ECOLOGY Chapter 3
Jan 17, 2016
ECOLOGY
Chapter 3
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
Section 3-1
ECOLOGY Ecology is the study of organisms and their
interaction with the environment.
An organism is any living thing Examples: Humans, animals, plant, bacteria
ECOLOGY The Biosphere
The biosphere is the combined portions of the planet where life exists, including land, air, water, or atmosphere.
It extends from about 8 kilometers above the earth’s atmosphere to about 11 kilometers below the surface of the water
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION To understand the
relationships within the biosphere, ecologists ask questions about events and organisms that range in complexity from a single individual to the entire population
INDIVIDUAL POPULATION COMMUNITY ECOSYSTEM BIOME BIOSPHERE
IMPORTANT VOCABULERY -Species (individual) group of similar organisms can
breed and produce fertile offspring -Populations- group of individuals of same species that
live in the same area -Communities- group of populations that live together
in a defined area -Ecosystem- collection of all organisms in a particular
place includes nonliving or physical environment -Biome- group of ecosystems that have the same
climate and similar dominate communities
-Biosphere- all portions of living planet
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BIOLOGICAL METHODSRegardless of the tools they use, scientists conduct modern ecological research using three basic approaches
1. Observing -What species live
here? -How many species?
2. Experimenting -test hypotheses -set up experiment
in lab or field 3. Modeling
-make models -predictions -test further with
observations and experiments
ENERGY FLOW
Section 3-2
PRODUCERS
The sun is the main source of energy for life on earth
HOWEVER, there are some organisms that rely on other sources of energy These organisms use energy
stored in inorganic (bonds that do not contain carbon) chemical compoundsA good example of these types of organisms are those found deep in the ocean near thermal ventsThe organisms use the chemical energy that is loaded in the water surrounding the vent
AUTOTROPHS A groups of organisms that can use the
energy in sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into Glucose (food)
Autotrophs are also called Producers because they produce all of the food that heterotrophs use
Without autotrophs, there would be no life on this planet
Ex. Plants, Algae, and certain Bacteria
AUTOTROPHS
BREAK DOWN THE WORD
Auto - SELF
Troph - FOOD
AUTOTROPHS Chemotrophs
Autotrophs that get their energy from inorganic substances, such as salt
Live deep down in the ocean where there is no sunlight
Ex. Bacteria and Deep Sea Worms
HOW DO THEY MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD?
PHOTO – light SYNTHESIS – to make Harness solar energy
to produce food Where?
On land ---plants main autotrophs
In water --- upper layers of water
CHEMO – chemical SYNTHESIS – to make Harness chemical
energy to produce food with the absence of light
Where? On land – mainly
bacteria in hot springs In water – deep ocean
floor volcanic vents
PHOTOSYNTHESIS CHEMOSYNTHESIS
CONSUMERS Many organisms cannot make their
own food. The ONLY way to obtain energy is from other organisms…….these organisms are called consumers or heterotrophs
Definition- organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supplyHETERO – otherTROPH - food
HETEROTROPHS
THERE ARE DIFFERENT SUB-TYPES OF CONSUMERS
HerbivoresOmnivoresCarnivoresDetritivoresDecomposers
DIFFERENT SUB-TYPES OF CONSUMERS
Consumers/heterotrophs1. Scavengers/Detritivores – feed on the
tissue of dead organisms (both plans and animals) DETRITIUS- dead matter VORES – to consume Ex. – Vultures, Crows, and Shrimp
SUB-TYPES OF CONSUMERS Consumers/heterotrophs
2. Herbivores – eat ONLY plants HERBI – a plant VORE – to consume Ex. – Cows, Elephants, Giraffes
SUB-TYPES OF CONSUMERS Consumers/heterotrophs
3. Carnivores – eat ONLY meat CARNI – MEAT VORE – to consume Ex. – Lions, Tigers, Sharks
SUB-TYPES OF CONSUMERS Consumers/heterotrophs
4. Omnivores – eat BOTH plants and animals OMNI – all vore- to consume Ex. – Bears and Humans
FEEDING RELATIONSHIPSEnergy flows through an ecosystem in one direction from the sun to producers then to consumers
TRANSFER OF ENERGY When a zebra eats the grass, it does
not obtain all of the energy the grass has (much of it is not eaten)
When a lion eats a zebra, it does not get all of the energy from the zebra (much of it is lost as heat)
TRANSFER OF ENERGY The two (2) previous examples of
energy transfer show that no organism EVER receives all of the energy from the organism they just ate
