Unit Unit 2A- 2A-

EcologEcologyy

The BiosphereThe Biosphere::• all life on Earth and all the parts

of the Earth where life exists• Ecology is the study of the

interactions of all of the organisms and their environments in the biosphere

Levels of Organization Levels of Organization in the Biospherein the Biosphere

1. Organism- one individual of a certain species

2. Population- group of individuals of the same species living in the same area

3. Community- different populations living together in the same area

4. Ecosystem- all the organisms in a certain place together with their physical environment

5. Biome- a group of ecosystems with similar climates and typical organisms

6. The Biosphere- all living things from all biomes on the planet

• Where is the biosphere located and what does it include?o The biosphere is everywhere on our planet where there

is life. This can be far above the land where birds fly, deep into the oceans where sea creatures live, or even deep underground where extreme bacteria can inhabit vents and volcanoes. It includes all the living things and the abiotic features of the planet that they interact with and rely upon.

o Because there is life nearly everywhere on Earth, the word biosphere is a very broad term and the Earth itself is essentially our biosphere.

Levels of Organization in the Biosphere

Increasing Com

plexity

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________________-

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Population-__________________-

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Fill in each box with the correct level of organization in the biosphere (the size of the box indicates the broadness of each category). Include a word or two to help you remember what each grouping means.

Environments:Environments:

• The conditions or factors surrounding an organism

• Consist of biotic and abiotic factors

Biotic FactorsBiotic Factors• Any living part of the

environment • Includes animals, plants, fungi,

bacteria, etc.

Abiotic FactorsAbiotic Factors• Any nonliving (physical) part of the

environment• Examples: sunlight, heat,

precipitation, humidity, wind, water, soil, etc.

What are the Biotic and What are the Biotic and

Abiotic Factors in this Abiotic Factors in this

Environment?Environment?

Biotic and Abiotic Factors are Biotic and Abiotic Factors are

Closely LinkedClosely Linked

The mucky shoreline, biotic, abiotic or both?

Both! Abiotic- soil, water, sand, etc. Biotic- bacteria, fungi, small animals like worms, etc.

What Is a Biome?What Is a Biome?

• Large regions of land that are characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities.

• Made up of many individual ecosystems• Vary according to their location from the

equator (latitude)

Biomes of the WorldBiomes of the WorldIn which biome is Livingston, NJ located?

“Temperate forest”, also called “temperate deciduous forest”

Temperate Temperate (Deciduous) Forrest(Deciduous) Forrest

• Has both deciduous and coniferous trees

• Deciduous trees shed leave in autumn

• Cold winters, warm summers

• Soils are fertile• Some animals hibernate in

winter, others migrate to warmer climates, others camouflage in winter when trees are bare

Energy, Energy, ProducerProducer

s, and s, and ConsumeConsume

rsrs

EnergyEnergy• Organisms must get energy in order

to function• Different organisms get their energy

in different ways• Almost all energy on Earth starts

from the sun!

1. Autotrophs1. Autotrophs

• Organisms that capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and turn it into food

• Also called primary producers

Primary ProducersPrimary Producers• Most commonly use energy from the sun

to create sugars and starches (photosynthesis)

• Important examples: plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria

ChemosynthesisChemosynthesis

• When primary producers turn the energy in chemicals (like hydrogen sulfide) into carbohydrates.o Mostly bacteriao Found in extreme environments (deep ocean, hot

springs, volcanoes)

2. Heterotrophs2. Heterotrophs• Eat other organisms for food.• Also called consumers

Types of ConsumersTypes of ConsumersClassified by the way they acquire energy• Carnivores- kill and eat other animals• Herbivores- eat plant materials• Omnivores- eat both plant and animal

materials• Scavengers- consume carcasses of

organisms that have died or that were killed by predators

• Decomposers- feed by chemically breaking down organic matter into detritus, debris from decomposing plants and animals (Ex: fungi and bacteria)

• Detritivores- feed on detritus particles (Ex: earthworms)

* Put these definitions in the correct bubbles on pg. 5 in the notes.

Types of Consumer

s

Food Chains Food Chains and Food and Food

WebsWebs

Energy Flows One Energy Flows One WayWay

• Almost all energy on Earth starts from the sun!

• Energy flows through an ecosystem in a one way direction from producers to consumers

• Food Chain- a series of steps in which organisms transfer chemical energy by eating and being eaten. (food molecules are chemicals)

Phytoplankton = algae that is floating and not attached to something

**Read an arrow as “is eaten by”

Food WebsFood Webs

• Food web- a network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the organisms of an ecosystem

Algae Plants

Decomposers and Decomposers and Detritivores are Important Detritivores are Important

in Food Websin Food Webs• Dead plant and animal material must be

broken down so the molecules can be reused for new life

• Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) are heterotrophs that break down this dead plant and animal material into detrituso This releases nutrients into the soil for new

primary producers to grow (“recycles nutrients”)

• Detritus is eaten by detritivores (like crayfish, grass shrimp, and worms), further releasing nutrients into the soil

Food Web Food Web DisturbancesDisturbances

• Environmental changes can cause changes in a food web

Krill

Food Web Food Web DisturbancesDisturbances

• How would a decrease in the krill population affect the Antarctic food web?

