Ecology

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/druclimb/56763994/in/photostream/

ECOLOGY - the study of interactions among organisms with each other and with environment

BIOSPHERE - portion of planet where life exists

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

Species - individuals that can breed with one another

Population - all the individuals of the same species (ducks) in an area

A population is always composed of same-species organisms

Community - all the populations that live together in an area

What is in your backyard community?

Ecosystem - the community plus the physical factors in an area (rain, light, soil..)

Examples:

Rotting LogKoi PondLakeClump of DirtA fieldAn old maple tree

Biome - large area that has a particular climate, and particular species of plants and animals that live there (tundra)

Biosphere - the part of the earth that supports life

Ecological methods - how do we study it?

ObservingExperimentingModeling

Models are created by humans to make predictions.

Sometimes, you must be cautious in how a model interprets data....

Imagine graphing a person's height as they age.  One could predict that by the time they were age 30, they would be 22 feet tall.   

However, the model would need to account for the slowing of growth after adolescence.

1.  A group of animals that live in the same area and can interbreed is called a (n) _____________________

2.  The study of organisms and their interactions with the environment is known as ___________________________

3.  A large area that has a particular climate and distinct plants and animals is called a ____________________________

4.  All of the different populations living in an area (plants, rabbits, coyotes...) is called the _________________________

5.  An ecosystem includes all the living and ___________ factors in an area. 

6.  The portion of the planet that can sustain life is the  ________

7.  Animals that can interbreed are called a(n) _______________

3-2 Energy Flow

Autotrophs (producers) - capture energy from environment and convert it into "food"Heterotrophs (consumers) - must eat things

HerbivoresCarnivoresOmnivoresDetritivores / Decomposers

*SUNLIGHT is the main source of energy*

Photosynthesis - uses light energy to make "food"

Chemosynthesis - makes food from chemicals (some bacteria synthesize food in this way)

Some bacteria live in deep ocean vents, and make their food from chemicals in those vents

FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS - illustrate the flow of energy in an ecosystem

*Note the direction of the arrows, they indicate where the energy is going when

one organism consumes another.

Each step in a chain or web is called a TROPHIC LEVEL

Identify:

Primary Consumers

Secondary Consumers

Tertiary Consumers

Find the Omnivore.

Ecological Pyramids (fig 3-9)

Energy PyramidBiomass PyramidPyramid of Numbers

Some of the energy moves into the atmosphere as heat.

Consumers that eat producers & other consumers

• Are called omnivores

• Omnivores eat plants and animals

Consumers that hunt & kill other consumers are called predators.

They animals that are hunted & killed are called prey.

Consumers that eat other consumers that have already died are called scavengers.

The transfer of energy from sun to producer to primary consumer to secondary consumer to tertiary

consumer can be shown in a FOOD CHAIN.

Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Fig. 4-18 p. 77; Refer to Fig. 4-19 p. 78Fig. 4-18 p. 77; Refer to Fig. 4-19 p. 78

Food chainsFood chains Food websFood webs

Food Webs:

• Are interconnected food chains

• They show the feeding relationships in an ecosystem

Another way of showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem is the

ENERGY PYRAMID.

Energy pyramids show

• That the amount of available energy decreases down the food chain

• It takes a large number of producers to support a small number of primary consumers

• It takes a large number of primary consumers to support a small number of secondary consumers

3.3 Biogeochemical Cycles(biology + geology + chemical) Matter is not used up, it is transformed, the same molecules are passed around (see images in your book)

Graphics  Carbon Cycle  Water Cycle  Nitrogen Cycle

Water Cycleground watertranspiration (from plants)evaporation (from bodies of water)precipitation (from clouds)

Hydrologic (Water) CycleHydrologic (Water) Cycle

Fig. 4-27 p. 83Fig. 4-27 p. 83

The Carbon Cycle (Terrestrial)The Carbon Cycle (Terrestrial)

Fig. 4-28 p. 84-85Fig. 4-28 p. 84-85

The Carbon Cycle (Aquatic)The Carbon Cycle (Aquatic)

Fig. 4-28 p. 84-85Fig. 4-28 p. 84-85

The Nitrogen CycleThe Nitrogen CycleFig. 4-29 p. 86Fig. 4-29 p. 86