shore

– b. Limnetic zone – open well lit waters away from shore

– c. Profundal zone – deep aphotic zone beneath limnetic zone

– d. Oligotrophic – lakes are deep nutrient poor

– e. Eutrophic – shallow nutrient rich very productive

– f. Mesotrophic – moderate productivity

• 5. Wetlands – area covered by water that supports aquatic vegetation

– a. Hydrophytes – cattails, pond lilies can grow in water or soil

– b. Basin, Riverine, and Fringe ( can be fresh or salt water)

• 6. Estuaries – freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean

• 7. Marine zones– a. Intertidal zone – shallow zone terrestrial

meets ocean (tide pools)

– b. Neritic zone – intertidal to the edge of continental shelf (reef)

– c. Oceanic – from one shelf to another

– d. Pelagic – open waters

e.Benthic – sea floor

Biomes

• I. Organismal ecology• A. Costs of homeostasis

» 1. Regulators – maintain homeostasis through behavior or physiology

» 2. Conformers – allow fluctuations in internal environment with external environment

» 3. Principle of allocation – each organism has a set amount of energy

» B. Responses to environment» 1. Physiological – acclimation.

When a person travels to high altitudes with low oxygen after a matter of days they produce more red blood cells

» 2. Morphological – reversible – change in the amount of fur, irreversible –Arrowleaf plant in water has no cuticle, out of water it has one.

» 3. Behavioral – animals will move from uncomfortable areas