Transcript
Ecology Word Parts
1. Eco - environment2. Auto – self3. Hetero – others4. Homo – same5. Troph – eating/feeding6. Photo – light7. Synthesis – to make8. Carne - meat9. Herb – plant10. Omni – all/every11. -vorous –eat/swallow
What Is Ecology?Ecology is the scientific study of
interactions among organisms (biotic)
and between organisms and their non-living environment
(abiotic).
Energy Transfer through Trophic Levels
0.1% Third-level consumers
1% Second-level consumers
10% First-level consumers
100% Producers
About 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level.
Types of Energy Transfers
Autotrophs/Producers – convert sunlight into chemical energy (ex plants and bacteria)
Heterotrophs/Consumers – rely on other organisms for energy
• Carnivores – meat eater• Herbivore – plant eater• Omnivore – eats plant and animals• Detritivores – break down dead material & returns nutrients
to the soil– Scavengers – eats scraps and leftovers– Decomposers – eats dead and decaying organisms
Ecology Triangle
First Trophic Level – Producers, Autotrophs, Examples: Plants, Flowers, Grass, Shrubs
Second Trophic Level – Primary Consumers, Heterotrophs, Examples: Herbivores
3rd Trophic Level – Secondary Consumer, Heterotroph
Ex: Carnivores/Omnivores
4th Trophic Level Tertiary
Consumer, Heterotroph,
Ex: Top Carnivore
Sun- Ultimate Source of all Energy
Detritivores:
Scavengers and Decomposers
Most Energy
Least Energy
Food Chain
• A simple linear feeding process where energy is transferred by eating or being eaten. (Predator/Prey)
Example:
GrassZebraLionDecomposer
GrassGiraffeHyenasLionDecomp.
Food Web
• Drawing
• The arrow always follows the one way direction of energy.– High Energy Low Energy– Producer Consumer
• A food web is a feeding network of complex interactions
6 Levels of Organization
1) Individual – one organism of one species in the environment
(one deer in the woods)
2) Population – all the organisms of one species in an environment
(all the deer in the woods)
3) Community – all the populations in an environment (all biotic factors) (all animals, plants, bacteria, fungus, and protist in the woods)
4) Ecosystem – all the abiotic and biotic factors in the environment (all living things as well as temperature, water, sunlight, air, etc in the woods)
5) Biome – ecosystems with similar climates and abiotic and biotic factors (Temperate forest)
6) Biosphere – entire earth and all it’s components (earth)
The Major Biomes
• Biomes are defined by a unique set of abiotic and biotic factors—***particularly climate
• Habitat – area an organism lives
The 10 Major Biomes
• Tropical Rain Forest• Tropical Dry Forest• Tropical Savanna• Temperate Grassland• Temperate Woodland
and Shrubland
• Temperate Forest• Northwestern
Coniferous Forest• Boreal Forest• Tundra• Desert
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Dry Forest
Tropical Savanna
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Woodland and Shrub land
Temperate Forest
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
Boreal Forest
Tundra
Desert
Three Types of Community Interactions
1.) Competition: when organisms attempt to use a resource in the same place at the same time
2.) Predation: interaction when one organism captures and feeds on another
– Predator (hunter): kills and eats– Prey (hunted): killed and eaten
3.) Symbiosis: “living together”
• Mutualism: both benefit (ex. Clownfish/anemone,
bison/cowbirds)
• Parasitism: one benefits and the other is harmed
(ex. fleas, ticks, tapeworms)
Niche – the role an organism plays in an environment
Ecological Succession• Predictable changes that occur in a community over
time
• Two Types:
1. Primary Succession – occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
Ex: volcanic ash, rock
Pioneer Species – 1st to arrive on rock (Lichen)
2. Secondary Succession – when a disturbance changes the community without removing the soil
Ex: Wildfires, Hurricanes, Floods
Animal Behaviors
• Innate Behavior (instinct) – born with knowledge
• Learned Behavior(aquired) – developed over
time
• Imprinting - Innate/Learned Combined
• Social – interaction between individuals
4 Types of Learned Behavior
1. Habituation – ignoring
2. Classical Conditioning – mental connection between reward or punishment (Pavlov)
3. Operant Conditioning/Trial-and-Error – repeated practice (Skinner Box)
4. Insight – reasoning
Social Behaviors
• Territory – guarded area
• Society – colonies, schools, packs
• Communication– Visual – Puffer Fish– Sounds – Rattle Snake– Touch/Agression – Moose/Rams– Smell/Pheromones – Dogs/Cats
Behavior Cycles
• Seasonal – Hibernation, Estivation, Migration
• Daily – circadian rhythms
• Yearly – Courtship/mating
Demography
The scientific
study of populations
Four Characteristics of a Population
1.) Geographic Distribution (range): the area
2.) Density: number of individuals in area
3.) Growth rate: number of births, deaths, and immigration (in), or emigration (out)
• Exponential growth: rapid growth (J-Shape Curve)
• Logistic growth: slows after exponential because of limited resources (S-Shape Curve)
• Carrying capacity: the maximum number
• Draw
•Growth limiting factors: causes a population growth to decrease
A: Density-Dependent- are biotic factors that limit growth
Ex) competition, predation, parasitism, and disease
B: Density-Independent – abiotic factors that limit growth
Ex) floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts etc.
4. Age Structure
• Diagram to show population growth
• Rapid growth rate = triangle shape
• Stable growth rate = NO triangle
US POPULATION
Questions:
• What percentage of the male Rwanda population is between the ages of 5-9?
• What percentage of the female US population is between the ages of 10-14?
• Which country is growing faster?
Biodiversity
• Sum total of all the variety of organisms in the biosphere.
• It’s earth’s greatest natural resources. This diversity of life gives us food, shelter, and medicine.
• Valuable because it’s the biological life support system of our planet
The greatest threat to biodiversity is habitat destruction: deforestation, pollution, and human activityThe only solution to the loss in biodiversity and ultimately your life is conservationConserve: use only what is needed
top related