• What do ecologists mean when they say that killer whales indirectly depend on krill for survival?

Trophic LevelsTrophic Levels• Each step of a food

chain or food web is called a trophic level

• First trophic level- always primary producers

• All other trophic levels are occupied by different types of consumers

Ecological PyramidsEcological Pyramids• Illustrations used

to show the amounts of energy or matter in each trophic level of a food web

• Three types of pyramids: energy, biomass, and numbers

Pyramids of EnergyPyramids of Energy• Show the amount of

energy available at each trophic level

• Only 10% of the energy in one trophic level is passed to the next level up.

• The rest of the energy is either used by the organisms to do life processes (like growth, reproduction, respiration, etc.), or released as heat

How much of the energy available to the producers is available to the third-level consumers?

Pyramids of BiomassPyramids of Biomass• Biomass is the total amount of living tissue in

a trophic level• Primary Producers will have the greatest

biomass o There must be enough producers to provide energy

for all of the consumers

Pyramids of NumbersPyramids of Numbers• Show the number of

individuals at each trophic level

• If the main producer is a large organism, the base of the numbers pyramid will be small

Pyramid of Numbers

Pyramid of Numbers

Grass

Habitat vs. Habitat vs. NicheNiche

Tolerance:Tolerance:The ability to survive and reproduce under a variety of

environmental circumstances. Outside the optimum range causes stress (struggling

to maintain homeostasis).For any environmental factor, going beyond the upper

or lower limit can lead to death.

HabitatHabitat• The general place where an

organism lives• Organisms will live where they can

tolerate (or handle) the conditions

NicheNiche• What an organism does in its habitat, how it interacts with its environment, and how it contributes to an ecosystem

• Example: “The red fox's habitat might include forest edges, meadows

and the bank of a river. The niche of the red fox is that of a predator which feeds on the small mammals, amphibians, insects, and fruit found in this habitat. Red foxes are active at night. They provide blood for blackflies and mosquitoes, and are host to numerous diseases. The scraps left behind after a fox's meal provide food for many small scavengers and decomposers.”

Community Community InteractionsInteractions

CompetitionCompetition• Competition- when

organisms attempt to use the same limited ecological resource in the same place at the same time. o Example: the roots of

different plants compete for water, nutrients, and space in the soil

Types of CompetitionTypes of Competition• Intraspecific- competition

between members of the same species

• Interspecific- competition between members of different species.

The Competitive Exclusion The Competitive Exclusion

Principle:Principle:• The idea that no two species can

occupy exactly the same niche, in the same habitat, at the same time

• If two species try to do this, one of three things can happen:o 1 species will compete better for the niche and the other

species will die out o 1 species will compete better for the niche and the other

species will move awayo The two species will split or share the niche. Ex:

rainforest lizards that eat the same bugs can occupy different parts of the forest

Predator-Prey Predator-Prey RelationshipsRelationships

• Predation: an interaction in which one animal (the predator) captures and feeds on another animal (the prey)

• Predators can affect the size of prey populations in a community and determine the places prey can live and feed.

• Give an example in our ecosystem

Herbivore-Plant Herbivore-Plant RelationshipsRelationships

•  Herbivory: an interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)

• Herbivores can affect both the size and distribution of plant populations in a community and determine the places that certain plants can survive and grow.

• Give an example in our ecosystem

Graphing Community Graphing Community InteractionsInteractions

What is shown in this graph?Use the graph to answer the two questions below it in the notes.

• Keystone Species: a single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community.

Keystone Keystone SpeciesSpecies

• A species whose presence is important for the structure of a community

• Example:

Kelp Sea Urchin Sea Otter

Provide shelter and food for other animals

Due to hunting

What will happen to this community?

Sea otters were a keystone species!

SymbiosesSymbioses• Any relationship in which two species live

closely together is called symbiosis• Three main classes of symbiosis:

o Mutualismo Parasitismo Commensalism

1. Mutualism1. Mutualism• A relationship in which both

species benefit• Example: clown fish live in

sea anemones. o Clown fish are protected

from predators by hiding inside the stinging anemone

o The anemone is protected from being eaten by the clown fish who wants to defend its home

2. Parasitism2. Parasitism• When one organism lives in or on another

organism and harms it by obtaining all or part of its nutritional needs from the host organism.

