Review of the Principles of Ecology

Post Falls HS, Biology

Eco 1

Reviewing Biosphere

• Zone of the earth which supports life, including parts of the:

• Lithosphere (solid earth)

• Hydrosphere (water bodies)

• Atmosphere (envelope of air)

Reviewing Abiotic vs Biotic

Reviewing Niche

• An organism’s role in the environment

• Producer, consumer (herbivore/carnivore), saprovore (scavenger/ decomposer)

Autotroph (Producer)

• Producer organism that makes its own food from sun or energy of chemical compounds

• Green plants, bacteria, some protists

Heterotroph (Consumer)• Depend upon auto-

trophs for energy and substance

• Herbivores eat plant material directly

• Carnivores eat animal material

• Omnivores eat both

Herbivores – 1st Order Consumer (primary)

Carnivores-2nd Order (secondary), 3rd Order

(tertiary), etc.

Predator-Prey

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Scavengers are carnivores, too, but called saprovores

(eat dead matter)

Which are Saprovores?

Decomposers are saprovores, too!

• Decay and break down dead matter

• Recycle matter and use energy

• Macroscopic or microscopic like fungi or bacteria

Common Thread?

They were all omnivores !

Symbiosis

• Means “living together”

• Close and permanent relationship between organisms of different species

• Parasitism, Mutualism, and Commensalisms

Parasitism

One benefits (parasite) and one is harmed (host) by the relationship

Mutualism

Both benefit from the relationship. Food for the insect, pollination for the

plant.

Commensalism

One benefits while the other is apparently unaffected!

Food Chain

Food Chain

Food Chain

?

Actually, many crossing and interrelated food chains are known

as a food web

Energy and Matter

• Energy is used at each step in a food chain or energy pyramid but is renewed constantly by the sun

• Matter (the material making up organisms) is recycled because its supply is finite

Energy Pyramid

Only 10% of the energy of a level is passed on to the next level. 90% is used in the lives of the organisms at that level

Natural Cycles (recycling)

Quiz

The part of the biosphere that includes all the

water

Hydrosphere

Quiz

The thin layer of the earth in which life

exists

Biosphere

Quiz

Which is an abiotic factor in our

environment?Pine tree, sunlight,

coyote, lichen

Sunlight

Quiz

A group of squirrels living together in

Black Bay Park is an example of what?

Population

Quiz

Label each as a niche or habitat:

Forest, herbivore, meadow, autotroph,

tundra, lake

Habitat, niche, habitat, niche, habitat, habitat

Quiz

Which niche is found at the end of every

food chain?

Decomposer

Quiz

Second order consumers are more often known as this

Carnivore

Quiz

The symbiotic relationship between

you and the tapeworm in your

intestines making you lose weight

Parasitism

Quiz

What do you call many interacting

food chains?

Food web

Quiz

Which can be recycled in

ecosystems:energy or matter?

Matter