Only 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next – this is called the 10% law
TROPHIC LEVELS Energy moves from one organisms to
another when it is eaten
Each step in this transfer of energy is know as a trophic levelThe main trophic levels are producers,
consumers, and decomposers
FOOD CHAINS The energy flow from one trophic level to the
other is know as a food chain A food chain is simple and direct It involves one organism at each trophic level
Primary Consumers – eat autotrophs (producers)Secondary Consumers – eat the primary consumersTertiary Consumers – eat the secondary consumersDecomposers – bacteria and fungi that break down
dead organisms and recycle the material back into the environment
FOOD CHAIN
FOOD WEB Most organisms eat more the JUST one
organism
When more organism are involved it is know as a FOOD WEB
Food webs are more complex and involve lots of organisms
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ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDSDiagram that shows the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID An ecological
pyramid shows the relationship between consumers and producers at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
(see diagram to right)
The Pyramid shows which level has the most energy and the highest number of organisms
Three Main Types of Ecological Pyramids
ENERGY BIOMASS NUMBERS
ENERGY PYRAMIDOnly about 10% of the energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level
Ecological Pyramid of Energy
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID of ENERGY
Pyramid of BIOMASS The total mass of the organic matter
(living matter) at each trophic level is called biomass
Biomass is usually expressed in grams per unit area
Biomass is just another term for potential energy – energy that is to be eaten and used.
BIOMASS PYRAMID
Pyramid of Numbers
Pyramid of Numbers
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID
• Which level has the most energy?• Which level has the most organisms?• Which level has the least organisms?• Which level has the least energy?
CYCLES OF MATTER
Section 3-3
CYCLES OF ENERGYUnlike the one way flow of energy,
matter is recycled within and in between ecosystems
WATER CYCLE
Organisms need water for metabolism (all chemical reactions) Water is necessary for photosynthesis
Plants absorb water into their roots Animals drink water or consume it in
their food
Evaporation – water changes into gasTranspiration – water evaporation from
leaves
STEPS OF THE WATER CYCLE
1. Water evaporates from lakes, rivers, oceans, etc..
2. Plants give off water in a process called transpiration
3. Water condenses in the atmosphere and falls back to earth in the form of precipitation
4. The water runs off back into lakes, rivers, etc.
5. The cycle repeats
STEPS OF THE WATER CYCLE
Ways to return water to the environment 1. respiration 2. excretion (animal wastes) 3.transpiration (plants) 4. precipitation
CARBON CYCLE Carbon is found in the environment as
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is needed for photosynthesis Carbon dioxide is returned to the
environment in 3 ways 1. respiration 2. decomposition 3. the burning of fossil fuels.
NITROGEN CYCLE
The atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases
We can't use nitrogen in the air we breath - it must come from the foods we eat.
NITROGEN CYCLE Nitrogen compounds are important for 3
major reasons in humans: 1. Proteins- are necessary for muscle
development and certain chemical reactions (blood clotting)
2. Enzymes and hormones - control chemical reactions in your body - digestion, reproduction etc.
3. Nucleic Acids - carry the traits from one generation to the next
NITROGEN CYCLE
Nitrogen compounds are placed back in food chains 2 major ways: 1. Decomposers
2. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria- bacteria on the roots of certain plants (legumes - peas, beans) take nitrogen from the air and put it in the soil
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
essential to living organisms because it forms part of life sustaining molecules, such as DNA and RNA
Where is P found?not very common in biospheremostly land, rocks, soilas rocks wear down, p is releasedused by marine animals
NUTRIENT CYCLES Primary productivity- rate which organic
matter is created by producers What is the factor that controls primary
productivity? limiting nutrient when ecosystem is limited by
single nutrient that is scare or cycles very slowly
Farmers aware of this and use fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphate and potassium
run-off causes nutrient poor oceans to get lots of nutrient
algal bloom- disrupts ecosystem
THE END