• Example: Fleas feed on blood and skin of their hosts; cause discomfort and could transmit disease

3. Commensalism3. Commensalism• One organism benefits and the other is neither

helped nor harmed• Example: barnacles (small ocean animals) live on

whales. They do not harm the whale but the whale’s swimming allows the barnacles to get constant food particles from the water.

Cycles of Cycles of MatterMatter

Four Main Elements of Four Main Elements of Living Things:Living Things:

• CHON• Make up:

o Watero Carbso Lipidso Nucleic acidso Proteins

Energy & MatterEnergy & Matter• Energy flows in a one way direction starting from

the sun (it is not recycled)• Matter is recycled through the biosphere

Matter is Recycled Within and Matter is Recycled Within and

Between EcosystemsBetween Ecosystems

• This is different than the one-way flow of energy through an ecosystem

• Biogeochemical Cycles- process in which elements, chemical compounds (water and nutrients), and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another.

Processes in Processes in Biogeochemical Cycles Biogeochemical Cycles

can be… can be… • Biological- • Geological-• Chemical- formation of

clouds/precipitation• Physical- flow of running water• Human Activity-

Cellular respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition, nitrogen fixation, etc.

Erosion, rock formation, heat and pressure from the earth

Logging, deforestation, burning fossil fuels, wastes, fertilizers

• Energy powers the cycles of matter• Matter is transformed, never created or destroyed

The Water CycleThe Water Cycle• Water moves between oceans,

atmosphere, and land• Can be inside or outside of organisms

How does water vapor How does water vapor enter the atmosphere?enter the atmosphere?

• Evaporation• Transpiration• Combustion• Respiration

Once water vapor is in Once water vapor is in the atmosphere…the atmosphere…

• Condensation• Precipitation• Runoff• Groundwater

Also use evaporation

Nutrient CyclesNutrient Cycles

• The cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus through organisms and the environment are especially important

The Carbon CycleThe Carbon Cycle• Carbon is a major

component of all organic compounds.

• found in some inorganic compounds

• Example: calcium carbonate (CaCO3) – molecule that is part of animal skeletons

• Example: carbon dioxide (CO2) - major part of the atmosphere and necessary for photosynthesis.

Carbon & OxygenCarbon & Oxygen• Oxygen often cycles with carbon through

the biosphere, particularly due to photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Makes Cell Walls

Fossil FuelsFossil Fuels• Fossil Fuels: Energy rich fuels (coal, oil, and

natural gas) created from carbon-containing compounds of ancient, dead forests, marine organisms, or other animals have been buried and transformed by pressure and heat.

• Major reservoirs (locations of large amounts) of carbon in the biosphere include the: o Atmosphereo Oceanso Rocks o Fossil Fuels o Forests

QuestionsQuestions• Use your knowledge and the carbon cycle

diagram in the notes packet to complete the questions on pg. 16 of the notes.

• bromothymol blue 3:20

The Nitrogen CycleThe Nitrogen Cycle• Nitrogen is required to make amino acids and

nucleic acids

Forms of NitrogenForms of Nitrogen• Different forms of nitrogen occur naturally in the

biosphere.

• Nitrogen gas (N2)makes up 78% of earth’s atmosphere.

• Ammonia (NH3), nitrate ions (NO3-), nitrite ions

(NO2-) are found in soil, in the wastes produced by

many organisms, and in dead and decaying organic matter.

• Dissolved nitrogen exists in several forms in the ocean and other large water bodies

Nitrogen gasNitrogen gas is the is the most abundant form of most abundant form of

nitrogen on Earth. nitrogen on Earth.

•Only a handful of organisms – certain types of bacteria – can use this form directly. •They “change” (=fix) the nitrogen into usable forms•The usable forms can then be used by other organisms •Thus, nitrogen-fixing bacteria are an essential part of the nitrogen cycle.

• Nitrogen Fixation: The conversion of Nitrogen Gas (not usable) into Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites (usable) by bacteria.

• Some of these bacteria live in the soil whereas others live on the roots of certain plants called legumes (ex. peanuts, peas, soybeans).

• Bacteria are the driving force of the nitrogen cycle!

• Once these forms of nitrogen are available, primary producers can use them to make proteins and nucleic acids.

• Consumers eat the producers and reuse nitrogen to make their own nitrogen-containing compounds (and so on through the food web).

Answer the questions on Answer the questions on pg. 18 of the notes pg. 18 of the notes

packetpacket

Fertilizers Contain Fertilizers Contain Nitrogen & Nitrogen & PhosphorusPhosphorus

• Eutrophication: excess growth of algae due to increased levels of fertilizers in the water. o Creates an algal bloomo Algae takes oxygen from other

organisms and may release toxins